You can come out victorious from every crisis – the Tri-City in recent years seems to confirm this thesis. The pandemic and the related restrictions have made many people think about their lifestyle, resulting in a greater balance between private and professional life, passions and work, and opportunities that may await them on a daily basis. Workation in the Tri-City is gaining popularity every year.
Probably more than one employee has wondered what it would be like to work from some distant place in the world, where the climate, culture and people match their preferences very much. Dreams often lead to locations such as Bali, Spain, Italy or the Canary Islands, but they are associated with many complications that ultimately cause few of these dreams to come true. Perhaps the scale of the challenge is at the root of the failure, and the prospect of working from a place offering numerous opportunities for recreation, living near the beach and the sea, among people filled with good energy, can direct thoughts to the Tri-City and then a lot will be possible? More and more people are finding out about it, who, after a short reconnaissance, decided to change their place to live, or at least to choose the capital of Pomerania as their second home and place for workation – a trend that allows you to combine a new place to live with work and the pursuit of passions. The Tri-City has a lot to offer and in this field its attractiveness does not cause difficulties related to time zone differences, tax differences, availability of broadband internet, commuting or restrictions caused by the inability to participate in meetings that require personal presence.
An unquestionable advantage of the Tri-City and probably its greatest magnet is a dozen or so kilometers of beaches, the character of which changes from Stogi and Sobieszewo to the north of Gdynia. Practically everything that the beach can offer is available here. From obvious sailing schools, SUP rentals, to sailing centers, windsurfing, catamarans, to yacht marinas and large sailing ships. There are museums, such as the Museum of Westerplatte, the Navy, Emigration and Dar Młodzieży and Błyskawica, three piers (in Brzeźno, Sopot and Orłowo), as well as the only beach in Poland located in the very center of the city – in Gdynia. There are seaside boulevards, restaurants, bars and cafes, hotels, seaside tennis courts and many other attractions that make the Tri-City offer much more opportunities than other Polish cities.
There are many more such unique attractions. The proximity of Kashubia and its Kashubian Switzerland with dozens of lakes and the Tri-City Landscape Park are perfect places for lovers of beautiful landscapes, cross-country, trekking or mountain biking. The height of the hills allows even in Sopot to organize the Polish Mountain Car Championships, rallies, which for many years have attracted thousands of enthusiasts from all over Poland and abroad.
However, workation is not only about recreation and entertainment, but also about the business potential of a given location. Last year, the Tri-City exceeded the level of one million square meters of office space, which allows it to enter the business premier league. The largest business centre in Poland is located in Gdańsk – Olivia Centre already offers nearly 200 thousand zlotys. square meters of space. Also, the largest coworking in Poland is located in Oliwa, which is important for freelancers or employees who, using the workation mode, want to use comfortable office work facilities at the same time.
Workation only for liberal professions?
Habits from the pre-pandemic times make us think that such opportunities are only available to people in liberal professions. And the current reality proves that not only. A good example is Anna Krześniak, compliance officer at Nordea, who decided to move to the Tri-City in 2023 and, as she emphasizes, it was the best decision in her life. “A lot has happened this year, more than in the last few years,” emphasizes Anna Krześniak. “I have met many wonderful people, I am making my dreams come true. An extra bonus is the opportunity to work in such an unusual place as Olivia Centre. I love Olivia. When I have worse moments (and not only then, of course), I come to work at Olivia’s. Standing on the 18th floor, looking at the city and the sea, I feel such an influx of energy that when I return to my desk, I often think: “I can do anything”. I love the sea and sailing. I thought that spending this day at sea would be the best way to celebrate my anniversary. In addition, I could do it as part of sailing trips with Olivia. My love for the sea and sailing is blind, so blind that apart from the overwhelming delight that I always feel when standing by the shore, I cannot afford any other reflections. I stare at the thin line where the sky meets the water, allowing the mind to wander and dream.”
Jakub Sielewiesiuk, President of the Management Board, partner, patent attorney, partner at the patent office AOMB sp. z o.o., which combines its work in Warsaw with the possibility of remote work from the Tri-City: “I was basically driven by typical expectations related to a change of environment: a feeling of freedom, getting to know new places and people, mobilization and satisfaction from change. This, of course, translates into the joy of personal life, but also into increased efficiency and enthusiasm for work. However, we did not expect (we decided to make this change as a family) the scale and intensity of these phenomena – resulting from the choice of the Tri-City (and in our case – specifically Gdańsk). Each trip to Gdańsk was preceded by joyful anticipation, each stay was associated with new discoveries, and during the return to Warsaw we were already making plans “what we will do next time”. And so far nothing has changed in this regard.”
For the residents of the capital considering working in the Tri-City, one of the barriers is the fear of business opportunities, which are obviously associated with Warsaw. However, the reality is positively surprising and proves that many options, amenities and business activities are the same as in Warsaw. Especially that, unlike the ideas of working from distant places, the Tri-City is only 2.5 hours away from Warsaw, Łódź or Poznań by a comfortable train or car. Not without significance are also the plane connections that Gdańsk connects with the capital, as well as with Krakow, Wrocław, Lublin, Poznań, Rzeszów and Zielona Góra. Regularly visiting the Tri-City, it is impossible not to notice the local business activity and the professional potential it brings ,” says Jakub Sielewiesiuktags. Therefore, it was only a matter of time needed for the natural process of “evolution”, which led to the fact that the AOMB patent attorneys’ office, where I work, hired a talented colleague – a patent attorney from the Tri-City. Soon we will open our small office in Olivia Centre, which we intend to develop! Here, many possibilities are exactly the same as in Warsaw, but more easily accessible – because, for example, they are a few minutes’ walk from home ,” sums up Jakub Sielewiesiuk. Some things are easier to do in Gdańsk than in Warsaw – because everything is closer here. In my opinion, the feature that strongly distinguishes the Tri-City from Warsaw – and for me it is very important – is the connection of the urban fabric with water, whether it is a seashore, a port, a pier, or the quay of a river or one of the numerous canals. Agreed, Warsaw has the Vistula. The Vistula is wide and you can walk along a part of its bank. Meanwhile, the Motława River and numerous other natural and artificial watercourses in the centre of Gdańsk are overgrown with the city – streets, walking paths, footbridges, restaurant gardens. Not to mention the sea and parks along the beach. I like to run longer distances (up to 10km), I do it systematically, where I am. I have favorite routes where I go. In Gdańsk it is a completely different experience than in Warsaw.
What’s more, the Tri-City is appreciated not only by the residents of the capital and the largest Polish cities, but also by foreigners who have deliberately chosen the Tri-City as one of their places for workation. One of them is a Briton, Thomas Morgans, who divides his time between the English countryside, the French Alps and the Tri-City, which he loves for its business opportunities and providing a perfect balance between work and leisure: The Tri-City offers everything you need for a happy life: an endless range of outdoor opportunities that accompany mainly the beach, but also the rest of the three cities. Vibrant cities are both exciting and inspiring. At the same time, the Tri-City offers comprehensive business facilities. If, like me, you are a person looking for an excellent work environment, then O4 coworking through an ambitious environment will definitely foster motivation and productivity, while providing an environment of people with a similar business mindset that stimulates and encourages action. It is not only a place of work, but also a community of great people with whom you can quickly make friends.
