New study reveals the best locations for your next wellness workcation

• Vienna, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam are the best cities for a wellness workcation.
• Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester are revealed as the UK’s top wellness workcation cities, with Manchester ranking ninth for health care.
• Edinburgh ranks tenth for quality of life out of 108 cities worldwide
• Reykjavik, Iceland comes 7th overall, whilst also ranking highly for happiness and climate. 

With the freedom of working remotely, comes the privilege of being able to focus on yourself and a better understanding of your mental health. As of January 2023, almost one in ten Brits work remotely ‘on the move/from a variety of locations’ and a quarter of us are working from home, according to survey data[1]. 

Whilst working from home has its perks, it can be emotionally draining working from the same place every day with little social interaction. Cue a workcation, the perfect remedy to working remotely – travelling to new places and living outside of your 9-5, all while preserving that precious annual leave.

New data from Icelandair has analysed over 100 of the most prominent cities in the world based on 10 factors, including internet speed, the cost of living and the average working hours, to collate the top 25 destinations for a Wellness Workcation. Whether it’s the low pollution or the high temperatures, these destinations are the perfect place to work hard and unwind with the locals. 

From the scenic streets of Copenhagen to the laid-back beaches of San Diego, these cities are the top 25 locations from across the world for a remote working vacation.

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Vienna, Austria

The beautiful city of Vienna, Austria is the best city for this year’s wellness workcation. With the highest quality of life score of 201.8 and low pollution levels, Vienna also boasts stunning architecture and the Vienna Woods to lose yourself in. 

Second came Copenhagen, Denmark which ranked first for internet speeds and second for happiness, two key parts if you want to work from this city. Copenhagen’s artistic nature allows for a slower trip away from the rush of normal city life. Its stunning churches and museums are a global attraction bringing in 10 million international visitors a year[2]. 

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Representing the UK in the top 25 we have Edinburgh, Scotland in 13th place. Ranking highly for quality of life and health care, Edinburgh also ranked highly for low pollution levels being known as one of the cleanest cities in the UK. 

Home of 112 parks, and hosting Edinburgh Castle which is built on an extinct volcano, this city is the perfect escape from your usual work environment.

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Reykjavik, Iceland

Coming in 7th place overall is Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city – the northernmost capital in the world. Ranking highly across the board with a low 14.6 on the pollution scale, Reykjavik is one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It also ranks third for happiness and fifth for quality of life as well as sixth overall for safety.  From striking volcanoes to breathtaking waterfalls and panoramic views, this city is certainly one to add to your workcation hit list.

You could even add this scenic city to your next trip as a stopover, with no additional airfare making this the perfect excuse for an extended trip.