Bleisure travel—adding a few days of leisure travel onto a business trip—is becoming more common, with 90% of millennials, 81% of Generation Xers and 80% of Baby Boomers engaging in it within the last year. It’s a win-win for employees and businesses.
Offering bleisure travel can help you attract and retain employees. Thirty percent of office workers say they would consider taking a lower-paying job if it meant they could engage in more work travel. Loyal and happy employees also help improve the perception of your company. We’ve assembled a few ideas that can make bleisure a front-and-centre part of your organization.
Create a bleisure travel policy
Only 14% of business travelers are aware of their company’s bleisure travel policy. Create a clear policy and make sure employees know about it. Your policy should address several common questions, including:
- When does cost coverage stop? The end of the day? After an important meeting?
- Are expenses covered on the return date if the employee chooses to take extra days, leading to a later return?
- How are hotel arrangements handled? Can employees use the company portal/discount when booking extra days at the hotel or with a rental vehicle?
- Is there a limit on the number of extra days an employee can take?
- How are expense reports/payment handled while travelling?
Make this information easy to access by placing the information in a travel wallet they can take with them, or put the information on an internal site and list the site on a luggage tag.
Share money-saving tips
No matter how long your employees are traveling, the costs can really add up. But there are ways to keep expenses down.
Pack light
Packing everything needed for a trip in a carry-on bag means your company won’t have to pay baggage fees and employees will be able to move through the airport faster. Ship necessary items to employees’ hotel ahead of time, if possible. Send them off with travel promotional items that take up very little space, like a packable jacket, on-the-go charging kit and a sleep mask.
Time your travel
It’s cheapest to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, which can make planning a bleisure trip less expensive for everyone. If meetings are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, employees may choose to fly in on Wednesday and stay until Saturday to save money and give them a little extra time.
Put less focus on dinner
Taking clients out for lunch is often much less expensive than buying dinner and drinks. Staff who dine out for lunch during their personal travel time can eat at a higher-price location while staying within their travel budget.
Business, pleasure or both!
Allowing employees to bridge the gap between business and pleasure can have big benefits for everyone. Help employees make the most of their bleisure travel with these tips and giveaways.