All work and no play is no way to get through a time like this. But we all know it isn’t the easiest time to get out.
Nearly all of us want to travel again, but many of us can’t help but rethink how, when, and why. For many of us, gone is the conventional business trip. For others, a long vacation to an exotic location might seem unobtainable or unsafe.
With change sometimes comes opportunity, though. And with remote work now a fact of life for many of us, and for the foreseeable future, it is time to consider a “work-cation.”
Your Walla Walla Work-Cation
Work is no vacation, or so we think. But whether you call it a work-cation, “tele-zoomuting,” or “bleisure travel,” leaving home and working in a different environment or setting — be it for a week or two or a few months — is another matter.
Many of those who have visited Walla Walla — which was recently voted America’s Best Wine Region in the 2020 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice awards — have at least fantasized what it would be like to live in wine country. To be just steps away from some of the best wineries in the world and to immerse themselves in Walla Walla’s bucolic charms.
Most never let it go beyond a passing thought. After all, it’s one thing to dream, but another to uproot permanently. With remote work, though, there is a rare opportunity that allows for a deeper exploration of Walla Walla than any long weekend would make possible, without the commitment of long-term relocation.
A Walla Walla Work-cation is no flight of fancy, either.
Set in quiet Southeastern Washington, Walla Walla is just an easy and scenic four-hour drive from Seattle, Portland, or Boise. A small town that has long been more cosmopolitan than its size might suggest, Walla Walla offers the broadband infrastructure and proximity to Northwestern hubs to put such a notion into practice.
By now, most of those working from home have learned that the ability to accomplish work successfully and remotely is not mutually exclusive. It’s one of the reasons why for many companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Square, Slack, Shopify, and Zillow, a permanent remote work option for employees is becoming increasingly popular.
Brett White, the CEO of global commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, predicts that the permanent remote workforce could double to nearly 10%. That represents a titanic shift in the way many of us engage our jobs, making proximity to work an afterthought if it is a thought at all.
Of course, the staff at Visit Walla Walla knows this well, too. We have been working remotely, and we have to say, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how well it has gone.
Then again, we’re lucky.
We already get to live in Walla Walla, putting all the incredible food, world-class wine, and outdoor adventures at our fingertips without ever having to travel more than a few minutes. We kind of like it that way.
For those who yearn for a change of scenery, though, the town with the welcoming reputation for being “so nice they named it twice” is ideal for those who long to escape the monotony and routine in which they are currently stuck.
From a Walla Walla vacation rental, spend the morning being productive at work while reserving your afternoons free to wine taste at any one of more than 120 wineries … all just minutes from your front door. Or maybe put the work off until later, and use the morning for an unforgettable bike ride through the country roads of wine country, a hike into the scenic Blue Mountains, a round of golf at Wine Valley, or find the best spots to experience the fall migration of more than 300 bird species.
Then wind down the workday with an immersion into Walla Walla’s farm-to-table culinary scene.
It’s the kind of day that is a dream to many.
Let’s be honest, the last few months have seemed like a scene from the movie Groundhog Day. So perhaps most importantly, work-cations represent an opportunity to change up the routine and boost your morale. They can boost productivity by removing the day-to-day grind that can come with being home. And they can improve wellness by offering a well-earned opportunity to relax and take a deep breath.
Whatever your reasons, Walla Walla offers a rare chance to live and work in the unofficial capital of Washington wine country — if only for a few weeks or months.