What Is Bleisure Travel? Blending Business with Leisure

Podcast. Frenemy. Spanglish. Brunch. The English language is full of portmanteaus — that is, two or more words combined to create a new word with a combined meaning. But have you heard of bleisure travel? It’s something 89% of people want to do, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Here’s everything you need to know about this growing travel trend.

What is bleisure travel?

Bleisure travel is the act of combining business travel with a vacation. This can mean tacking on a few days of fun before or after a work trip, or bringing friends or family members along with you as you travel for business.

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Bleisure travel predates its naming, but its roots are in the Covid-19 pandemic, when more employees than ever before found themselves with the ability to work from desirable destinations. Today, as in-person conferences and meetings are added back to our collective calendars, this creative spirit endures as people continue to rethink their goals for business and leisure travel. It’s important to note that bleisure travel is not the same as being a remote worker or a digital nomad. Digital nomads, or “workcationers,” work from far-flung destinations as a matter of habit, rather than extend work trips to include leisure time.

Who can enjoy bleisure travel?

Bleisure travel is especially well suited to business owners, those with generous PTO policies and anyone whose company gives them some leniency to make their own schedules before and after taxing work travel.

Benefits of bleisure travel

There are quite a few benefits of combining work travel with leisure travel:

Stretch your vacation budget: Especially in cases where the rest of the family tags along while mom or dad works, you can enjoy significant cost savings. The hotel room is already paid for by the employer and the business traveler’s plane ticket or other transportation is covered.
Opportunity to see new places: As part of your job, you may be asked to travel to places that wouldn’t normally be on your vacation bucket list. This is a great chance to explore somewhere new.
Reduced carbon footprint: You can lower your carbon footprint by combining business with leisure, avoiding additional air or car travel that would increase your emissions.
Ability to unwind: Business travel can be a whirlwind. By adding a few days on either side of your work trip, you can relax and unwind before jumping back into the everyday grind back home.
Less time away from loved ones: Traveling for business frequently can be hard, as you can’t always spend as much time with your friends and family members as you’d like to. When you bring your loved ones along, you’ll have time to connect and make vacation memories together.

Tips for planning a bleisure trip

While bleisure travel can be a win-win for many workers, there are a few things you can do to ensure every trip is a success.

Plan ahead: It can be logistically tricky to perfectly line up a work trip with your vacation plans. The farther ahead you can make your itinerary, the likelier you are to make it happen.
Communicate: If you work for a smaller company, it may be your responsibility to book your own business travel. However, if you work for a large company, there may be a team that takes care of your booking flights, accommodations and transportation. Be sure to communicate your needs clearly so they can help you work out the necessary details.
Set boundaries: Work-life balance can be a struggle. It can be especially difficult to set boundaries between work tasks and leisure time when you’re on a bleisure trip. Make sure to communicate with your colleagues and clients, setting expectations for when you’re on the clock and when you’re on vacation time.

Bleisure travel with Pacaso

Many business travelers frequent the same destinations over and over again. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place that feels like home? If you regularly find yourself on work trips to a specific destination and it’s also a place you love to vacation, consider setting down roots in a Pacaso second home. Instead of spending night after night in an impersonal hotel room, you could start and end your busy work day in your own luxury second home. Pacaso homes are available in great destinations across the United States. many with incredible home office setups and loads of family-friendly amenities like pools and game rooms — perfect for bleisure travel.

What is bleisure travel? Blending business with leisure