New Study Reveals the Best Cities for a “Workcation” in the U.S.
A workcation is like a vacation, with an important distinction: travelers take their work with them instead of leaving it behind. For some, it’s an appealing alternative to the norm, helping travelers avoid returning to an overflowing inbox or experience the usual pre- or post-vacation stress that bookends restful excursions.
As COVID-19 cases continue to decline globally, workcations are gaining in popularity. In a recent global study, 65% of participants said they planned to lengthen a work trip into a traditional vacation.
With this in mind, travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip has provided some workcation inspiration by ranking the best U.S. cities to visit if you want to mix business with pleasure.
To accomplish this, we standardized the latest available data for each city in categories like ‘internet speed’, ‘average price of an Airbnb’, ‘number of co-working spaces’ and ‘total attractions’* to rank major U.S. cities out of ten.
Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was found to be the best city of those examined for workcations with an overall score of 7.76/10.
Of the 50 cities studied, Pittsburgh came in second place overall for total attractions. This U.S. city offers fantastic vacation-style activities for travelers to enjoy on evenings and weekends. Pittsburgh is also a popular city for sports fans as it is home to the Steelers and Pirates.
Also, as the birthplace of Andy Warhol, the popular Andy Warhol Museum features more than 12,000 pieces of his work.
Pittsburgh receives positive scores for other key categories as well, including internet speed and its number of co-working spaces. The average Airbnb is on the lower end of the scale for cost at an average of $141 dollars a night and 97% of these offer an internet connection.
Salt Lake City, Utah is in second place, scoring 7.58/10. It is home to exceptional landscape and some of the most spectacular national parks in the U.S. are driving distance from the city.
Like Pittsburgh, it also receives high scores for its co-working spaces and coffee shops but lost points due to poor internet speeds and more expensive Airbnb rates (averaging $148 dollars per night).
Boise, Idaho is in third place, scoring 7.49/10. Boise is Idaho’s fastest growing city, with 70% of all moves to/from the state being in the inbound direction. Boise has also been recognized as a prime location for those who enjoy the great outdoors. It is deemed the U.S.’s best town for mountain biking.
However, of the top three, it has one of the poorest internet speeds of all the cities studied but offers the same percentage of Airbnbs with internet (97%). It receives positive scores for attractions and coffee shops.
Columbus, Ohio (7.39) and Oakland, California (7.30) complete the top five cities.
The least suitable place for a workcation is Las Vegas, Nevada (3.75).
Expensive average room rates ($225) and the third lowest score in the country for its limited attractions make it the least desirable location for remote workers.
Las Vegas is followed by Austin, Texas (3.99) and Boston, Massachusetts (4.05), comprising the bottom three.
Sarah Webber, Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip commented:
“The ‘workcation’ has become a popular travel trend during the pandemic. As more companies allow their employees to work from home, it is the perfect opportunity to mix business with pleasure.
“We, at InsureMyTrip, hope this study helps these workers make the best decision when choosing a location for their workcation. So, they can be productive while enjoying their time in a new city.”
