Category: Workation Life

My Digital Nomad Fantasy Has a Teenager in It

Kitchen corner with mug, the comfort of a home base for part-time digital nomads.

I have a confession to make: I’m not a full digital nomad.

There, I said it.

Sure, I work from sunlit cafés, chase good Wi-Fi, and pretend time zones don’t apply to me. But the truth? I have a home base. A family. A TeenageBoy whose idea of adventure is ordering sushi instead of pizza.

Some Sell Everything. I Just Pack Light.

Don’t get me wrong — I love reading about people who sell everything, buy a van, and start their “slow travel life” on a remote Greek island. I cheer for them, I save their Reels, and I even Google “coworking spaces Bali” on sleepless nights. 

But my version of the dream looks a little different — more carry-on bag than storage unit sale. Because while I do travel — usually once a month, laptop in tow — I always circle back home to where real life (and the laundry) waits.

DearHubby, the Voice of Practical Wisdom

My husband is wonderfully supportive of my wanderlust, as long as it doesn’t interfere with family logistics. Which means he’s supportive of me talking about it. A lot. He knows that “maybe I could spend a week somewhere warm this winter” really means “I’m already looking at boutique hotels and flight options.” He nods wisely, like a man who knows that enthusiasm burns bright… until the family calendar has opinions.

TeenageBoy, the Reluctant Sidekick

And then there’s my 14-year-old son. He has entered the phase of life where parents are both invisible and annoying, often at the same time. He doesn’t mind that I travel occasionally — as long as it doesn’t affect his Wi-Fi connection, dinner schedule, or access to clean hoodies. “You’re not really going away, right?” he asks whenever I mention a new destination. Translation: Who’s doing the laundry?

Not All Who Wander Need to Relocate

So yes, I love the digital nomad dream. I even live parts of it — the flexibility, the freedom, the ability to work from different places. But I’m more of a digital nester. My office moves between the kitchen table, cozy cafés, and the occasional beach bar (as long as I can plug in my laptop). I’ve discovered that you don’t need to burn your belongings and move to Bali to feel free — sometimes freedom is just being able to close your laptop when TeenageBoy wants to show you a meme.

And yes — I do take real workations. Sometimes it’s a week by the sea, sometimes a few days in a new city, laptop open and ideas flowing. I need those getaways — they recharge my creativity and remind me why I fell in love with this flexible way of working in the first place.

The Comfort of Coming Home

And honestly? I like having a home base. A place where my favorite mug waits, the neighbors nod knowingly, and the Wi-Fi never lets me down. It’s where I recharge between adventures — both literal and emotional.

The Sweet Spot in Between

Maybe one day I’ll take that long workation I keep fantasizing about. Maybe I’ll finally write from a tropical terrace while sipping something with a tiny umbrella in it. But for now, I’m perfectly content being the Workation Diva — balancing deadlines with dishwasher duty, balancing deadlines with dishwasher duty, wanderlust with grocery runs, and dreams with daily life.

Because the truth is, it’s not about where you are. It’s about making life — however grounded — feel a little bit like an adventure.

💻 About the Workation Diva
I’m Caro, an early pioneer of remote work, studying IT in the ’90s when “the Internet” still made dial-up noises. I’ve been blending work and travel since before it was fashionable, from spa weekends during business trips to half-vacations at my family’s place in Buenos Aires. These days, I live the part-time laptop lifestyle — balancing motherhood, projects, and plane tickets, proving that freedom can come in Wi-Fi and family-size portions.

So, What Exactly Is a Workation Diva (and How I Realized I’ve Been One All Along)

Laptop on a table beside a velvet chair and a cinnamon roll — stylish workation setup.

Let me tell you a secret: I was doing workations before they even had a name.

Long before hashtags, coworking visas, or “laptop lifestyle” YouTube channels, there I was in the early nineties, studying Information Systems Engineering because I dreamed of a life where I could work from anywhere.

At the time, “anywhere” mostly meant not stuck in an office and definitely not commuting through city traffic.

I never liked the idea of spending hours in a big city just to sit in a cubicle under fluorescent lights. I wanted freedom, flexibility, and maybe a little beach time.

When Wi-Fi Was a Fantasy

Back then, “remote work” meant carrying floppy disks and praying your dial-up didn’t disconnect mid-email. But I was determined. I chose IT because I could see it: a future where work wasn’t a place, but something you did.

I didn’t have a label for it yet, but I was already living the Workation Diva philosophy: do your job well, explore the world when you can, and carry just enough grace and grit to make it work.

Early Workations (Before They Were Cool)

While everyone else was playing by the annual leave rules, I was quietly hacking the system.

By the early 2000s, I was already mixing business with bliss:

  • Working half-days from my parents’ house in Buenos Aires so my vacation time lasted longer.
  • Extending a work trip to Cincinnati with an impromptu weekend in New York — because, really, who wouldn’t?
  • Doing a project in Barcelona and spending the weekend at the gorgeous Vichy Catalan instead of flying home and back again (for ‘recovery,’ of course).

Looking back, I realize I’ve probably lost count of my unofficial “workations.”

At the time, I just thought I was being practical. Apparently, that makes me a trendsetter now.

The Workation Diva Defined

So, what is a Workation Diva, exactly?

She’s the woman who refuses to choose between her career goals and her personal joy.

She’s ambitious but adaptable, professional but playful. She values her deadlines and her downtime.

Yes, she may get frustrated when the hotel Wi-Fi doesn’t cooperate, or when a Zoom call overlaps with pool time — but she handles it with charm, a backup plan, and maybe a little eye roll.

She’s not lazy, entitled, or lost. She’s strategic, intentional, and stylishly self-aware.

She’s me. And maybe, she’s you too.

Why It Fits Me (and My Life Now)

I’ll admit it — I’m not a full-time digital nomad. I have a family, a home base, and a life that doesn’t fit into a carry-on. But that doesn’t make me any less of a Workation Diva.

I do it part-time — balancing motherhood and ambition, projects and passports.

Because being a Workation Diva isn’t about constant travel; it’s about designing a life that gives you choices.

I still dream of that “laptop lifestyle” — but mine has school calendars, client calls, and rooftop cocktails woven in. And honestly? That mix makes it even better.

The Moral of the Story

The world may have caught up with the idea of workations — but I’ve been living it for decades.

Maybe not always from tropical beaches, but from anywhere I could find a decent internet connection and passionfruit mojito.

So when I talk about the “Workation Diva,” I’m not describing an influencer fantasy.

I’m talking about a mindset — one that values freedom, creativity, and a little glamour, even when life gets busy.

Because being a Workation Diva isn’t about escaping work; it’s about making work fit your real life — with style, fun, and a side of tapas and walking tours.

Final Thought

So yes, I’ve realized I am a Workation Diva.

Not because I’m difficult (well… not always 😏), but because I’ve been quietly rewriting the rules of work-life balance since floppy disks were a thing.

And if you’ve ever taken your laptop somewhere beautiful just because you could — congratulations, darling, you might be one too.

💻 About the Workation Diva
I’m Caro, an early pioneer of remote work, studying IT in the ’90s when “the Internet” still made dial-up noises. I’ve been blending work and travel since before it was fashionable, from spa weekends during business trips to half-vacations at my family’s place in Buenos Aires. These days, I live the part-time laptop lifestyle — balancing motherhood, projects, and plane tickets, proving that freedom can come in Wi-Fi and family-size portions.