Travelling for bleisure? Travel trend taking the business world by storm

Ever heard the term Bleisure?

If you haven’t then you will soon, for it is a business trend that is booming (or at least it is about to once we all get further out of lockdown). Certainly, it was taking off big-time pre-pandemic in the years 2019 and 2020.

So what is it? Well, as the name suggests, it’s a mix of Business and Leisure. In a nutshell, it’s about adding some leisure time to your business trip. This makes sense if the three-day business conference you need to attend is in a great new city you’ve never been to before, but also hankered after visiting.

To have a Bleisure stay, you would attend the conference then tag on an additional couple of days for leisure either before or after the business side of your stay. Not only does this mean that you will look forward to the business trip more, but it also saves you on travel costs (since your employer will have that expense).

Bring along the family on Bleisure

And you can include your other half or even the entire family in your Bleisure trip, as many American business travellers in particular already do:

James Beagley of @MeonValleyTrvl says: “In some cases business people have arranged for family members to travel with them, or meet them at the destination for a little holiday alongside the work. It’s a great way to keep family close, even when home is far away. Sure, you aren’t likely to bring your family with you on all of your business trips, but why not bring them along on the odd one?”

How the employer benefits too

It’s not just the employee who gets all the benefits from a Bleisure trip – the employer and/or company does too. That’s because employees who have a more relaxed business trip are likely to perform better at work. They are also less likely to be ill since they will eat better and relax on their Bleisure trip.

They are also more likely to appreciate their job more, knowing that in the future they can look forward to more Bleisure trips. This means they will typically stay for longer, saving the employer time and money when it comes to retraining and recruitment costs.

Bleisure made easier with technology

Perhaps the rise of smartphones, apps and other technology making it easier to stay in touch has helped spark the rise of Bleisure? Certainly, it’s possible to work remotely (as we’ve all seen this past year), meaning it’s easier to stay on business trips and complete work that would in the past have been done back at HQ.

It’s also easier for us to check out places to go, where to eat and what’s on entertainment-wise in your Bleisure city since we have all that information via our smartphone. And, of course, technology such as Zoom and Skype means we can check in with the family back home regularly too.

So, where’s your next Bleisure trip? It could be a destination where you’ll find accommodation via ourselves at InnClusive.