Lifehack your Christmas with Connected Hubs

Between competing with other shoppers amidst seasonal madness, wrapping up your work (and your gifts) before the year’s end, and then finally squeezing in quality time with loved ones; Christmas can leave us full of good intentions but tired and time-poor.

To beat the crowds, skip the traffic and boost your work/life balance, why not relocate to your relatives or your Airbnb earlier than planned? Using your choice of local Connected Hubs means it couldn’t be easier to finish off your work commitments while still getting into the festive spirit.

Saving your precious annual leave and letting you spend more time with friends and family, registering for the National Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme is the ideal way for first-timers to try co-working. The voucher is valid until 31st December 2022 with the scheme letting you book up to three free co-working days in participating hubs. Hubs will be closed during Christmas week.

With meeting rooms, hot desks, conference facilities and more, using a co-working hub can even let you extend your Christmas break into the first weeks of the new year – meaning no more tearful goodbyes on New Year’s Day.

The only question now is, where will you spend the most wonderful time of the year?

Now that you’ve decided to tailor the break to suit your festive plans, driving home for Christmas means green lights all the way.

Foregoing the motorway madness on December 23rd, you’ll already be back on home turf enjoying the comforts of family and will have done a number of days’ work at your nearest hub too.

And there’s no more cramming overdue catch-ups with friends into a finite few days either. At a moment’s notice you’ll be trading stories by a roaring fire, mulled wine in hand.

Being back in your home town or with relatives earlier in December also means you can easily shop local for those stocking fillers, a welcome boost to independent retailers in towns and villages across the country.

Always wanted to soak up the atmosphere of the city at Christmas? Relocating to the city for the festive period is now a no-brainer thanks to the abundance of accessible co-working hubs. After a day’s work in a city-centre hub, you’ll be right at the heart of things, gazing at the Christmas window displays and admiring those twinkling lights.

Ramble up Dublin’s Grafton Street in all its yuletide finery, pick up some gifts at Dublin Castle Christmas Market or welcome 2023 at the city’s New Year’s Festival.

At GLOW – A Cork Christmas Celebration, expect illuminations, ferris wheels and family-friendly festive events at Bishop Lucey Park.

In Limerick the annual festivities at the Milk Market will include an antiques fair, a records fair and an arts fair, while the Christmas Village at Arthur’s Quay will be sparkling with seasonal fun, carnival games and of course, an ice rink!

With 50+ stalls, amusement rides, live music, puppet shows and Santa’s Grotto all in the heart of Eyre Square, the Christmas Market Galway will surely make working from a hub in the City of Tribes a very tempting prospect.

Waterford is set to be a wonderland as Ireland’s largest Christmas festival, Winterval, returns. With an ice rink, a virtual reality sleigh ride, Christmas markets, live entertainment, interactive experiences and more, treat yourself to some festive fun after a day’s work in one of the city’s handy hubs.

The Marble City also gets its seasonal makeover as Yulefest Kilkenny hits the medieval streets. A working city break here will positively spoil you with Kilkenny Christmas Market, the Medieval Mile Run, Yulefest Movie Night, the Elf Village, and the Yulefest Bandstand too.

If you’re really intent on using the Christmas holidays to tick off your bucket list, why not go somewhere wild and remote that you’ve never been?

Brimming with rugged charm and unfolding coastal beauty, take your pick of idyllic spots to work from and spend Christmas in, along the Wild Atlantic Way – Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Cork. With five National Parks, picturesque peninsulas, scores of sandy shorelines and superb local food, rent a cosy cottage along the 2,500km route to embrace life on Ireland’s edge.

Spend the break in Ireland’s Ancient East – Monaghan, Louth, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, Laois, Carlow, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and East Cork – and you can plan a host of festive day-trips. Marvel at 800-year old Hook Lighthouse, the stunning 5,000 year-old Newgrange megalithic tomb, the dramatic Rock of Cashel, not to mention your pick of ancient castles and stately homes. With rolling hills, cobbled streets and warm welcomes from the locals, working and staying in this region immerses you in fascinating history and heritage.

Take to tranquil waterways, roam lush forests, visit pretty villages, have a tipple in Ireland’s oldest pub and follow scenic walking trails this Christmas in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands – Westmeath, Roscommon, Offaly, Longford, Leitrim and Tipperary. An inviting, calming part of the country, it’s the ideal place to relax and revive yourself as the year draws to a close.

While you’d think that parking yourself in a remote spot for the holidays means that co-working hubs are harder to find, it couldn’t be further from the truth! The breadth of Connected Hubs’ network means you’re never far from the exact facilities you need to get the job done.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on the joys of the season, make the most of your Christmas break with Connected Hubs.

Find out more about the National Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme