Although the term bleisure has been around since 2009, it hasn’t really gone mainstream until now. This growing trend sees travelers tacking personal days onto work-related trips, blending business travel with leisure time. Not to be confused with digital nomads who work and travel constantly in tandem. Those on bleisure trips on average only stay for two nights. But bleisure does in fact share something in common with digital nomadism - the pandemic gave rise to the popularity of both types of travel.
The Global Business Travel Association found 40% of companies had already returned to non-essential domestic business travel by mid 2021. Many believed business travel wouldn’t recover as quickly as it has, but we’re still not back to pre-pandemic levels. It’s thought bleisure travel will play a pivotal role in building this sector up again. In all its forms, corporate travel will look different from before, but has it changed for good?
3 trends that have reshaped business travel
1. Business travel was the first travel sector to bounce back after restrictions began to lift, because face-to-face meetings are generally believed to be more successful than virtual meetings. Still, only essential trips were taken, resulting in fewer shorter trips and more [extended stays](https://www.3sixty.tech/).
A large majority of us worked remotely during the height of the pandemic, proving work can be produced from almost anywhere, being 47% more productive according to studies. Taking advantage of this opportunity, employees began blending their work time with leisure, by staying at a short term rental for extended periods.
2. Tech has advanced years ahead to support our new way of living, working and traveling. Without these innovations, the bleisure trend wouldn’t be possible. Tech enables us to connect across the globe from our homes, cafes, offices, and more! Without WiFi, portable computers, and communication platforms we wouldn’t be able to work from the top of a mountain or from a cabin with a beach view.
Global mobility is further supported by the tech platforms used to book extended stays, such as 3Sixty, and the tech embedded within the accommodation itself. Smart home tech can improve guest comfort in employee housing while contactless solutions can increase the functionality of the accommodation and enhance the overall stay.
3. It’s not just how we are traveling that has changed, but who is traveling. Before the pandemic, it was largely younger generations and those in the tech industry who traveled most frequently. Bleisure doesn’t have the same generational divide now, with millennials making up 38%, baby boomers 31%, and Gen Z another third, suggesting a universal appeal. TripActions found 39% of millennials and Gen Z wouldn’t even consider a job that doesn’t allow travel.
After two years of travel disruption, from annual family vacations in Spain to regular globetrotters, there’s pent-up demand in all generations to travel again. This, combined with the flexibility trend, creates the perfect environment for bleisure to thrive. In fact, 89% of business travelers plan to add personal vacation time to their trip over the next year.
How bleisure benefits your employees and business
When trust is mutual between your team and business, bleisure can offer a heap of advantages from productivity to staff satisfaction. It sounds too good to be true, but it can be a win-win situation, and here’s how:
By tacking on a day or more around a work-related trip, your employee has time to recover from flying/traveling, increasing their energy and happiness with rest and downtime. Because of this, they are likely to be more productive. Happier employees are also less likely to take sick leave, further increasing work hours.
Those who are allowed to mix their leisure time with business trips may also take less extended time off for vacations. They will feel more appreciated, increasing job satisfaction which can help retain high-quality employees during the era of The Great Resignation.
This travel perk could even attract new talent. Corporate travel alone is already surprisingly desired, Booking.com reports 30% of people would take a lower salary for more business trips and SavvySleeper found 90% of workers want to travel for the rest of their career.
Sometimes the simple things are most effective, such as letting your employee make some of the decisions about their trip to boost enthusiasm or having your team work in a new setting to encourage creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
‘90% of workers want to travel for the rest of their career’
Just like digital nomadism, propelled by remote working and flexibility, the bleisure trend isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, it’s likely to be a vital factor in bringing back business travel to pre-pandemic levels. Employees will be encouraged to travel with added perks, and once companies realize the benefits to their businesses, we’ll see much more bleisure opportunities on offer.
3Sixty
3Sixty is a state-of-the-art marketplace that reduces the noise in extended-stay travel. Our HomeMatch™ technology leverages machine learning and human expertise to curate quality, cost-effective housing where your employees feel safe, comfortable, and at peace.