The growing trend of ‘bleisure’ travel, combining business trips with personal leisure time, is overshadowed by feelings of guilt among nearly half of cases. That is according to new research among UK business travellers conducted by Good Business Travel.
The study reveals that 49% of respondents worry that their manager would judge them for taking personal time on a work trip and 46% fear the same reaction from colleagues.
A higher number, 60%, said they feel the need to appear constantly available while travelling for work.
Meanwhile, 58% admit that they struggle to switch off properly during the downtime that they are entitled to take.
The feeling of ‘bleisure guilt’ is strongest among younger workers. Of those aged 25 to 34, more than half (56%) worry their manager will judge them for stepping away and two-thirds (66%) feel pressure to always be ‘on’.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of business travellers say they would make better use of personal time if their employer actively encouraged it. An even higher number (78%) say they would value protected leisure time being formally built into their travel schedule.
The research shows that windows of opportunity for exploration do already exist. On average, a business traveller will spend 3.5 hours a day in meetings or conferences, meaning that around four hours of personal downtime is being lost to guilt.
To address the issue, Good Business Travel is launching a new bleisure clause designed to remove the stigma around taking personal time while travelling for work.
The initiative allows employers to formally build protected leisure time into business trips via pre-approved bleisure vouchers giving workers clear, employer-backed permission to make the most of their surroundings.
Natasha Inglis, Implementation and Client Success Director at Good Business Travel, said: “While travel is instrumental for many businesses, it can take a real toll on employees. Being away from home and feeling constantly on the clock brings its own pressure. When any attempt to take personal time is layered with guilt, something has clearly gone wrong.
“Our new bleisure clause tackles this at the point of booking, giving employers a simple way to better support their teams and make sure rest and exploration are a key part of any business trip.”
Additionally, Good Business Travel has also curated a Bleisure Tourism Guide covering 10 top European business travel destinations. The guide includes iconic landmarks and lesser-known spots, allowing for everything from exploration between meetings to a full weekend away.
“We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to actually use their leisure time – and vouchers – well. Sometimes you may only have an hour between meetings, but that’s enough to find something brilliant, if you know where to look,” added Inglis.
