The problem with "best time to visit" lists
Search for "best time to visit Lisbon" and you usually get a marketing-optimised answer: "June to September: sun, sea, events." What you don't learn: that August in Lisbon means temperatures above 35 degrees and crowds of tourists, that coworking spaces are packed, and that accommodation prices double.
As a workationer, your priorities are different from those of a classic holidaymaker. This guide shows you how to find the climate window that suits you.
Step 1: Define your climate preferences
Before you read any climate data, define what "good" means for you:
- Temperature: Do you prefer working at 18–22 °C (good for concentration), or do you like it warmer (25+ °C)?
- Rainfall: Can you live with short daily showers (tropical rain), or do you want reliably dry conditions?
- Hours of sunshine: Relevant for outdoor breaks; less critical if you spend most of the day in a coworking space anyway.
- Humidity: Many people find high humidity (>80 % relative humidity) exhausting, especially combined with heat.
Step 2: Read climate data the right way
Monthly averages vs. extremes
Monthly averages smooth out the extremes. More useful:
- Rainy days per month (not just mm): 200 mm spread over 5 days is more pleasant than 200 mm over 20 days.
- Average highs and lows (not just the mean): a mean of 24 °C can mean 33 °C during the day and 15 °C at night.
- Humidity as a separate variable.
Understanding the rainy season
Many attractive workation destinations have a distinct rainy season:
- Bali (Canggu): November to March. Short, intense showers, often in the afternoon. Mornings and evenings are mostly dry. The rainy season is not a deal-breaker, just something to plan around.
- Caribbean / Latin America: Atlantic hurricane season from June to November, with rain and the occasional storm system.
- West Africa / Cape Verde: Two dry seasons and one rainy season, but the Cape Verde islands are generally very dry.
- Thailand / Southeast Asia: Patterns vary by region; the northeast behaves differently from the south.
Step 3: Avoid school holidays and peak season
Why this matters for workationers
- Prices: Accommodation and flights cost significantly more in peak travel periods.
- Coworking availability: Popular spaces are fully booked or overcrowded.
- Atmosphere: In peak season, many destinations lose the everyday character that makes workations pleasant.
The best shoulder-season windows
- Lisbon/Porto: October to November. Pleasant temperatures (18–22 °C), far fewer tourists, lower prices than in summer.
- Canary Islands: November to February. Mild temperatures (20–23 °C); this is peak season for Northern Europeans, but still quieter than summer destinations.
- Thailand: October to December (depending on the region). Just after the rainy season, but before the peak-season rush.
- Morocco: October to November and March to April. Pleasant temperatures, before the extreme summer heat.
Step 4: Factor in workation-specific criteria
Light and concentration
Short winter days (10–11h of daylight) affect many people. If you want to escape the German winter, choose destinations with long daylight hours (Canary Islands, Madeira, North Africa) or Southern Hemisphere destinations in high summer.
Weather and outdoor breaks
Remote work thrives on the quality of your time off. Reliably good weather for walks, surfing or cycling boosts your wellbeing and, with it, your productivity. When the weather outside is bad, your apartment or coworking space quickly starts to feel cramped.
Health
Tropical destinations can carry a higher risk of mosquito-borne diseases (dengue, malaria in certain regions) during the rainy season. Get advice from a tropical medicine institute or a travel doctor, especially before your first long-term stay.
A practical approach
- Pin down your available time window (holiday, remote work approval, school-age children?)
- Filter destinations by climate suitability for exactly that period, not by general popularity
- Check price calendars (Google Flights price graph, accommodation platforms with a calendar view)
- Check coworking availability directly with the spaces you have in mind
Conclusion
The best time for a workation is not the best time for a beach holiday. With a clear climate profile, an eye on shoulder seasons and workation-specific criteria, you'll find windows in which you work for less money, in more peace and more productively, and still enjoy the weather.