Bleisure is the new business travel
- Business trips don’t have to be a snooze fest
- Explore the possibilities with Bleisure
Recent studies show that the growing number of millennial business travelers seems to have led to a new travel trend: the rise of bleisure. Millennial business travelers value time well spent. This demographic is said to value experiences over luxury which is why these travelers constantly look to use business trips to explore and expand their horizons. Skift’s Bleisure Report from 2015 shows that more than 62% of business travelers add extra days to trips because they want to see the different parts of this world and seek cultural experiences.
Radim Chomic, International Trade Manager for Laget Ltd, is an experienced bleisure traveler. While working as an Import/Export Consultant for Czech Embassy in Bangkok, he traveled quite frequently to the Indian Subcontinent and Nepal. On these trips he started to explore the city he was staying in. “I started to add some extra days to my trips to Nepal, having fun on my own and exploring Kathmandu on my own budget.” He recommends hiring local guides which is much more affordable and also necessary to understand the local culture.
Our bleisure travel tips
Bleisure travelers need to be on top of their schedules. So plan ahead, extend your trip or arrive early for sightseeing, visiting tourist attractions or diving into the local culture. Here are our bleisure travel tips:
Dive in
There are guides like Like A Local which provide you with things to do in the city you’re headed to. Choose from tours and activities, sights, restaurants, cafes, bars and shops recommended to you by locals. If you prefer it a bit more underground, Nearify is a great mobile app that lets you know what interesting events are taking place around you, so you can stay an extra day and catch a cool concert before heading home.
Get around
The MetrO app is your guide to public transportation in over 400 cities and counting. If you prefer ridesharing to your destination, check out Bla Bla Car which provides trusted ride-sharing services that are extremely affordable and a fun way to meet new people.
Meet people
Meet interesting new people who share similar interests through Meetup, attend workshops or enjoy a nice dinner with like-minded people.
To make some very meaningful connections from your bleisure trip, try the Wildcard app, available on iOS and Android. Simplifying business networking, Wildcard is a fun tool that allows you to meet new people and potential connections during any conference, meetup or event.
Bring something back
Enjoy the city’s cuisine and share it, once you are back. With Cookly you can join cooking lessons offered by experienced professional chefs and restaurateurs where you will learn how to cook local dishes.
Capture it
Capture the highlights of your trip with photo apps like VSCO CAM, as recommended by most travel bloggers on instagram. VSCO allows you to take beautiful high-resolution photos to share with friends and family. This app offers a full set of professional photo-editing tools to produce stunning images with your phone.