If you travel a lot for business, you might be the envy of all your friends. While they are stuck in their offices seeing the same view every day, you are jetting around the world and visiting many exciting destinations. However, business travel is not always as glamorous as it might seem.
Most of the time you will go from office to airport to hotel to office or convention centre. You will spend most of your day working with colleagues and attending important meetings and conferences and most of your evening catching up on work. It’s not exactly like you are on holiday and you usually don’t have much time for sightseeing or relaxation throughout your visit. Sometimes you can come home from a business trip thinking that you haven’t really experienced your destination at all.
Is there a way that you can add a little bit more fun into your next business trip? Perhaps if you could make your business trip a blend of work and fun, you could get a chance to enjoy your travel destination as well as get your work done. Also, enjoying a little bit of fun and relaxation during your business travels – even if it’s only a day or an afternoon- can help you to feel more energised and inspired. It can even be a great conversation starter at work!
Here are some ideas to keep in mind for your next business trip:
Schedule an Extra Day
If at all possible, see if you can schedule in a weekend or an extra day on either end of your business trip. Perhaps you will save on airfare by staying over the weekend, so your company won’t mind spending the difference on a couple of extra days of lodging – it never hurts to ask. Even if your company isn’t willing to pay for extra days, you can find a cheap place to say such as a hostel or a locally owned inn.
Hire a Local Guide
In order to make the most of your visit during the short time that you have, you can hire an expert guide who will show you around the city. They could take you on a walking tour or in a private car. You can ask the local visitor’s bureau to recommend a guide for you who will take you to the attractions you are interested in.
Ask Your Hotel Concierge
If you are not sure where to go during your explorations, your hotel concierge is a great source of travel tips and information. Their job is to help you with local recommendations and information and they are experts on the area. They can help you with anything, whether it is directions to the art museum, dinner reservations or booking an airport taxi to Stanstead.
Let them know what you are interested in seeing, what type of attractions you like and what restaurants you enjoy and they will have a number of great ideas for what you can do.
Bring a Loved One
Perhaps it might be possible to bring your spouse or significant other along with you on your business trip? If so, this can give you and your sweetheart a chance for a mini-vacation together. You will be able to go to a local restaurant or have a romantic outing together. While you are working, your spouse can head out and explore on their own – finding the best spots for you to enjoy together during your extra days.
Act Like a Local
Take some time during your business trip to walk along the streets, take public transit and just sit in a park somewhere and people-watch. You won’t get a true sense of your destination from the window of the hotel – to really experience the locale you need to walk around on street level and live like a local.
According to a recent survey from the National Business Travel Association, approximately half of travellers plan to bring a loved one with them on their next business trip.
These are just a few of the fun ways that you can add a little bit of leisure travel to your next business trip, so that it doesn’t have to be all work and no play!
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