Bleisure Travel- Combining your Business trip with Leisure

A recent study of travelling pattern done by Visa for 13,000 users revealed that 20% of all business travellers are either beginning their trips on a Saturday or are ending them on a Sunday. This trend indicates that business travellers are increasingly incorporating some leisure time into their business commitments. This unique trend which has been emerging over the past decade is being aptly addressed as Beliesure travel.

Although the trend has largely remained restricted to only 20% of the business travellers, Bleisure travel carries much deeper meaning than just being a fleeting trend. While business travel can be highly stressful in itself, including a little dose of leisure in it can do wonders for the overall output of a business trip.

Travelers who have opted for bleisure travel maintain that it has helped them regain their efficiency and improved their productivity too. It is hardly surprising then, that even the most zealous workaholics are learning to incorporate some personal time in their professional outings.

Here are some practical benefits of combining business with pleasure, which could make a bleisure traveller out of you too –

• Planning leisure around work is actually very efficient in terms of time management. This is the reason most of the bleisure trips either begin or end on weekends. Both male and female professionals between the age of 45-55 years are the largest target segment for bleisure travel. They have professional and personal responsibilities to take care of and rarely have time for extended vacations. Bleisure travel suits their needs perfectly.

• Bleisure travel is the most affordable type of travel there is. The second largest target group for bleisure travel includes millenials. These young professionals have huge travel aspirations and not-deep-enough pockets to support frequent travel habits. For them, combining leisure with business, saves the additional expense of tickets and gives them an opportunity to be more versatile in their travel destinations.

• Taking time off from the routine work commitments and enjoying while travelling can have a positive effect on your productivity. Even good bosses accept the importance of giving this flexibility to their employees and believe that bleisure travel can lead to enhanced creativity and employee performance.

• It is also one of the best ways to relieve the stress and anxiety associated with business travel. Business travel often entails hectic schedules, minimum sleep, demanding meetings and presentations. Working in some leisure time not only proves to be refreshing, it also restores your energy levels for once you get back to work.

• You can gain new cultural experiences by visiting places which may have never even made to your choice set if you were planning a leisure trip alone. Bleisure travel forces you out of your comfort zone and broadens your horizons.

Given all these benefits, how exactly can you combine business with pleasure? Using the below tips can make you a pro bleisure traveller and travelling will never be the same again –

• Opt to extend your stay in the same hotel which you stayed in for your business trip. As you extend your stay, your hotel may offer you deals and discounts which could fit your budget perfectly. It would also save you the hassle of moving your luggage.

• Do your research about the place of visit in advance. Once you are there, your professional responsibilities will not give you time to explore and stumble upon exciting places. It is better to plan in advance and make the most out of your leisure time.

• Be inventive in including your partner, local friends or family members in the bleisure trip by managing their time and yours in advance. Although bleisure travel is a great form of stress buster, if you are always travelling alone then even the most picturesque place may feel dull and lonely. With a little bit of proactive planning, you can have the best of both worlds and achieve work life balance.

• Don’t forget to be honest with your boss and colleagues. Bleisure travel plans should best not be kept secret. A good boss would not only approve of your bleisure travel plans but would also share his own priceless experience with you. Your colleagues may envy your situation, but would begrudge you much less than they would if you were to fly off on a fortnight long vacation.

In conclusion, it is all about balancing time between work and party. Once you get a taste of bleisure travel, you may want to do it on every single trip. But the idea is to relieve stress and enjoy, rather than staying on the road all the year around. So plan your next bleisure trip judiciously and begin your globe-trotting journey without compromising your work.