Lithuania is a paradise for water lovers, ranking 5th in Europe with 6,000 lakes—about one lake per 450 Lithuanians. From wild swimming to kayaking, there are countless water-based activities to enjoy. The country’s stunning coastline, including the UNESCO-listed Curonian Spit peninsula, offers plenty of seaside fun. It’s the perfect place to embrace work-life balance while exploring nature’s beauty.

When you talk about living and working in Lithuania, the word ‘fun’ should be front and centre. In fact, the country ranks as the happiest place in the world for the all important Gen Z group. As you can well imagine, this statistic, from the Oxford Wellbeing Institute’s 2024 World Happiness Report, has been the cause of much pride locally.

But it’s not just the locals and world-famous statisticians that are singing the country’s praises. A recent article from CNBC carries the success story of US-born Bernard Meyer, who’s built a successful international tech career in Lithuania. And above and beyond the great career opportunities he sees around him, he was quick to emphasize the great work-life balance in Lithuania. This is echoed by other professionals who have relocated to Lithuania. And it’s here that we will return to the idea of outdoor activities. After all, how do the locals, and the many foreigners flocking here to kickstart their international careers, like to enjoy the riches of their work-life balance in Lithuania? By exploring many of the amazing ways to get active in Lithuania’s rich and diverse nature.

A Breath of Fresh Air: The Richness of Lithuania’s Outdoor Offerings

During warmer months, you can decompress after work by kayaking on serene rivers, hiking through verdant forests, or going on a long jog through the many expansive parks that characterize the country’s cities and towns. And Lithuania’s many lakes offer opportunities for wakeboarding, paddleboarding, and even yachting. That’s not all, when it gets hot, you can always jump in the water and enjoy a leisurely or more intensive swim.

Meanwhile, Lithuania’s extensive network of cycling paths not only offer great opportunities for some unwinding after a busy day, but are also an amazing way to discover the country. You’ll find that the larger cities have designated bike routes, making it possible to commute to work in a healthy, and environmentally responsible way.

With its forests, lakes, and national parks, hiking in Lithuania is a major attraction. Vilnius alone offers a 100km network of trails showcasing the city’s best views. Just a short drive from the capital, you can explore Trakai’s swamps, with some areas reaching neck-deep water. Lithuania’s compact size means that stunning natural scenery is always less than an hour away, making it easy to embark on a nature adventure.

Spring, summer and autumn, are also great times for the adventurous to head out on horseback. Horse-riding is increasingly popular, with most cities and towns in Lithuania offering a number of riding schools to choose from. These cater for both seasoned riders and those wishing to jump into the saddle for the first time.

Winter transforms the landscape, with ski centers offering convenient escapes for weekend adventures. Popular locally is cross-country skiing, and you will find lots of groups, as well as guided tours, that will be happy to introduce you to the best ski routes. In this way, you’ll really be able to appreciate the beauty of Lithuania in the colder months.

Lithuania’s commitment to preserving its natural spaces while developing modern infrastructure ensures that Lithuania’s outdoor culture remains accessible, even for those with demanding schedules.

How Outdoor Activities Help You Achieve a Better Work-Life Balance

And talking of demanding schedules, in a world where work-related stress has become the norm (a recent Deloitte report found that over 50% of respondents felt stressed at work), having a good work/life balance has never been more important.  In fact, in recent polls reported by Hubstaff, 73% of respondents said that having a good work-life balance was essential.
Meanwhile, the same article recorded that “a bad work-life balance is the 2nd most common reason they would be willing to turn down a job.”

Should any of this really be a surprise? Of course not, as Alexandra Kalev so sagely observes in a Harvard Business Review article from 2022:
“It’s time at last for firms to acknowledge that every employee has a life outside the organization and to adopt programs that have been proven to help balance it with work demands.”

Indeed, the importance of work-life balance has become so central to the modern conception of work that the term itself has taken on a more nuanced form – work-life fit. What’s the difference between the traditional term “work-life balance” and “work-life fit”? It’s quite simple really. The latter equates to a more sophisticated and proactive approach to achieving that balance, where the individual is more in control of defining the parameters and form of how they achieve that balance.

Here Lithuania’s outdoor culture is perfectly placed to give professionals the diversity and range of options to match their personal preferences. Whether you’re a hiker, mountain biker, skier, swimmer, runner, or kayaker, Lithuania has something for you. There is always the chance for you to escape the grind and work out your stress. There are ample places around where you can take a deep fresh breath of air. Escaping to nature, after all, has been scientifically proven to improve mental wellness and reduce stress.

Not only that, regular exercise, as Russell Clayton Ph.D. noted in Psychology Today, is proven to substantially improve our self-efficacy, which is our ability to withstand even the most difficult of situations. So, by escaping to nature to enjoy outdoor activities we are not only getting the mental wellness benefits of being in nature, but also the self-efficacy boost that makes us better at withstanding stress. Win, win again for exploring outdoor activities in Lithuania.

The Integration of Outdoor Culture into the Workplace

Lithuania’s work culture has developed to support lots of chances for professionals to take advantage of the many activities that Lithuania’s outdoor culture has to offer. Here, we are talking about team kayaking weekends, forest orienteering trips, and paddle-boarding competitions. And, of course, hiking in Lithuania is also a popular choice for team building. Then there are the trips to the lake, where picnics with barbecues are common, with a little light bathing a common addition. Some companies have even begun to organize weekend biking trips, where you can experience Lithuania’s natural beauty as part of a peloton of keen cyclists.

Hostinger, for example, hosts workations in some of Lithuania’s most stunning natural spots. During the summer, they invite employees to work by the lake, incorporating a variety of leisure activities into their day. As evening falls, the decks come out, and the party begins, embodying the “work hard, play hard” mentality in its healthiest form. Nord Security, a dynamic unicorn and global player, takes this concept even further, occasionally organizing workations in foreign countries.

Many companies, meanwhile, offer flexible working hours, meaning that professionals can schedule some outdoor activity time within even their busiest weeks.

Lithuania: A Great Place To Achieve a Perfect Work-Life Fit

Considering all of this, it’s safe to say that work-life balance in Lithuania is top-notch. You can enjoy a flexible schedule that helps you avoid overwork and stress while taking advantage of the diverse outdoor activities available to suit any preference. And you’ll find a Lithuania work culture in which companies support active lifestyles. So, if you are feeling burnt out or overwhelmed by a poor work-life balance, why not consider relocation to Lithuania? Here you’ll get the support to enjoy your life, and have all the nature you need to stay fit, happy and healthy.