Following the pandemic, the increase in remote working coupled with heightened demand for travel, more people than ever before are exploring the bleisure trend. But, its concept and format has changed over the last year.
What was once the case of adding a few vacation days to a business trip is now a lifestyle. Employees want to stay in places for longer, have the opportunity to work from anywhere, and carry out their role while traveling and exploring - say hello to the ‘blended traveler’.
The number of job listings globally with a remote component has nearly tripled since 2020, and research shows that employees are keen to travel again, with 75% of millennials stating they think traveling for work is a perk. Today, a short extension of a business trip simply won’t do - people want to blend their work experiences with travel experiences.
Here, we look at how the bleisure traveler has gradually evolved into the blended trip traveler.
Let’s start with the basics: are people calling it “bleisure” or “blended travel”?
This is our 3Sixty take: today, many people use the term “blended travel” to describe travel that combines both business and leisure. We’ve seen the phrase used in Skift articles, research reports and industry white papers, and a quick Google search brings up numerous articles around the concept.
The bleisure traveler is evolving as we speak - but it’s important to understand that it isn’t to be confused with the rise of the digital nomad or the ‘workcationer’. Digital nomads are typically location-free, working on the go wherever best suits them, while workcationers are people who work while on holiday - not quite meeting the ‘blended’ lifestyle.
The blended traveler is an extension of the original bleisure traveler. They visit a destination for business purposes, but blend it seamlessly with leisure - spending evenings relaxing, weekends exploring, and lunchtimes checking out local coffee shops and restaurants - rather than just a few days before or after a business meeting.
As we know, business travel came to a near enough halt during the pandemic - as well as travel of all kinds. As restrictions lifted and travel became feasible again, we saw the rise in ‘revenge travel’, and recent search shows that 86% of American travelers are in a ready-to-travel state of mind. The evolution of the blended traveler has certainly been fueled by a new-found appetite to travel.
Before, business travelers may have been satisfied with adding an extra day or two to their conference trip - but today, it’s more likely they will want to make up for ‘lost’ travel time, and they can do so by blending business trips into longer, more fulfilling travel experiences.
In many ways, the pandemic has instilled higher levels of trust between employers and employees. During the global health crisis, employees were instructed to work at home by the government - and employers were forced to adopt new ways of working, including virtual offices, work-from-home policies and - most importantly - trusting employees to maintain productivity levels.
Today, 54% of the global workforce say they would resign if they weren’t offered remote and flexible work options. The pandemic unveiled a new appetite for employees to work from wherever they choose - and it proved they could action it.
With a new-found confidence in remote working, it’s no real surprise, then, that blended travel is on the rise, casting a shadow over the previously-satisfying one or two-day bleisure trip.
A final driver that may be fueling the blended travel trend is the cost of living crisis. The idea of temporarily living and staying in a cheaper destination is likely appealing to business travelers. If they are required to visit a slightly less expensive location for business, why not stay longer?
Blending business trips with longer leisure visits is also an effective way to avoid travel irritants, such as delayed flights and long journeys. By basing themselves in one destination for longer, blended travelers can enjoy the benefits of travel, without that typical ‘rushed’ business trip feel.
Say hello to the new era of bleisure: blended trips
The desire to travel, combined with a new-found confidence in remote working and the idea of living somewhere for less, is paving the way for the blended traveler. While bleisure is still around, we should expect to see more employees requesting to extend their trips for longer periods - and, perhaps, the idea of a short bleisure trip will soon be rare.
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With over one million accommodations in 60 different countries, we’ve got a property to suit every employee - and you can rest assured that each one is fully vetted and compliant.
To find out more, explore our marketplace today.