Have You Asked Your Work About It Yet?
We’ve already covered the workation travel trends, which combine remote work with a vacation, but have you heard of ‘bleisure’ travel? In the bleisure travel trend, business travellers extend their trips to include some personal or recreational time after their work-related commitments are fulfilled.
Typically, when someone goes on a business trip, they might have some free time outside of meetings, conferences, or work-related events. Instead of returning home immediately after the business obligations are completed, they might choose to explore the destination, visit tourist attractions, or simply relax and unwind at a company-arranged work retreat.
Exploring the Benefits of Bleisure Travel
There are several benefits of bleisure travel for both employees and employers. For employees, it’s a great way to save money and have an affordable holiday experience while also having the chance to explore new destinations during their work trip. Additionally, bleisure travel can help prevent burnout, as it combines work with leisure activities, making for a more balanced lifestyle.
Get More Out of a Work Tip
Before bleisure travel, the only sightseeing you’d get to do during a business trip is maybe catching up with colleagues at the local pub or restaurant after hours. Now, you can use your work trip as an opportunity to explore and discover new places.
Adding on a few days for personal travel will give you the opportunity to visit the local attractions, try local cuisine, and get to know the culture rather than just seeing the inside of a conference centre or hotel.
Improve Your Work-Life Balance
If you work for a global company or your business operates in multiple countries, bleisure travel can give you valuable insights into how different work cultures work, which can be very helpful in business situations.
Deepening your understanding of a country’s culture will help you gain perspective on how to better communicate and collaborate with different teams in different countries.
So, if you’re heading off on a business trip, why not extend it for a few days and get the most out of your travel experience? Talk to your employer about bleisure travel and explore the possibilities!
Networking and Relationship Building
Business trips are a great opportunity to build relationships with colleagues, partners, and clients from different parts of the world.
You might meet up with colleagues for dinner or drinks, attend industry events and conferences, or simply spend more time getting to know the locals in a new destination. All of these activities create opportunities to build valuable relationships that could be beneficial both professionally and personally.
Save Money on Travel
Adding leisure days to a business trip can be more cost-effective. By combining travel expenses, such as flights and accommodation, business travellers can often save significant amounts of money.
Additionally, you can use hotel loyalty programs to earn rewards points or discounts on future stays. You can also take advantage of any special offers that airlines may offer for business travellers, such as priority boarding and lounge access.
Increased Job Satisfaction
Companies that offer employees the opportunity for bleisure travel have seen a marked increase in employee satisfaction. Allowing employees to take some time for themselves during business trips and explore new destinations can help reduce stress, increase motivation and productivity, and create a more positive work environment.
Selling the Concent of Bleisure Travel to Your Boss
If you’re interested in bleisure travel, the first step is to talk to your employer about the opportunities that it could offer.
Many companies haven’t yet realised the benefits of bleisure travel or are hesitant to give their employees more freedom when it comes to business trips. However, once companies understand the value that bleisure travel can provide, they may be more likely to approve requests for extended stays.
When bringing up the idea of bleisure travel with your employer, be sure to focus on the professional and company benefits that it can bring. It’s important to consider your manager’s point of view, as they may well have valid concerns about employees travelling for leisure during a business trip.
To give you a taste of the options available, let’s explore a few airlines that offer outstanding business or premium class experiences:
● Reflects on their priorities: How can you make a case for bleisure travel that fits with their goals and objectives? Think about the potential savings, improved team morale, better job satisfaction, and enhanced productivity that it could bring.
● Align your proposal with the company’s goals and values: If the company is focused on employee wellbeing, make sure you emphasise the positive impact that bleisure travel can have on an individual’s work-life balance and job satisfaction. If cost savings are a priority, focus on how adding leisure days to business trips could reduce overall travel expenses.
● Emphasise the focus of leisure travel: The idea isn’t to take a vacation on the company’s dime but to offer personal downtime while still prioritising work commitments. Bleisure hotels are now starting to pop up that offer comfortable working environments and enhanced facilities aimed at business travellers on longer trips.
● Suggest starting with a trial period: Offer to trial bleisure travel on a few trips, and gather feedback from employees to see how it worked. Offer to document and share the outcomes to support future decision-making.
Once your employer is on board, it’s then up to you to make the most of any bleisure travel opportunities that come your way!
Need help arranging a bleisure trip for you or your company? Click and Trip can help! Our unique guided holidays help you to make the most out of shorter trips by taking the hassle out of the planning process. We’ll book accommodation, arrange transfers and activities and even provide a personal tour guide. Get in touch to learn more about how our service can help turn your business trip into an unforgettable journey.
