💼 Bleisure: how to combine work and leisure on a business trip 🏖️

Work or vacation, vacation or work? Many people put off their long-awaited vacation for years and devote all their energy to professional activities. Afterwards, you have to regret hundreds of missed opportunities, among which is the chance to see the world and visit the most outlandish corners of the planet. No, we will not discourage you from being a workaholic. We suggest taking the first step towards work-life balance and finding time for personal interests while on a business trip abroad. Our text contains the main tips on how to go to a work event and have time to see a new country with your own eyes.

In English, a special word was invented for this type of travel: bleisure. It combines business and leisure. Just imagine not having to spend money on flights and accommodation. The employer pays these expenses from his own budget, and all you have to do is arrive at the airport and board the plane. In addition, you do not risk anything and get a free chance to put a tick in your personal diary next to a new point on the map. So why not get everything and more from a business trip?

Stay in the hotel as long as possible 

If a company covers living expenses, in most cases it only covers the duration of the official event. By the way, many organizations use a special corporate tariff for such purposes, which means the final cost will be significantly less than the standard one. Ask the manager if he can extend your room reservation at the original price. As a rule, many upscale hotels do everything to increase customer loyalty, and a discount will be a good chance to attract you to this category.

We advise you to cover the maximum range of services to save your budget. What do we mean? For example, free breakfast or airport transfer. These “goodies” from the hotel will not ruin you and will help you navigate the city without wasting money.

Choose the optimal period to save 

If you don’t want to part with a significant part of your finances and overpay for apartments, there is a way out. As practice shows, many conferences and forums are held in famous cities during the off – season. For example, Lisbon hosts the Web Summit in November, and the chance to attend many business events in Miami comes as early as June. You can look at this situation from two sides.

Firstly, crowds of tourists will not interfere with exploring the city and getting to know it. You will stroll peacefully among the city's main attractions and feel like a local. Secondly, you don’t need to set aside a large budget for accommodation, because prices during the off-peak season can reach half the cost of the busiest travel season. You understood everything correctly, saving money on bleisure is real, especially if you approach this issue wisely.

Calculate whether you need additional days 

Typically, bleisure will require you to stay in your host country for a few more days for personal purposes. However, this may not be necessary. If you don’t have a busy work schedule or meetings all day long, try to break up your workday with short breaks for rest. For example, a morning jog, lunch at a restaurant, a trip to a museum, or a visit to the local market during the day will allow you to take your mind off your routine and create a vacation atmosphere around you.

But if the program is still filled with work tasks, then be sure to clarify the specifics of business etiquette in the country of business travel. Also note that many countries will require a business visa.

Agree with family and loved ones 

We understand that there is nothing better than discovering cities and countries with your children, spouses and friends. At the same time, remember that you are on a business trip and not a personal trip. We suggest discussing options for joint leisure with your travel partners in advance. Invite them to join you after the official part of the conference or organize entertainment yourself. But after you finish things in the interests of business, breathe out and devote all your time to your loved ones.

Set rules with your employer in advance 

We recommend that you clarify the details of the business trip with your superiors and pay special attention to the financial component. Check if you can not contact in the morning if you are leaving on a sightseeing tour. Is it allowed to pay for public transport if you were in the city on personal business and are heading to an official event. Believe me, it is better to clarify all the points long before the trip, so as not to pay for losses from your own pocket and not to spoil relations with management.

Meet deadlines and communicate your position clearly

If you definitely decide to extend your business trip for several days, then this information needs to be correctly presented to your boss. Not all managers are ready to let you go free for a few days and leave the company without a valuable employee. To tip the scales in your favor and spend some time without a laptop, instant messengers and team calls, prepare a high-quality argument for your decision. Collect convincing arguments in favor of the fact that taking treatment from cases will not affect the deadlines in any way. Provide specific deadlines for completing the project and a plan for the actions to be taken. By the way, template phrases from the category “I feel so” and “I will do everything in my power” will definitely not convince the boss that he should let you go.

Charge yourself with ideas 

Look around and see the world from a different angle. If you've been feeling tired and burnt out lately, creative thoughts are definitely not going to come naturally. Consider how the bleisure experience can breathe life into your projects and team interactions. We are sure that the manager will certainly appreciate your desire to take the company to a new level and next time will provide days for personal rest during a business trip without much hesitation. 

Use your trip for business purposes 

We are sure that surrounded by locals you will take a fresh look at the things that surround you every day. We have no doubt that such changes will transform both life and work. Think about what characteristics of the residents of the city you are staying in that can better understand your target audience. What areas for business expansion are in your plans for the coming time? Collect all the proposals and be sure to prepare a solid argument. This combo will definitely convince the boss that the decision to send you on the trip was the right one. Prove that your initiatives will save time and money, and also increase the company's efficiency. In addition, this is an excellent chance to establish yourself for the future or even get a promotion with an increase in salary. 

Preparing for a business trip requires not only preliminary agreement on the goals of negotiations and meetings, discussion of strategy, but also other nuances. Booking tickets, apartments, ordering a transfer, and generally organizing business trips sometimes take even more time than the main purpose of the trip. But you can save time and deal with all the nuances in a few minutes on the Jerelo platform.