If you want to take a working vacation and are an American, you are in luck because you will not need a passport to visit the world’s most populous city, gistpeople reports
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According to a recent Icelandair study, the best city in the world to work during the day and then take a tour afterward is Kansas City, Missouri, where you won’t have to use too much of your PTO time.
Kansas City is known for its barbecue, jazz scene, and having more fountains than Rome, which has attractions such as The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kauffman Stadium, Worlds of Fun, and a bustling downtown.
This city is ranked first out of 115 global cities, and they were chosen for their prominence in the tourism industry and availability of “slow” travel options.
Leaving aside tourist attractions, the Icelandair ranking takes into account metrics that paint a picture of each city’s quality of life (such as the cost of living, safety, and access to health-care services), how easy it is to work there (internet speed, average working hours, commute time), environmental factors (climate index, noise and light pollution, and air quality), and data from the United Nations’ World Happiness Report.
According to Icelandair, the top ten best global cities for a working vacation are listed below.
– Kansas City, USA – Vienna, Austria Austria – Wellington, New Zealand Copenhagen, New Zealand Denmark – Edinburgh, Victoria, United Kingdom Perth, Western Australia, Canada Brisbane, Australia – Frankfurt, Germany – Helsinki, Finland
Travelers may be surprised that well-known big cities such as New York and Los Angeles are not at the top of the list.
This is because these metros “aren’t always the best when you’re looking to take a step away from the busy hustle of a typical working day,” according to Gisli S. Brynjolfsson, Icelandair’s director of global marketing.
Slow travel is a growing trend that “emphasizes connection,” whether with local people, businesses, culture, food, or leaving places in a condition that future travelers can explore, he tells CNBC Make It.
Slow travel is especially appealing to people planning working vacations, who are more likely to travel alone and stay at their destination for longer periods of time. “It’s about being mindful, not overdoing it, and taking your time getting to know the places around you,” Brynjolfsson says.
Many people return from these “vacations” more exhausted than when they went, which is why remote work makes it easier than ever to take a working vacation.
According to Expedia’s latest Vacation Deprivation study of 14,500 working adults from 16 countries, 61% of Americans who took a working vacation in the previous year did not consider them “true” vacations.
Furthermore, 72% of people who worked through their vacation reported feeling more exhausted than ever before.
According to the Icelandair report, it is best for vacationers to find balance by connecting with nature, staying active, and practicing mindfulness.
Take mini breaks from devices on work days and find an accountability buddy who can help you prioritize your rest, whether they’re a remote colleague or a travel partner.
Finally, even though these cities have the infrastructure for remote work, make sure you spend some of your trips logged off, deleting email, practicing proactive recovery, and immersing yourself in your new destination.
