Bleisure - When The Lines Between Business And Leisure Travel Blur

For many professionals, it's as though their working life is increasingly invading into their personal time. With 24-hour access to emails via smart phones, many feel as though they can never truly ‘turn off'.

However, when it comes to travelling, the

reverse is fast becoming a trend, with more

professionals choosing to enjoy some leisure

time whilst travelling on business or adding

on an extra couple of days to experience the

destination beyond the meeting room.

Bleisure, a blurring of lines between business

and leisure, is the buzzword and it’s booming.

It’s no secret that modern workers, particularly

millennials, are seeking that elusive work-life

balance and none more so than today’s road

warrior, the constant business traveller whose

lifestyle is often perceived as glamorous when,

in reality, it can be stressful, tiring and demotivating

as one city, one hotel merges into

another.

A study into the travel practices of business

people conducted by the Association of

Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) found that

almost half of travel managers had seen an

increase in concerns about work-life balance,

with around a quarter asking for extra holiday

as compensation. Throwing bleisure into the

mix can help head off these concerns.

The idea of mixing business and pleasure is not

a new one and bleisure offers an opportunity

to turn business travel into a much more

rewarding and enjoyable experience,

benefitting all parties. Looking forward to a

couple of days ‘me-time’ at the end of a hectic

trip can help keep employees motivated,

improve their job satisfaction whilst creating a

sense of appreciation and wellbeing.

In addition to the pastoral side, there can be

cost advantages to extending business trips

e.g. where lower air fares can be achieved

with a Saturday night stay, employees may

be encouraged to stay on for the weekend

but this can impact further on their private

life. Depending on the destination and/or the

traveller’s interest, perhaps there is the option

to bring along a friend or family member

to share the experience, eradicating any

resentment that is felt by those remaining at

home.

So, what should businesses do if they want to

join the bleisure revolution?

Bleisure, while a great motivator and a

potential cost efficiency tool, could cause

issues if not properly managed. It is important

to ensure that company procedures and

policies provide clarity for both employers and

employees alike, remove any grey areas and

mitigate any associated risks.

Specific concerns to address may relate to

the company’s duty of care to its employees,

where does this begin and end and will the

company insurance policy cover the employee

(and family where applicable) if the trip is

extended for personal holiday?

A professional Travel Management Company,

Travel Bureau included, will be able to assist

with incorporating the bleisure phenomenon

into your business travel policy. A TMC’s

expertise and experience, can ensure bleisure

is clearly defined, tailored to suit the needs

of the individual company, its clients and

employees.

Corporate Travel is renowned for last minute

changes and cancellations, the impact and

responsibility of any penalties in cases of

trip extensions must be duly considered

and accepted in advance of any travel

arrangements being made.

If you would like to learn more about how to

incorporate bleisure into your business travel

programme or have any concerns relating to

your business’s travel policies and procedures,

please get in touch with Travel Bureau. Our

free travel health check, identifies areas of

inefficiency, highlighting where time and

costs can be reduced and recommend ways of

simplifying the complexity of business travel.