Bleisure Travel: How to Combine Business and Leisure Travel

Since we’ve intrigued you with the title, let’s start there: the word bleisure combines two terms, business (work) and leisure (rest). That is, literally — rest during work. So, if you decide to go see local attractions in an unfamiliar city during a business trip, congratulations: you are a bleisure traveler.

In this article, we will give tips on how to have a productive work trip and combine work with excursions and exploring new places, if you are not in the category of "digital nomads" and remote work is not yet available.

Plan your trip to assess your opportunities

Before embarking on a business trip, think about where you’d like to go and how much time you’ll need, considering your main tasks. Set aside evenings for walks near the hotel; for more “substantial” trips, add a couple of extra days or try to organize activities around weekends or holidays.

Discuss the possibility of staying longer with management

A logical question arising from the previous point: “How do I justify my days off to my boss?” To start, you can directly ask if it’s possible — sometimes a couple of days off won’t make a difference to the company, but for you, it will be an opportunity to relax. Companies often include such an option as an “intangible” employee reward or as part of their corporate culture. Besides, if an employee is truly valuable, why not accommodate them?

Book the right type of accommodation

If your goal is to save money on the trip, then after the “official” business trip days are over, you can move to a more budget-friendly option or initially rent a studio apartment for a long term, which will be cheaper overall. For any other cases, if you don’t arrange for the company to cover the entire stay, book a hotel in advance at a good price and pay for your “days off” yourself to avoid overpaying when booking on the same day.

Utilize the advantages of the new location

For those flying for work to Phuket or going on a business trip to New York, we advise you to enjoy such a journey and take advantage of the time difference to relax. While all your colleagues are sleeping, you can easily explore local attractions, swim in the ocean, or have a delicious lunch. Of course, you’ll suffer a bit from jet lag at first, but then you’ll be able to combine business with pleasure.

Use portable equipment

Tourists after the pandemic have increasingly adapted to a new lifestyle and “settled in” with portable equipment — laptops, tablets, or more modern smartphones — to adapt their workflow to new conditions. We believe that if you stay remote for a couple of days while answering questions from all colleagues, no one will be dissatisfied.

Adjust entertainment to your schedule

Work is important, of course, but if you fly to a coastal city and see the sea for the first time in a long while, it will be hard to resist the temptation to go for a swim. The main thing is to prioritize tasks, attend important conferences, and if some networking events aren’t mandatory for you, why not go ride the salty waves on a banana boat?

What are the benefits for the employer

The most important advantage is the satisfaction of a valuable employee! In part, this certainly sounds funny, but if you’re going to an important company conference to represent the business’s honor, it’s at least prestigious. So, if you want to walk along the embankment for a couple of days after completing your tasks, it’s unlikely anyone will find it unacceptable. Moreover, employee motivation is a delicate matter, and any extra reason to rest will affect not only the employee but also their effectiveness in the company.

Done, you’re on vacation (well, almost)!