Bleisure Travel is Trending. What Is It?

Bleisure is a category of travel that focuses on people who extend business trips to include leisure activities.

Some workers may take added personal days or invite family members to help them explore the area recreationally. Think of it as opportunistic travel. You're going to be there anyway (and the company is paying to get you there), so why not get the most out of your trip?

This is no small industry. Valued at $692.7 billion in 2024, the bleisure travel market has a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.8% from 2025 to 2035. 83% of workers report taking bleisure trips, according to a survey from Skyscanner. And the SAP Concur 6th Annual Global Business Travelers Research Report found that 22% of travelers would decline a business trip if there was no ability to extend the trip for personal travel.

Given how massive this market has become, should employers start paying closer attention?

Why Bleisure Trips Matter

Is there a strategic component involved in bleisure trips? That's a question that some farsighted organizational leaders are pondering. Given how difficult it is to attract and retain top talent, the option to add leisure time to business trips may be an attractive perk for your workforce. This is especially important for younger workers, who consistently say they place a high value on flexibility and new experiences. 

Contrary to common assumptions, bleisure can actually enhance focus and enthusiasm, as employees are more motivated when personal experiences follow professional obligations. Employees who return from trips feeling refreshed often show increased engagement, productivity, and creativity. Exposure to new cultures and environments also sparks fresh perspectives, which employees bring back to their roles—fueling innovation and deeper professional insight.

Bleisure and Workforce Mental Health

Bleisure trips also reinforce positive ideas about mental health. If you are a frequent business traveler, you know that it can sometimes be arduous. Flight delays, lots of time sitting and waiting, and the often-tricky process of cataloguing and submitting your expenses can be stressful and time-consuming. This can lead to lower job satisfaction, or even burnout in the most serious cases.

However, if you encourage bleisure travel, those same workers gain new opportunities for cultural enrichment, relaxation and enjoyment. All of those things can make travel-related stress a lot easier to handle.

These benefits extend well beyond the individual level, as well. Forward-thinking organizations that support bleisure demonstrate a genuine commitment to employee well-being. Scaled across your whole organization, bleisure can impact your corporate culture, making people feel valued for who they are, rather than simply what they do. They feel seen as a person, not just a professional asset. This support helps foster better work-life balance, greater job satisfaction, and stronger loyalty.

Does Bleisure Offer Any Financial Benefits to Your Business?

Bleisure trips can certainly provide cost-saving opportunities versus being a cost driver. One example: If an employee wants to extend a trip, they may get substantially discounted airfare for their return flight by avoiding flying on a peak travel day. Since workers generally cover their own expenses during the leisure portion of the trip, everyone can benefit.

Another trend that has helped make bleisure trips popular is the rise of remote and hybrid work. Bleisure is the natural next step in the evolution of “work from anywhere,” as companies that facilitate it give tacit agreement with the idea that employees can balance work objectives and personal objectives, without the two intruding on each other.

How to Set Up Bleisure Policies

Now that we've discussed the value of bleisure travel, let's talk about how you can implement it as easily as possible.

First, you need very clear guidelines and boundaries. This means creating comprehensive travel policies that determine when and where bleisure travel is permitted and any cost-sharing that may occur between the company and employee. If there are liability or insurance concerns during the personal section of the trip, those should be clarified here, as well.

In addition, organizations should make clear their requirements for worker availability and responsiveness during leisure time. Do you expect the employee to be accessible during leisure days? Are there any special circumstances?

Your policy should also include a very clear approval process for extending a business trip. The less vague these rules are, the better your chances of avoiding the kinds of misunderstandings that can diminish the value of a bleisure program.

Bleisure and Compliance

Expense management and tax implications often arise during bleisure trips. Your company should have a process for creating clear distinctions between business and personal expenses while ensuring costs are correctly allocated.

Another area of concern is your duty of care. What is the scope of your responsibility for workers and their safety and well-being during extended trips? In international jurisdictions with varying regulations, these concerns can be more complex. It's important to get in front of them and articulate a precise policy.

Managing Your Bleisure Program

One of the easiest ways to help create a successful bleisure program is by implementing the right supporting technology. SAP Concur plays an important role in helping organizations get the most from these programs while minimizing risks.

You can embed bleisure policies directly into your travel management system. Concur solutions enable you to create automated workflows that help maintain compliance while supporting employee travel. These automations can help distinguish between business and personal expenses and ensure accurate reporting and reimbursement.

It also makes it vastly easier to handle your expenses on the move. Instead of carrying around a stack of old receipts, travelers can instantly submit them on the go using a mobile device. Automated compliance checks and approvals help ensure that policy violations don't occur and that reimbursements come quickly.

Concur solutions also provide deep visibility into travel spending and activities. Finance departments have a single source of truth to examine all aspects of travel spending. Travel managers will get visibility into bookings no matter where they happen, even if made directly with suppliers. This end-to-end spend visibility helps ensure that resources are correctly allocated.

The Takeaway

Organizations are always looking for that extra edge. Bleisure travel offers a great opportunity to help employees enjoy more job satisfaction and greater work-life balance. Employers are rewarded by workers who feel supported and refreshed. Best of all, the cost can be fairly minimal relative to other perks— and in some cases, you may even save on travel costs.

Tapping into these benefits requires setting savvy policies and deploying the right technology. If you'd like to enhance employee retention, loyalty, and productivity while fostering a positive corporate culture, give bleisure travel serious consideration. You don't have to choose between business and leisure. Sometimes, strategically blending them delivers the best results of all.

Learn more about making bleisure work for your organization here and here.