When you traverse the landscape of business travel, you must encounter a word called “bleisure”. Well, bleisure is a word that perfectly blends business and leisure. Over the past few years, the word has gained significant momentum in the field of corporate travel.
This shifting trend is highly welcomed by professionals who want to maintain their work-life balance, combining official commitments with personal travel experiences.
These days, both companies and employees are aware of the benefits of this hybrid travel model. So, bleisure travel is a cornerstone of today’s corporate travel strategies.
What is Bleisure Travel?
Bleisure is a travel approach where corporate trips combine with leisure activities. This can involve extending a work trip to explore the destination, bringing family on your trip, or taking advantage of leisure between tight schedules to participate in local attractions.
Benefits of Bleisure Travel
- Improved work-life balance: Bleisure travel is preferred as it allows employees to enjoy downtime without taking any additional leave. This balance not only minimizes burnout but also improves job satisfaction.
- Better employee well-being: Bleisure travel is a great way to relax and de-stress. This travel approach allows employees to explore new places and participate in relaxing activities. Now, employees return to their office refreshed and invigorated.
- Cost savings: Since blesiure combines business trips with leisure, corporate travellers can save a lot of travel expenditures, such as airfare. Companies might also benefit from lower travel expenses if employees cover part of their stay for leisure purposes.
- Cross-cultural activities: Bleisure travel gives employees the opportunity to explore and experience new cultures of different demographics, which can strengthen creativity and innovation. Different cultural environments imbibe new ideas and innovations for personal and professional growth.
- Networking opportunities: Bleisure travel embraces employees with plenty of networking opportunities. Leisure activities strengthen your bond with associates and clients, leading to improved business relationships.
Challenges of Bleisure Travel
Like other good things, bleisure travel also has challenges that you should know.
- Blurred boundaries: The prime challenge of bleisure is everyone should know the clear boundary between work and leisure. Employees might find it difficult to switch off from work, leading to a disparity that contradicts its benefits.
- Company policies: Every company doesn’t provide clear guidelines or policies for bleisure travel. Due to the lack of documented policies, employees experience confusion, especially related to expense claims and work expectations during prolonged stays.
- Tax implications: There could be intricate tax implications associated with bleisure travel, particularly which part of the trip is classified as business versus leisure.
Best Practices for Bleisure Travel
To maximize the advantages of bleisure travel, both employers and employees should embrace the best practices.
Mention clear policies:
Every organization should have established policies that clearly define bleisure travel, including guidelines on expense claims, work expectations, and permitted activities. If required, organizations may hire a reputed business travel company to take care of bleisure travel, including policy preparation, expense reporting, cost management, leisure activities planning, accommodation arrangements, etc.
Plan in advance:
Whenever planning for a bleisure trip, employees should plan their leisure activities in advance. They should coordinate with their employers to ensure that business responsibilities are met and that adequate time is allocated for leisure activities.
Maintain work-life boundaries:
It is an employee’s core responsibility to maintain a balance between work and leisure. To achieve this balance, every employee should set a dedicated time for work-related commitments and relaxation.
Communicate effectively:
Open communication between employees and employers is paramount for a successful leisure trip. Employees should inform their managers/authorities about their leisure plans and ensure that their work commitments and productivity won’t be compromised at any cost.
Utilize technology:
In this tech-driven era, mobile technology makes communication easier and more cohesive. Every employee should stay connected with their managers and team members through mobile devices. This allows employees to work efficiently during their trips while enjoying their leisure time.
The Future of Bleisure Travel
The future of bleisure travel is more prominent and scintillating as more employees prioritize work-life balance. Organizations are adopting this trend and supporting their employees in merging business and leisure to enhance employee satisfaction and retention rates. In the future, more bleisure trends will be expanded with the intrusion of advanced technology, making bleisure travel a standard component of corporate travel.
Conclusion
Bleisure travel is nothing but a significant shift in how professionals perceive and visualize their business trips. By efficiently combining work and leisure, employees can enjoy a more rewarding travel experience, while organizations benefit from a happier and more prolific workforce.
Are you looking for an eminent travel agency Toronto that supports bleisure travel for companies? At YYZ Travel Corporate, our expert advisors curate well-organized bleisure travel, including itinerary preparation, leisure activities plan, travel booking, rental services, cost management, and 24/7 support. We also conduct corporate trips, incentive retreats, and group travel deals in Toronto. Visit our website and decide how we can assist you in fulfilling your business travel in Toronto.
