What if your students felt like they were on vacation while learning? Not because your online courses are shallow or trivial, but because they feel light, pleasant, and flexible. Learning with flip-flops instead of traditional lectures. Knowledge transfer with the sound of the sea in the background.

Of course, we’re not talking about sand in the laptop and ice cream stains on the workbook. Instead, we mean a certain summer feeling that can shape modern e-learning: free, self-determined, and easily accessible. You can achieve exactly that – without your course offerings losing credibility or depth.

Learning where others vacation – sounds great, right?

It’s probably the most popular symbolic image of modern learning: A person is relaxed in a hammock, the sun is shining, the laptop glistens in the light, and of course, there’s an online course about personal development or leadership 4.0 running. But how realistic is that, really?

Anyone who has ever tried to work or learn in a concentrated manner while on vacation knows: The external conditions are rarely as cooperative as they are in marketing photos. The reality often looks different:

• The hammock is crooked.

• The laptop is overheating.

• The neighbor suddenly wants to play loud beach volleyball.

• And somewhere there's always a mosquito buzzing.

Still: The desire for location-independent, flexible learning is justified – and with the right conditions, hammock learning is more than just a pretty dream. But it requires planning.

Between thirst for knowledge and watermelon: What the hammock actually symbolizes 

Learning in a hammock is not a technical concept. It is a promise of freedom: Learning independently, at your own rhythm, in your own setting – without performance pressure, rigid deadlines, or feelings of obligation.

Your students want to develop – but please not like in school. Rather, in a way that connects with their lives: Work, family, leisure, vacation.

And this is where you come in: As a provider of online courses, you create learning environments where motivation and everyday life really fit together.

Wi-Fi, battery, and shaded spots – the harsh reality of mobile learning dreams

Let’s start with the basics. Because as romantic as the idea is: Technology trumps daydreaming. What your students need in order to learn effectively on the go:

• Stable Internet: Sounds trivial, but it’s often the biggest hurdle. Especially abroad, at campsites, or in rural areas, even accessing a course platform can become a test of patience. Learning time should therefore be planned where Wi-Fi exists not just on paper: Café, holiday apartment, or if necessary, the hotel lobby network of the neighboring hotel. Anything but a dead zone with a view.
  
  

• Battery + Power Source: When the laptop dies after 45 minutes and no outlet is in sight, the chapter “Learning by the lake“ ends faster than expected. Mobile batteries and solar panels are the best friends of mobile learners.
  
  

• Display that doesn't glare: Anyone who has ever looked at a shiny display in the sun knows: You see everything – just not the text. Tablets with E-Ink displays or good anti-reflection films can help.
  
  

• A comfortable spot with shade: A hammock in direct sunlight is more of an incubator. Those who take mobile learning seriously need at least a spot with shade, back support, and as few distractions as possible.

💡 Feel free to pass along these tips to your students as "Vacation Notes". 

Summer, sun, self-efficacy – how to bring a vacation feeling into your courses

Here are a few ideas on how you can combine hammock lightness with professional standards – and pick up your students exactly where they are (mentally). 

1. Easy start instead of thought gymnastics

The first course moment counts. Instead of starting with a 20-minute theory video or a lengthy PDF document, ask yourself: What would I dare to do by the pool?

• A crisp impulse that whets the appetite for more

• A reflection question with a wink

• A short self-test that makes personal value visible

If you signal from the beginning: “Hey, you don’t have to function perfectly here – you’re allowed to try things out,” it’s like the first application of sunscreen on the beach: It relaxes.

2. Content that can be understood even with sunglasses on

No one wants to struggle through pages of theory when life outside is calling. That doesn’t mean you have to forego content – but: Structure it so that it can be grasped even with half concentration.

• Videos: short, concrete, with a story or example

• Texts: clearly structured, with bullet points or small anecdotes

• Exercises: motivating and solvable – even if you only have 10 minutes available

Tip for your learners: "Grab your phone, put on your sunglasses, make yourself comfortable on the terrace – and give your brain a sunbeam of knowledge."

3. Courses that feel like good vacation reads

Vacation reads have something special: They pull us in but don’t demand too much. Try to transfer this principle to your courses:

• Use personal language and humorous formulations

• Allow smaller jumps and skipping content without guilt

• Incorporate charming reminders, e.g.: “Have you done something for your brain today? Don’t panic - it takes just as long as an espresso.”

This way, your course won’t become a mandatory program, but a good companion – whether in the garden chair, on the train, or in the holiday apartment.

Type question: Couch Potato or Digital Nomad?

Among mobile learning enthusiasts, different tendencies and habits can be (greatly simplified) categorized into these groups:

🌎  The Digital Nomads

• Favorite place: Bali, Lisbon, or the nearest coworking space

• Learning mode: always online, preferably in the evening with a sea view

• Trap: too much environment, not enough learning rhythm

⛱️  The Balcony Fans

• Favorite place: Sofa, garden lounge chair, balcony with blanket

• Learning mode: 20 minutes after dinner, when the kids are asleep

• Trap: Fatigue + Netflix competition

🎧  The Focus Enthusiasts

• Favorite place: tidy desk, noise-cancelling headphones

• Learning mode: blocked time slots, no distractions

• Trap: Everything must be perfect; otherwise, learning doesn’t happen.

If you prepare your content flexibly enough, all types can benefit - without having to distort themselves.

Learning also needs lightness – especially in adult life

Your target group – whether employees, customers or course participants – has no time to waste. But they also don’t want to be constantly under pressure.

If you create a space where they can continue their education without feeling drained, then you have achieved a lot. And so have they.

Perhaps your participants will not actually be lying in a hammock. But if your course feels like it allows for breathing, relaxation, and becoming smarter – then you’re doing a lot right.

Less drill, more dolce vita

E-learning in the hammock is not a myth – but a symbol for flexible, self-determined learning that fits into life instead of struggling against it.

As a provider of online courses, you can embrace this way of life – not as a substitute for vacation, but as an understanding of the life reality of your target audience.

And who knows – maybe one of your students will soon post a selfie of themselves sitting under a sun umbrella with your online course. Then you can comment: "That’s how it should be! 😉"

We hope that this article has helped you get into the summer mood and we wish you great success with e-learning in the hammock!