Rugby World Cup, idyllic villages, sight jogging... or mobile working from France

Dear Beatrice, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

Could you please briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you exactly you do at ParshipMeet?

I have been with #TeamLove for 8 years, currently as Senior PR & Brand Manager. Within the PR & Corporate Communications team, I am primarily responsible for product PR for the ElitePartner brand, but I also work on strategic communication topics. I also have a role in our Brand Strategy Team. This makes the job very varied.

How did you come up with the idea of working from France for two weeks?

There was actually a specific reason: the Rugby World Cup, which took place in France last year. My partner and I had tickets for four matches in Nice, Toulouse and Nantes. As rugby is a very physical sport, the World Cup lasts longer than other sports. That's why the opportunity to work from another EU country was perfect for us. We then spent a total of almost six weeks travelling in the south and west of France.

How did you divide your time between work and travelling?

We worked right at the beginning of the trip, following the motto "work first, then pleasure": One week in the Ardèche, in an idyllic little country house in the middle of nature and then in a city flat in the centre of Béziers for the second week.

What did you like better - city or country?

Definitely the countryside! Also because we chose a great region and found fantastic accommodation. We were able to work on a covered terrace with a view, without any distractions. We had a garden and our own boules court, there were swimming spots by the river in the neighbourhood, a few of the "most beautiful villages in France" and some of the oldest rock paintings. So the holiday feeling was immediately there in our free time and the change of perspective also gave us new ideas while working. The city, in turn, has its own advantages, because you can do a lot of culinary and cultural things and are only a short distance away. We invented "sight jogging", for example. But when you live in a city like Hamburg, the contrast to everyday life is of course not as great.

You were travelling for almost six weeks in total, how did you spend the rest of the time?

We added on our holiday and planned a route around the rugby matches we wanted to see. So we travelled a lot and got to know the country in different ways. We were also joined by friends at times. This made the trip very diverse. But as we had already been in the country for a while, it still felt relaxed.

How would you describe the experience in three words?

Actually, two are enough: savoir-vivre!

What key lessons have you learnt from this time?

Above all, that a change of perspective can be valuable - and that productivity even increases if you know that you want to make the most of your time off. And that the French simply know how to live well. We could learn a thing or two from them.

Your top 3 tips for anyone thinking about working remotely from another EU country for a while?

The most important things are accommodation and location: the accommodation must be suitable for working and also feel cosy in your free time. After all, you spend a lot of time there. So make sure you have enough separate rooms to make video calls in peace and quiet and check the internet speed beforehand. Depending on how you like to spend your time after work, there should be enough activities in the neighbourhood to make good use of the time after work, as long journeys are no longer possible.

Tips 2 and 3 relate more to planning: you should aim for at least a 2:1 ratio of work and holiday, i.e. one week's holiday for every fortnight of work, preferably in that order. This makes travelling worthwhile and avoids FOMO. And: if everyone is working, you won't feel like you're missing out on anything. So make sure that everyone travelling with you is working or off work at the same time so that you can really enjoy your time.

Hand on heart, would you do it again?

I definitely would! But the occasion has to be right. There are trips where you want to be in holiday mode from start to finish - or simply don't want to carry the responsibility of your work laptop around with you. And such a trip also costs money. That's why I would always look carefully at when it's worth being in the country for longer and when I just want to have a holiday and experience something.

You can find out everything you need to know about mobile working from other EU countries and hybrid working at P7S1 here.