business and leisure travel

Business travel and leisure time: how to combine them?

It is very common to ask how to combine business and leisure travel.

Unlike the leisure traveler, the business traveler chooses neither the destination nor the length of stay, which are imposed on them by their company, which is also the organization that finances their trip. For convenience, they are more likely to stay in the same accommodation as on their previous trip, as they are less volatile than on their private trips. More autonomous in terms of managing their trips, business travelers sometimes try to combine work and leisure, taking advantage of their stay to end the weekend at their destination with their family or visiting the city after a day's work.

In recent years, the boundary between business and leisure has been disappearing. The massive adoption of mobile technologies by everyone has encouraged this trend.

As a result, a new form of business travel has recently emerged. It is called Bleisure. Let's take a look at this new travel trend that combines professional tasks and leisure, clearing the doubt of how to combine business travel and leisure time.

How does it work in practice?

Business travelers have many ways to enjoy their vacations. Some decide to go alone to take some time for themselves. Others bring their spouse and children. Whether they are alone or with their family, they can postpone the return date or move up the departure date to pursue extra-professional activities in the meantime.

Due to the lack of time and availability, nowadays more and more workers decide to go on vacation with their families and make time to work here and there. This is a very popular form of bleisure among the self-employed.

After that, everyone has their own way of enjoying their Bleisure. Some take advantage of their stay in the city to discover its main attractions. Others decide to explore the city and do as many activities as possible. Others will spend their free time relaxing, discovering the city's gastronomy, or its nightlife.

Advantages and disadvantages of bleisure

Bleisure's success is due to the fact that its advantages have been recognized at all levels:

  • For the business travelers: there are economic advantages! Transportation and accommodation are paid for by the employer. In addition to saving money, the employee is also happier, because instead of spending his evenings alone in front of the TV or in the company of strangers, he will be surrounded by his family.
  • The companyContrary to what many people think, allowing an employee to go on a Bleisure trip will not cause the company to lose money. On the contrary, it will save them money. In fact, the employee will certainly refuse a business class ticket if they are thinking about Bleisure. They will opt for an economy class ticket to be with their loved ones. Also, by allowing the employee to extend their stay, the company will make them happy and satisfied. They are sure to be more productive.
  • Local tourism companiesThe economic effects of the activities are, of course, also a win-win situation for them, as they benefit from the economic spin-offs of the activities.

In addition to these advantages, there are also disadvantages and limitations.

  • The bleisure has to deal with the duality of expenses: those of the company on the one hand, and those derived from the extension of the stay on the other.
  • Companies are obliged to review their travel policy, but also the clauses of the insurance contract. They should check with the insurer what leisure activities are covered.
  • They must also ensure effective employee monitoring and supervision.

The reasons for Bleisure's success

There are many reasons why business travelers are increasingly willing to extend their business trips. These include cultural differences and the democratization of offers. Promotions offered by airlines and low-cost hotels also encourage extended travel at a reduced price.

Offer business travel and time off to your employees with Vyootrip

Vyootrip is a business travel management platform that allows companies to implement their travel policies and empower travelers to book on their own according to these policies.

With Vyootrip companies get discounts from wholesalers who, in addition to applying them to their own business travel, can also offer them to travelers for their leisure travel. So the traveler can get greater discounts and personalized attention from our agents for planning and doing Bleisure.

Scroll to Top