Remote workers will holiday twice as much as office workers, report says

Will you be a laptop lugger or a disconnector? How you work will determine how often you holiday, a new report from Deloitte suggests.

According to the 2022 travel industry outlook, people who can work remotely — known as the “laptop luggers” — could travel twice as much as those who leave the office behind.

That group will holiday between two to four times a year and work from abroad, compared with the one to two trips the “disconnectors” — those who unplug from work altogether — will take.

But it’s not just the frequency of travel that could increase — it’s the length. The report suggests about 75% of the laptop luggers will extend their trip, though most will just add a few days onto the end.

There’s plenty for business owners to welcome about the laptop luggers — they have “above-average buying power” and “greater flexibility on travel dates” according to research.

But it requires a bit of thought. Those wishing to take their work on their holiday will need to consider:

• A quiet and comfortable place to work (cafes, for instance, may not sustain whole workdays);
• Fast and reliable internet (which may change a traveller’s choice of destination);
• Convenient access to food (for quick meals during the “workday”); and
• The ability (and willingness) to reschedule holiday activities if a problem needs urgent attention.

Interestingly the report found that “subscription models, which have historically struggled due to low frequency of travel, are getting a second look”.

It cited Dutch hotel brand Citizen M, which last year launched a corporate remote-worker subscription model as an alternative to often expensive office or co-working spaces.

It works like this: for about $950 a month, companies get a daily workspace in the living rooms of any of the 21 Citizen M hotels worldwide, three nights of accommodation a month, three hours of meeting room use a month, as well as a high-speed WiFi connection.

Citizen M also launched a fixed-rate stay option for digital nomads, freelancers and adventurers, allowing guests to buy a package of 30 consecutive days at a flat rate of $95 a night.

“And as suppliers try to recast loyalty in the face of less corporate travel, higher-spending laptop luggers and their particular demands will likely garner more attention in the year ahead,” the report continues.

Deloitte has been tracking consumer sentiment, including travel purchase intent, since April 2020 via the Global State of the Consumer Tracker.