Bleisure Travel: Work Hard, Play Harder—Expense It All
From solo travel to glamping getaways, there’s always a new way to explore the world. So enter, bleisure travel—the latest travel trend redefining business trips into mini vacations. It’s where work meets play, and best of all you might be able to expense most of it.
Bleisure travel definition: What is it?
At its core, bleisure travel is exactly as it sounds—a blend of business and leisure travel. This growing trend allows business travelers to make the most of their work trip by adding in personal downtime.
Instead of rushing off to the airport the minute your last meeting wraps, bleisure travel turns the often dreaded routine of a business trip into an opportunity for adventure. Whether you extend your trip by just a day or simply make time to sightsee in between meetings, bleisure travel is a game-changer for work-life-balance.
Why is bleisure travel in right now?
We can all thank the rise of remote work and flexible schedules for the boom in bleisure travel. Gone are the days of traditional work and 100% in-person office jobs for many professionals, and with it, are the old rules of business travel.
As more employers embrace work-life balance and overall employee well-being, bleisure travel is only gaining more traction. Already picturing how you’ll make the most of your work trip? Great—already thinking like a pro.
Bleisure travel examples: How to make it work:
- Go for the classic conference + mini vacation combo.
Say you’re attending an international work conference in Tokyo, Japan. If you’ve already made the trip to that side of the world, you might as well stay a little longer to explore, right? Add an extra day to your itinerary either before or after your business plans.
- Work remotely, but make it scenic.
Have business travel coming up in a place you’d like to sightsee? Instead of immediately returning home, decide to stay an extra week and work remotely from your destination. An ocean view could make taking those Zoom calls a whole lot easier.
Pro tip: If you want to bring a partner or friend along, there’s no rule saying they can’t stay with you in your expensed hotel room the week prior. Then, when you’re back to paying on your own dime during your week of fun, you have a travel buddy to split the bill with.
- Plan a team retreat (with perks!).
Even if you’re not the sole person in charge of team morale, you may help your company catch on to the benefits of a team retreat. Imagine you and your coworkers doing group exercises in the morning and then a spa retreat in the afternoon. Sounds pretty sweet.
The future of bleisure travel
As work evolves, so does the way we travel. With so many companies embracing remote work, flexible schedules, and global teams, bleisure travel is likely here to stay. So, the next time you have business travel coming up, remember: your next great adventure might just be a meeting away.
