What is Bleisure?
Bleisure travel is the extension of a business trip to enjoy leisure activities or vacation time. Thanks to the freedom of remote work, this trend has evolved beyond the weekend. Today, it includes a hybrid approach to the workday, balancing your daily tasks with extended breaks to explore a new city or typing away with a margarita in hand by the pool.
A typical bleisure trip might look like:
- Flying in early for a weekend of sightseeing before a Monday morning conference.
- Staying a few extra days after your meetings wrap up to explore a new city.
- Bringing a partner or family member along to enjoy the hotel amenities while you're in a meeting or conference.
Bleisure allows you to cross bucket-list destinations off your list on a budget, since your primary transportation costs, like flights or train tickets, are already covered by your company.
Explore: The art of ghost working.
Who Goes on Bleisure Trips?
Since bleisure is an increasingly popular trend, more and more people are choosing to add a few days to their business trips if they want to explore where they are going.
For Australians, who have a longer distance to travel and often a time-zone change if they go to Europe for business, this is an excellent way to explore new cities and destinations without having to pay for the flight itself.
Discover: How to travel with only a Carry-On?
Is Bleisure the Future of Corporate Travel?
Companies are increasingly recognizing that preventing employee burnout is crucial for retention. By allowing and even encouraging employees to add a few vacation days to their work trips, businesses see happier, more refreshed, and more productive teams. It’s a win-win situation.
With both remote and hybrid work established globally, we can only imagine that the boundaries between the office and the outside world will continue to blur.
How to Master the Bleisure Trip.
Mixing business with pleasure sounds easy, but it requires some strategic planning to pull off seamlessly.
1. Keep Your Packing Modular.
The biggest challenge of a bleisure trip is packing. You need sharp, wrinkle-free corporate attire for the business part of the trip, but you also need swimwear, sneakers, and casual clothes for your downtime.
2. Create a Clear Boundary.
To truly enjoy the "leisure" part of your trip, you have to mentally and physically clock out. When your business obligations end, close your laptop, turn off your notifications, and transition fully into vacation mode. If you’re answering emails by the pool, you aren't on a bleisure trip – you're on a workation.
3. Know the Expense Policies.
To avoid an awkward conversation with HR, make sure you know exactly what your company covers.
The company: Typically covers the round-trip flights and hotel for the official business days.
You: Cover the extra nights at the hotel, your meals during the weekend, and any leisure excursions.
Ready to Pack? Check Out This Travel Packing List For Work.
The key to a flawless bleisure trip is having the right gear to carry you through your journey. You need a bag that looks professional walking into a high-stakes meeting, but is large enough for a weekend of exploring.
When you organize your luggage, it is easier to separate and protect your work attire from your other clothes. With the Db Packing Cube 3-piece Set, you get the ultimate modular system to do just that.
- A wrinkle-resistant blazer: Instantly polishes a casual outfit for a meeting, then pairs with jeans or a dress for dinner.
- A tech organizer pouch: Keeps chargers and cables contained so you aren’t digging through swimwear for cords.
- Dual-purpose footwear: Sleek sneakers or loafers comfortable enough for sightseeing but sharp enough for meetings.
Business Trip Packing Tips.
- Pack by mode: Dedicate one cube to your professional look and another to your weekend wear. It keeps your two worlds completely separate and organized.
- Roll, don’t fold: Roll your clothes tightly to save space and minimize wrinkles.
- Isolate the used gear: On the way back, use the smallest cube or a washbag to keep dirty laundry or workout gear away from your work clothes.
Get more packing tips: How to pack your luggage for travel?
Your Questions Answered.
Why is bleisure travel popular?
Bleisure travel is popular because it offers work-life balance while staying on a budget. It allows travelers to experience new destinations and take mini-vacations without using up all their vacation days or money, since their company pays for the flight.
Do all companies allow bleisure travel?
While bleisure is increasingly popular, it is not universally permitted by all companies. Corporate policies vary significantly based on company culture, risk management, and tax regulations. Make sure to always ask your company, and check the policies before adding days onto your work trip.
What is a workation?
A workation is a trip where you travel to a new destination to work remotely for an extended period, combining your regular job with leisure time. Unlike a bleisure trip, which adds vacation days to a short business trip, a workation focuses on working your normal hours from a holiday location, using evenings and weekends to explore.
