Snow is falling around me in large, cinematic flakes. It’s 8.45 on a Tuesday morning in mid-January. I’m sitting at the top of a wide empty ski slope, ready to strap into my snowboard. Within minutes, I’m schussing down the powder-soft run, then back to the resort, ready to open my laptop and start a day of work.
This was 2014, six years before the pandemic revolutionised working-from-home across the globe. Workations were not yet part of normal office protocol. However, I managed to convince my boss to let me work from Morzine, a ski resort in the French Alps.
Over the next three years, I spent extended periods of time working remotely in France and Switzerland. Swapping the daily commute for carving down freshly-groomed pistes was not something I regret.
Fast forward to 2023 and workations are much more commonplace. Last year, 56 per cent of employees in the UK said they either planned to or have already taken a workation, according to a survey by language company Babbel.
Here are a handful of reasons why you should consider heading to a ski resort for your next work-stay adventure.
On my first workation in the Alps, I remember watching the Christmas crowds disperse, leaving the slopes blissfully quiet. One of the major perks of being a digital nomad in a ski resort is you get to enjoy off-peak skiing. January and February are often the best months for snowfall in the Alps - get ready for thigh-deep snow and minimal lift queues.
Yes, there’s work to be done during the day, but you can always squeeze in a run or two before work or over lunchtime. Also, take advantage of night skiing. Many resorts now illuminate the pistes for one night per week during the winter, allowing you to fit in extra ski time after work.
Top tip: Saturdays in French and Austrian resorts can be unexpectedly quiet, especially if they are fairly remote. This is the main changeover day for chalets; most holiday makers are in transit, leaving you with a full day-off to explore the slopes in peace.
Think you’re a pretty decent skier already? Yes, you can beat your brother in a who-can-get-to-the-bar-first race, but it doesn’t mean you’re technically a good skier. However, after five months in a ski resort, you’ll see rapid progress in your technique.
During my first winter in the Alps, I could snowboard down red runs, although I was fairly wobbly when it came to flat sections and icy steeps. By the end of the season, I was comfortably heading off-piste and even attempting a few jumps in the snow park. If you are a complete beginner, an alpine workation will allow you to get beyond that exhausting learn-to-ski week and actually see consistent progress.
Increased fitness is another perk. On a week-long ski holiday, it takes a few days for
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There's a new six-way tie for first place in an annual global travel ranking.France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain, have all tied as having the top passport in the world, measured by providing visa-free access to 194 countries with their respective passports, according to the newest Henley Passport Index. The annual report measures the flexibility of visa-free travel and has become a popular list among global travelers. For comparison, in 2023, only Japan was crowned with the top spot when it provided access to 193 countries.
The world's most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the biggest shake-up in rankings we've seen in several years, including a never-before-seen six nations in first place.
The survey compared hotel rates across 40 European destinations for December 31, with prices at all hotels with a central location and rated three stars or more in each destination recorded.
The dog was carrying a whole baguette crosswise in his teeth. He trotted off the beach at the head of the cove, through a scrim of palms, maneuvering it between a red flowering hibiscus and a beached outrigger canoe. We followed. The dog passed a low tin-roofed house, one of only six dwellings in this roadless, remote island valley. He skirted two shirtless young men untethering a horse from a breadfruit tree. Ink covered their chests and arms in black patterns that looked like manta rays and birds. The dog went on, jauntily carrying his baguette, passing a grapefruit tree that shaded a telephone booth. Labeled “Téléphone” and containing a coin-operated pay phone, the steel-and-glass cabin looked wildly out of place in this setting. But we were in the Marquesas, where I was learning not to be too surprised by anything.
Veganuary was inititated by a UK non-profit organisation ten years ago to encourage people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. Millions of people have signed up to their one-month vegan pledge since 2014 and the number of vegan food products continues to grow. To make things easier, the organisation offers to send anyone willing to take the challenge their celebrity cookbook, meal plans and recipes – all for free. And here are 15 new food and drink products recommended for anyone going vegan this month and beyond.
Who’s the Wizard of Oz? As far as parents in our group are concerned, his name is Pierre Paret-Solet — a locally born ski instructor who can wrangle frozen boot bindings with the flick of a wrist, scoop up myriad lost poles while skiing backwards and cajole wilful children without remotely raising his voice. And if, say, just as you sit down to lunch a snowboard happens to shoot off the side of a slope because the kids were using it as a sledge, he can retrieve it before your tartiflette hits the table. And all with a genuine smile.
At the USA’s leading museums, a spirit of friendly competition prevails for creating the most compelling yet crowd-pleasing displays that will make news – and draw crowds.
Whether you’re dipping your toes into Dry January for the first time, or haven’t imbibed in years, taking a break from drinking alcohol does wonders for your body and mind (reduced cancer risks, better mental health, deeper sleep). Add to the facts this World Health Organization story published earlier this year, reporting no amount of alcohol is beneficial for your health.