How remote working can help you travel this holiday season | Wilnesh News

Americans are determined to travel this holiday season — and certain workarounds are helping them make those trips.

The ability to work remotely is a major advantage when planning your trip.

Some 49% of employed travelers are “laptop movers” – those who plan to work at some point during their holiday – up from 34% last year, according to Deloitte Holiday Travel Survey.

Surveys show that this flexibility allows employees to take trips that would otherwise not be possible, or for extended periods of time.

The survey shows that while most age groups and income levels carry more laptops, Generation Z, which Deloitte defines as those born between 1997 and 2012, and high-income earners account for the highest proportions, at 58% and 52% respectively. %.

Deloitte conducted a September poll of 4,074 U.S. adults. Of these, 2,005 were identified as vacation travelers.

Eileen Crowley, vice chairwoman and U.S. transportation, hospitality and services certification leader at Deloitte, said the variation in laptop suitcases is “considerable” and spans nearly all income levels and age groups.

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Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, said remote work has become a priority for job seekers since the outbreak began.

In the third quarter, 51% of job seekers surveyed said being able to work anywhere they wanted was the top reason for working remotely, up from 40.8% in the first quarter of 2022, according to ZipRecruiter.

“The value to American workers of being able to work from anywhere has clearly increased during the great remote work experiment,” she said.

In addition to working while traveling, experts say travelers have come up with other solutions, such as driving instead of flying or cutting other expenses.

“People are willing to take shortcuts to save money, but they don’t want to skip the trip entirely,” said Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at Bankrate.

When it comes to vacation travel, 52% of shoppers with incomes of $100,000 or more say they can “easily afford” the expense. according to Survey research company Morning Consult. This proportion is highest when compared to low- and middle-income groups.

“High-income consumers are less price-sensitive,” Stacy Francis, president and CEO of Francis Financial, a New York City wealth management, financial planning and divorce financial planning firm, recently told CNBC.

“They’re not as budget-conscious as lower-income people,” said Francis, a member of CNBC’s financial advisory board.

Among generational groups, Millennials, or those born between 1980 and 1996, have the highest budgets and longest travel plans. According to Deloitte’s survey, Millennials plan to take approximately 2.6 trips during the holidays, spending an average of $3,927.

More than four in five holiday travelers (83%) are looking for ways to save money this holiday season, such as driving instead of flying, according to to bank interest rates.

“Most of these people are still traveling, they’re just doing it differently to cut some costs,” Rothman said.

In addition, about 50% of the respondents are cutting other expenses, and 49% are taking advantage of discounts and offers. according to Please visit the 2024 holiday travel outlook released by travel website Hopper.

The Hopper report found that, among other strategies, 22% plan to travel during off-peak periods and 21% use credit card points or miles to pay for part of the cost.

If you do plan on taking out your laptop to work during the holidays, be sure to check your company’s policies on remote work, Pollack said. Unless otherwise authorized, some companies require employees to work from home, the company’s state, or within the United States.

“If you try to work elsewhere, you risk being shut down, penalized or even fired,” Pollack said.

Reach out to your manager or supervisor about this idea, she says: “Some managers only care about whether you get the job done, not how you get the job done.”

Finally, you’ll want to make sure the location you plan to work has a strong power grid or service and that the Wi-Fi is reliable.

“If you’re busy working, make sure you’re in a place where you can get the work done,” Pollack said.

Experts say spending on experiences such as travel and concerts has surged due to pent-up demand from Americans in the wake of pandemic-era lockdowns and restrictions.

Yet even after a few years, travel “still seems to be an ongoing thing,” Deloitte’s Crowley said: “People are taking it seriously and making room in their budgets.”