Bleisure travel: Combining business and leisure

Who doesn't dream of combining business with pleasure and discovering foreign cultures and new places on a business trip? But unfortunately, what many people imagine before their first business trip rarely becomes reality. Business travelers often see very little of the country and its people and instead get stuck between hotels and meetings. Here are a few important tips and pointers to help you see something of your destination and find a balance between obligations and personal discoveries on your next business trip. A balanced form of business travel, in which time is planned for personal experiences on site in addition to work appointments, has become increasingly popular in recent years and is known under the generic term "bleisure travel".

Bleisure travel - what is it actually?

The term bleisure travel refers to the practice of combining business travel with leisure activities, allowing travelers to make the most of their time away from home. The term, which has only become established in recent years, is made up of the English words "business" and "leisure". It refers to business trips that are extended by a weekend or even a week or more of vacation, leaving time to get to know the destination and the local people.

The trend towards bleisure travel reflects a change in attitudes towards travel and a reassessment of the importance of work-life balance in the business sector. In contrast to the previously known and popular "workation", work and leisure are separated on a bleisure trip, so it is not about working time in a pleasant place, but rather a conventional business trip with a subsequent trip that is purely for private pleasure.

Advantages of bleisure travel

Bleisure travel offers many benefits, including the opportunity to explore new destinations, experience local culture and enjoy activities of your own choosing in your free time. By combining business and leisure activities, travelers can make the most of their time away from home, maintain a healthy work-life balance and return from their travels refreshed and inspired.

Bleisure travel is particularly valued by many business travelers for helping to reduce stress levels by allowing them to break away from daily routines and immerse themselves in new experiences. Whether it's exploring a new city, enjoying outdoor adventures or simply relaxing on the beach, incorporating leisure activities into business travel can provide much-needed relief from work-related stressors. This is especially true when the destination of the business trip is in a different time zone. The resulting jet lag is a strain that has a negative effect on body and mind and is not something you want to put yourself through twice in quick succession.

As in the vast majority of cases the employer covers the cost of the return flight to and from the destination, you also save money on a bleisure trip. With the growing awareness of the negative impact of air travel on the climate, the carbon footprint of such a trip is also becoming increasingly important for many business travelers. Many therefore decide to at least make the most of the unavoidable long-distance trip with its associated emissions and fulfill their own travel dreams. It is often particularly nice if family or friends can join you for the leisure part of the trip.

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Plan your free time

In order to actually have time for exciting explorations and foreign experiences, it is important to plan extra time for your bleisure trip. As your employer will not be at a disadvantage if you include a weekend in your business trip or add a few days' vacation to a business trip, they will certainly be happy for you to combine business with pleasure. Make sure to discuss the timing of work and leisure moments with clients and employers early on to ensure that everyone involved can adjust to the time management and feel comfortable with it.

Why bleisure travel?

According to surveys, for most people who decide to take a bleisure trip, the main deciding factor is the destination specified by the employer for the actual business trip. If the destination is close to beaches, special sights or an attractive cultural scene, many business travelers can imagine spending a few days or even weeks there to explore the destination in more detail.

Especially in large cities, traditional markets, museums and art galleries, cultural festivals or events such as concerts or theater performances attract many visitors. Many places are also interesting from a culinary point of view and business travelers in particular who have business in Asia like to take a little time to explore the local cuisine and thus one of the heart of the culture.

Weekend excursions and beyond

Those who only have a short weekend during their business trip will often particularly enjoy escaping the already familiar context of the city and the hotel, preferring instead to go on an excursion to other parts of the country. A short road trip or a few days in a rural setting can be just the thing here.

Since business trips demand a lot from you and are often perceived as quite exhausting due to many appointments and possibly difficult communication, challenging outdoor adventures are more suitable for bleisure trips where you can take a little more time. The same applies to trips to remote sights or intensive immersion in a large metropolis. It is better to take a few extra days and not overexert yourself on a business trip, as the many appointments and professional demands can otherwise quickly become overwhelming.

Conclusion

Anyone who goes on frequent business trips has certainly often thought about how nice it would be to have more time to get to know the place and the people better and to be able to move around the country independently from the role of business partner, customer or foreign expert. Bleisure trips offer curious and adventurous business travelers exactly this opportunity, allowing them to combine business commitments with real leisure time in a cost-effective and uncomplicated way. Not only does this bring them closer to the local culture, but they also return from the business trip inspired and refreshed - what more could you want?