Traveling for business is an age-old practice that many companies have. It’s done when they want to work with a client from another city or country, and even when they want to explore a merger. But the professionals who are sent to represent their companies in such situations may be smarter than most.
That’s because many business travelers tend to secretly extend their stay to fit in a day or two of leisure time. But since it’s happening more frequently and out in the open, the practice has been dubbed as “bleisure traveling” because travelers have started to include personal activities in their long-distance business trips.
Despite how it sounds, bleisure is actually a portmanteau for business and leisure, not pleasure. Being a bleisure traveler means that you’re taking advantage of your business trip by extending it for a few more days so that you can travel the city or country in your leisure time. It’s hitting two birds with one stone.
So, for instance, you need to make a trip to Singapore to meet some clients that you’re scouting for your company. Of course, you always have the option to enjoy the restaurants at Changi Airport as soon as you land and before you board your flight back home, but your trip could be even better if you had more time to explore the country.
With a few more days on your trip, you can visit the cultural landmarks, tourist destinations, and renowned restaurants in Singapore. But it’s not just for this scenario; bleisure traveling applies to almost any destination that you have to go to for business. Here are three of the most common reasons professionals have for doing it:
1. To Recharge and Relax After Working
When you’re on a business trip, you’ll have no definite hours for your work, unlike when you’re at the office. This is because you may have early morning meetings and late-night calls, which means you may not have enough time to rest properly during the trip itself. Then, you’ll come back home exhausted.
Extending your business trip for a few more days will allow you to recharge the batteries you’ve drained to fulfill your responsibilities at work. You can take this opportunity to use your vacation leaves—that is, if you have some left—and travel for leisure because you’re already there, to begin with.
Of course, this is only practical if you want to explore your destination, so choose where to travel for bleisure wisely. You don’t have to extend your trip every time you’re traveling long-distance for business, but it can also be an excellent way to give in to your wanderlust and experience what the place has to offer.
2. To Make the Trip More Worthwhile
If you’re going to a foreign country to meet with clients and come back immediately after, it could be a waste of opportunity to travel for leisure because who knows when you can come back to that place again? So, make the most out of your trip by including a bit of sightseeing to popular destinations and experiencing the local culture, even if only for a few days.
But you should consider the urgency of the situation. If you’re needed back home after your business trip, of course, you shouldn’t plan on extending your stay. But if the office could function without your presence, then, by all means, enjoy this chance to travel for bleisure for as long as you can.
3. To Maintain Work-life Balance
Your work can be demanding most of the time because it takes up a lot of your time. You may not have enough hours on the weekends to get enough sleep, relax your mind and body, or do everything you want to accomplish before Monday comes back around. This could also mean that you’re not spending your vacation leaves regularly.
Because it’s difficult to identify where your work ends and your life begins, you can take this opportunity to do bleisure traveling to maintain your work-life balance. It might not be as effective as actually taking a break from work, but at least you’ll be taking time off for yourself. So, if you’re having a hard time balancing your work and home responsibilities, this is the perfect escape from it all.
When you’re up to the neck in tasks and responsibilities, it’s impossible to even think about having the chance to travel for leisure. But with bleisure travel, you’re working and enjoying yourself at the same time. So don’t rob yourself of the opportunity when it presents itself, especially if you’ve been planning to go to that destination in the future anyway.