2020 has not been a great year for most of us and especially the people who had to cancel all their travel plans know the real pain. So I am also one of those dying to travel for the past 6 to 7 months. So Here I saw a chance to at least end 2020 with some beautiful memories. So what, if the rest of the year didn't go so well.
Remote working has not been so popular in India, however, post Unlocking, I have been hearing people actually working from hills. So I really wanted to experience it once.
Location?
I chose Kasauli for a week stay, since it was easy to drive from Noida, at a distance of 300 km. It took us around 6 to 7 hours to reach. The homestay which I booked was in Mashobra, 2 km before Kasauli. It's a quaint and secluded place to stay and enjoy nature. Read detailed property review of homestay where I stayed here.
After Himachal started welcoming tourists, all the known and hyped places will be already flooded with tourists. I was looking for a less famous tourist destination but equally worth visiting. And believe me, you won’t regret choosing Kasauli.
Planning for Workcation? Things you should know
Planning a trip for workcation took me much longer than any normal trip or trek. The reason being, for workcation my priority was to have a good internet connection. Also I preferred homestay with cooking facility, just to be a precautionary during COVID times.
Most of the homestay didn't have a WIFI connection, rather they were providing JIO dongle. Although owners were claiming that JIO is the best in the area but I was unsure, as my work required a minimum 10Mbps speed. So this was the only factor where I was dicey to go for a workcation.
Do you need to worry about Internet Connection in Himachal?
So here is my experience, the homestay where I stayed had a WIFI connection but unfortunately, the range was not good on the ground floor. So the owner provided me JIO dongle and you know what, it worked awesome there.
You just need to find the perfect spot where network strength is good. And you know the best part, for me the perfect spot was in the valley facing balcony and valley view room. Other than JIO, even Vodaphone was also working perfectly fine with a speed of 7 Mbps. JIO with good strength reached up to 12 Mbps.
So the answer is NO, you don't need to worry about Internet. In Himachal, JIO is the workcation savior. But do confirm with owner once, about dongle or WIFI facility.
How was the Workcation Experience?
1. Breakfast with mountain view
Every morning in the mountains was totally different from the usual days. I used to wake up by 6 Am without any alarm clock. And every day I used to go for morning walk with mountains all around. Having breakfast with the view is something I miss after returning from the trip.
2. NO Monday blues!!
My Monday started with a quick hike, starting right from my homestay. The trail is properly laid and during monsoon, you can also spot numerous waterfalls and unique birds on the way. After exploring the jungle for an hour we came back by around 9 AM, and were ready to start the work. Pretty Interesting start to the day. Agree?
Check the video of hiking trail here.
3. Deciding work corner was toughest
I couldn't decide where to sit and work, every corner of the home offered a beautiful view and quietness. I didn't felt any kind of distraction from my work, rather I felt I was more productive and enjoyed my working hours. Mountains in front of laptop, will never let you feel down.
4. Balcony- A post lunch work place
My homestay was totally surrounded by greenery, during day times, you could see some unique birds and animals. I even spotted a fox twice from my balcony.
Post lunch I used to work on the balcony, that was the only time I could get some sunshine(believe me it was needed, due to greenery, the weather always feels cold here).
5. Watching sunsets in evening break
During Evening breaks, I used to go for a walk nearby. One of the spectacular sunset I witnessed here, was not from the sunset point but from my homestay itself. Yes, that's true!!
I overall had an amazing feeling for those 5 working days, balancing my work $ vacation and making my first workcation experience totally awesome. Do tell in comment section, if you also had such an amazing workcation.
Read how I planned my first trip post COVID trip safely here.
**Don't belive what they say go and see it**
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