Business travel is interesting because you get to take an all-expenses-paid trip courtesy of your profession.
In a job that requires constant travel, it can become daunting because while travelling, you can’t fully enjoy the trip as you have obligations to fulfil.
According to research on business travel in Australia, 2.2 million Australians travelled for business in 2017, which was about 10% of the population.
At least half of these travellers probably took some time out to enjoy a personal vacation.
When travelling for business, it’s important to be smart and get a little vacation out of it. You can even plan your business trip around a family vacation, which is a definite plus. There are some neat tricks that you can take advantage of to make your business travel work for your personal life.
Take Advantage of Free Hotel Nights
When going on a business trip, where you lay your head at the end of the day needs to be comfortable and make the trip more tolerable. This is where you will look at fun spots either in or around the hotel. Thanks to companies like AirBnB, you can choose a cosy spot that makes it feel like a home away from home.
Many booking sites and hotels will have discounts and offers for regular customers. For example, some hotels will use a point system to reward you with a free night or more. In addition, you can choose a hotel package that offers discounted rates on rooms or will give you free nights.
Plan Your Business Travel Itinerary Around Family
The art of taking a personal vacation during business travel now has a name – Bleisure. When going on business trips, some of them can fall at the end of the week, like on Thursdays or Fridays. Because the company is still going to pay a return flight back home for me, make good use of it and take the weekend to relax.
We tend to miss family when taking business trips. So take a look at the work plan and identify a long weekend during the trip. You can have your family come to the town you are working in to spend time with you. You can book the return ticket on Sunday evening, then you and the family will all be back home in time to plan for a new week.
Use Your Account to Accumulate Frequent Flyer Points
If you are in the business of regular flight travel, then it’s a good move to use your own account to accumulate flying points. The main benefit of these points is that you can get free tickets once you reach your target.
Encourage the company you work for to allow you to make your own flight bookings. You can then use your account after some time to buy a ticket for a loved one or for a friend to squeeze in a vacation between business. We all want to live a good life and we can then use these points to upgrade to business class tickets. Even if you will be putting in hours, you might as well be relaxed while at it.
Budget Your Business Trip To Get Extra Vacation Funds
There are business trips that your company will want to get business class flights or five-star hotel rooms. This is another time that you can request to make your own bookings. Go for budget hotels and flights to save some cash.
Make use of the extra funds to travel to historical places in towns you visit as well as get some extra nights at a hotel for much-needed rest and relaxation. You don’t have to use the money at that time but you can save up and then go on a family vacation or on a solo retreat to rejuvenate.
Don’t Be Afraid to Combine Business and Pleasure
Business travel is sometimes the only way we will visit dream destinations for free. When you get the chance to travel to a holiday destination or a place you’ve always wanted to visit, grab the chance to go sightseeing. You may not be able to visit all the hot spots in the area, but you can try as much as you can to get some tourist time out.
If you have a tight schedule, take advantage of the sports bar or restaurant overlooking the ocean to unwind after a long day. You can enjoy a great meal, a fancy cocktail and some good music, without straining yourself. This is also a good time to make new friends and network with other business people.
Whenever you travel to a place where you have relatives and friends, you can give them a heads up that you’ll be in their neighbourhood. You can either meet at the hotel you are staying at or visit them where they are. This means you can get some work done and still connect with friends or family.
How Can You Enjoy Your Personal Vacation During Business Travel?
- Plan your leave days to get in some vacation time while travelling on business. Companies usually have a long term plan for their businesses, which means any work travel is known ahead of time. Try and take some personal days around your business trips and have a good time after working.
- Pack light when travelling for business. When taking a business trip, think about packing light so you’re able to move around for your personal vacation time. Packing light also gives you some space to buy some souvenirs to bring back home.
- Make the most of your business trip. Companies might have restrictive travel budgets and this means less time to relax while on business. This shouldn’t worry you, visit a well-known bar or beach not too far from your work location.
- Plan ahead and be flexible when on a business trip. Find out about travel and accommodation arrangements in advance. For example, you can get a bigger room or rent an apartment if you have a family or a loved one tagging along. You should also find out if all the bookings made can be adjusted or cancelled. This will allow you to get the most out of your bleisure trip and also keep you from paying penalties or cancellation charges and affect your budget.
