Worcation News

The Band Perry

This is a guest post from Noah Kagan. He runs AppSumo.com, How to Make your first $1,000 Business course and a new, free marketing tool called SumoMe.com. Not only does he want you to read about how to take a workcation, he wants to help you take one. Workation is the newfound buzzword among millennials who quench their wanderlust by working from exotic places. To keep up with this modern work + vacation trend, many leisure destinations have now adapted to this new concept and have transformed into workation destinations in India. What is WorkationX? WorkationX is a Co-working & Co-living community space that brings together digital nomads, professionals, freelancers, entrepreneurs, independent thinkers and startups to work, live and engage with the local community of the Himalayas. We create customised itineraries based on extensive research and manage bookings of your.

The recent expansion of remote work in Japan following the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the government with ammunition to push for an even more radical working style previously thought all but.

I wasn’t the only one swept away by this smash hit. The Band Perry’s single, “If I Die Young” went on to quadruple platinum and hit Number 1 on Billboard’s Country and American Country charts in 2010. This one single quickly catapulted The Band Perry into super stardom faster than you can say white lightning. More...

Gatlinburg Breakfast Guide!

After a restful night’s sleep, what better way to start a vacation day than with a hearty breakfast? Since you’re on vacation let someone else do the cooking for you. Pamper yourself by taking the time to enjoy a leisurely meal and think about how to spend your time relaxing and having fun in the More...

Going out in Gatlinburg

For a small mountain town Gatlinburg has a lively nightlife. So when you’ve got cabin fever and are ready for a night on the town, there’s a variety of hot spots, both family friendly and twenty-one and older, within several miles of Elk Springs Resort sure to delight. Sherlock Holmes Pub One of the More...

3 Great Winter Hikes in and Around Gatlinburg

Wintertime is one of the most underrated seasons of the year to hike in and the Great Smoky Mountains. For this reason, while staying at the resort, you will be able to enjoy the serenity and solitude of these majestic mountains with fewer crowds. Though you may have to layer up and don some extra More...

Forbes Rates Gatlinburg, TN Among Top Prettiest Towns in America

Have you been contemplating a visit to Gatlinburg but haven’t yet made the time? Well, maybe you will change your mind when you hear all about what Forbes had to say about us! While we have long been touting the beauty of our quaint town, we were thrilled when Forbes placed Gatlinburg on its list More...

Top 5 Winter Activities in Gatlinburg, TN

Here is our insider list of the Top 5 Winter Activities to do while visiting Gatlinburg. Not afraid of some snow on the ground and a chill in the air? Then you will love visiting our beautiful mountain town during the winter season. While the spring and fall seasons are stunning, and many will More...

4 Fantastic Fall Overlooks not to miss near Gatlinburg

Every fall as the leaves explode into an array of burnt oranges, crimsons, and lemony hues, people flock to the mountains to take in this natural work of art. Gatlinburg, situated just outside the Great Smoky Mountains, is a prime destination each fall, as travelers far and wide seek to vacation in the midst of More...

Gatlinburg Webcam

It’s another chamber of commerce day in Gatlinburg. (watch is streaming live gatlinburg webcam) Here is a live view of downtown Gatlinburg:

Best Bicycling Near Gatlinburg

Bicycling is great exercise and an excellent way to get up close and personal with nature and the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area offers many exhilarating options for bicycle enthusiasts. For those who love to churn the wheels, get a good work out, and ride through scenic landscapes there is no better place. While cyclists are not allowed More...

6 Must Have Trail Mix Recipes for your next Gatlinburg Hike

When you use Google services, you trust us with your information. This Privacy Policy is meant to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it. This is important; we hope you will take time to read it carefully. And remember, you can find controls to manage More...

Top 6 Recommended Shows in Gatlinburg

A vacation in Gatlinburg, TN. It is a time to relax, have fun, and to be entertained. For those vacationers that want big city entertainment without the big city expense, the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area offers a great variety of live shows. During your next Smoky Mountain Vacation at Elk Springs Resort cabin rentals, take a More...

How To Prepare For Your Summer Vacation To Gatlinburg

When you begin to prepare for your summer vacation to Gatlinburg, one of the first things to do is start planning early! We’ve found that many visitors started making their plans and reserving cabins back in October of last year. As winter turns to spring, more and more vacationers are reserving cabins, condos and hotels More...

A Sneak Peak at Dollywoods New Wild Eagle Roller Coaster

Travel over 3,000 feet from 21 stories high at over 60 mph! That’s dollywoods newest roller coaster named “Wild Eagle”. Details were recently released and the new coaster is targeted to open in March 2012. This unique roller coaster features riders sitting suspended on the outside of the track.

Oktoberfest in Gatlinburg, TN

What’s better than a weekend festival? A celebration that lasts all month, of course! No matter when you visit Gatlinburg, TN this month, you can enjoy the festivities of Oktoberfest at Ober Gatlinburg. Situated high up in the Great Smoky Mountains, Ober Gatlinburg offers exciting events all year long, including the traditional German festival of More...

Search For Treasures at the Gatlinburg Craftsmen Fair

Admit it: when you go on vacation, one of the things you look forward to is buying souvenirs for friends, family – and yourself! If you have already booked a vacation rental cabin for, or are thinking about booking a cabin for, the middle of July, then you are in luck. From July 15 to More...

Mingle With Artists at the Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival

Every year artists from in and around Gatlinburg gather for the Fine Arts Festival held in May. Although Gatlinburg is well-known for its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it ideal for nature enthusiasts, it is also a haven for artists, painters, sculptors and musicians as well. Gatlinburg is home to several More...

Being away from the office, even for a few days, can be a nightmare for the hardest working professionals. Yet, if they want to have a semblance of a ‘normal’ family life, it’s essential. Fortunately, Swedish entrepreneur Kenneth OE Sundin has come up with the answer. He calls it Worcation.

It’s not that a hot, sunny climate and an ice cold, poolside drink are unappealing ideas to Kenneth OE Sundin. Nor does he feel a sense of dread when he thinks about spending prolonged periods with his family. Far from it. In fact, he’s a committed family man with an appetite for the good life. It’s just that, as the Founder of SME Academy, the global knowledge provider network for entrepreneurs and SME managers, he’s an unbelievably busy man. So taking extended periods off work can be not merely tough, but totally impractical.

‘I was Managing Director for a software company in Sweden, back in 1991 or ’92,’ he says. ‘And I’ll never forget the Chairman saying to me, “Kenneth, you work so hard. Don’t make the same mistakes I did – I missed my daughter’s first communion and so many other family events. I just wasn’t there for them.” And this was really the trigger for Worcation. I felt compelled to ask myself, how can I be the tireless entrepreneur I’m driven to be and yet still spend time with my family?’

The answer came, fully formed, around 1997 when Kenneth was working in Lebanon (his wife’s home country). His working routine had, in the previous five years, developed to a point where he was able to take more time out of the office and work while on holiday. By making his family aware that, when he was in his office, he was not to be disturbed, he managed to achieve the same amount, if not more, than the majority of those who worked from a fixed location but took less time off. And, one day, sitting in his holiday home, it struck him.
I felt compelled to ask myself, how can I be the tireless entrepreneur I’m driven to be and yet still spend time with my family?

‘It just popped into my head – the word: Worcation. I was sitting there in Beirut, drinking a cold drink. My wife and family were in the other room and I’d set up a makeshift office space where I was left undisturbed. I was running a project conference on Skype with a team of people in various locations and I just thought to myself, I could have cut this vacation short, but instead, by working during the time away, I’ve been able to stay for longer and be more present for my family. It’s perfect – I’m on Worcation.’

He soon developed the concept into what has become a hugely successful e-book and something of a bible for family-focused entrepreneurs. But, I ask him, isn’t this just a repackaged version of what we’ve all come to know as ‘telecommuting’?

‘Absolutely not,’ Kenneth insists. ‘Telecommuting is a far less nuanced concept. It basically means working from home as an alternative to working from a central hub. Worcation, on the other hand, acknowledges the fact that many people prefer or need to work out of the office from day to day, but it shows professionals with huge responsibility how they can take the same time off as people with fewer responsibilities and yet still remain highly proactive.’

Worcation News

It’s an appealing idea, of course, but one that might be difficult to implement for many people. And I pose to Kenneth all manner of cultural observations that negate the possibility of incorporating Worcation into life. I tell him, for instance, that some partners would, in no way, accept the idea of their other halves taking their work on holiday with them – that their family time is not to be messed with. This, however, simply makes him smile and freely admit, ‘It’s not for everyone. But, that said, if you have any other kind of career, I think you're more likely to end up with a different kind of partner. The families of people who spend much of their lives working know what to expect and a certain dynamic develops. Worcation enables those people to maintain that dynamic and still feel close to one another.’
Telecommuting is a far less nuanced concept

Fair enough. So what about at the organisational level? I ask Kenneth if Worcation is something that can be developed from the top down or if it’s a luxury available only to those at the top of the organisational tree. And not just because it appears to have been designed that way. It also seems like something that might be culturally impossible to implement at lower levels. Resistance would surely come from all angles – nervous managers, jealous colleagues, those who ‘don’t see the point’ or feel that it’s perhaps just a means to piling more and more work on them. Never mind Britain, is Sweden even ready to adopt Worcation as an employment principle?

Workation News

‘Ah, Sweden isn’t as laid back as all that, you know. There’s something of an old fashioned work ethic that’s probably not that different to Britain’s and I agree that a concept like Worcation will be a real challenge to implement in the face of cultural rigidity. I think it has much to do with our viewing work from a now far-outmoded industrial revolution perspective – the factory model. We get up, we go to work and we come home at the end of the day. This is ridiculously old fashioned considering the types of technology available to us but good change management will see to it that, over time, the nervous and the jealous become the confident and the excited.

It’s funny that he mentions outmoded ways of working, because in many ways, we seem to be drawing close to full circle. Pre-industrial life manufactured to meet immediate needs and was a much more sedentary affair. And, although that’s certainly not the case in 2014, we do appear to be moving back towards a model of working within which quality of life is a key focus. So is Worcation really the future or is it just plain old back-to-basics?

‘It’s both,’ grins Kenneth. ‘It’s a concept that’s absolutely rooted in the needs of the 21st Century entrepreneur, but in many ways it’s very close to the pre-industrial farming model. And, yes, you could say it’s a return to a more relaxed way of working. My grandfather was a farmer and he would get up and go out into the fields. He would assess a job, think about it for a while and then maybe he would sit and chat to his farm hands for a while and drink a cup of coffee. Then he would set to work and near break his back, putting his all into it, and then he would break again for a long period of time before starting again and working until it was dark. This to me is closer to the life of an entrepreneur than the factory model of working.’