Business + Leisure: One Trip with Two Purposes
Bleisure Travel describes a trip that combines business travel with time for leisure, rest or exploring the destination. The leisure portion may happen before the work schedule begins, after business is finished or within free periods during the trip itself.
A traveller who comes to Ho Chi Minh City for a conference from Monday to Wednesday and stays until Friday to explore the city is a classic example. But bleisure can also be much simpler: finishing a meeting at 5 PM and using the evening for a museum, a local dinner or a neighbourhood you have never visited before.
The defining feature is that the journey includes both business and personal time. Staying one or more extra nights is common, but it is not the only form of bleisure.
More Business Travellers Want Greater Flexibility in How They Travel
Bleisure is not a completely new behaviour. Business travellers have long stayed on to meet friends, sightsee or rest. What has changed is that the travel industry and employers increasingly recognise this behaviour as a distinct part of business travel, often discussed more broadly under the term blended travel.
Reported combining work and leisure as often as, or more often than, a few years earlier, according to GBTA in 2025.
Of surveyed travellers said they preferred business trips lasting three to five days rather than very short stays.
Of travel buyers in the 2025 GBTA survey said their company had either a formal bleisure policy or handled it case by case.
Personal expenses, annual leave, insurance, duty of care and booking rules may be handled differently by each employer. Business travellers should check company policy before changing flights, extending hotel stays or bringing companions.
Three Related Ideas, but with Very Different Starting Points
Starting point: a defined business trip for meetings, exhibitions, projects, training or another work purpose.
Leisure: added before, after or around the business schedule.
Starting point: deliberately choosing a destination where you can work remotely while changing your everyday environment.
Duration: usually longer and does not necessarily involve meetings or assignments at the destination.
Starting point: a mobile way of living and working that is not tied to one fixed office.
Scope: a longer-term work lifestyle rather than a variation of a business trip.
The distinction matters for both hotels and employers because accommodation needs differ. Bleisure usually still requires the efficiency of a business trip: stable Wi-Fi, a proper desk, convenient location and a predictable schedule. Leisure is then layered onto that foundation.
Not Every Work Trip Needs to Be Extended
You genuinely have evenings, a weekend or a clear day without work obligations rather than simply waiting for possible last-minute meetings.
The personal cost of additional hotel nights, changing flights, meals and activities remains reasonable relative to the value of staying longer.
Work and leisure areas are relatively close together, or public transport makes moving between them manageable.
Rather than flying home immediately on Friday evening, one or two weekend days may create a more rewarding trip if the additional cost is modest.
If your evenings are consistently free, leisure can fit within the existing business trip without adding more hotel nights.
It Is Not Only a “Perk” — It Is Also about Clear Boundaries of Responsibility
Bleisure may support employee satisfaction and work-life balance, but companies still need to distinguish between the business portion of the trip and personal choices. In a GBTA survey from late 2025, 43% of travel buyers said their organisation had a formal policy or guidelines for blended travel, while another 28% handled it through informal policy or case-by-case decisions.
Business airfare, work-related hotel nights and personal extensions should be clearly separated to avoid reimbursement disputes.
Companies should clarify the scope of assistance and insurance once an employee moves from the business itinerary into personal time.
Accommodation, insurance, transport and other costs for people not travelling on company business usually require separate rules.
Rather than simply banning or allowing it, companies can define which expenses are reimbursable, how itinerary changes are handled, where duty of care ends and how preferred travel suppliers should be used.
A City Where Business and Leisure Can Often Sit Close Together
Ho Chi Minh City is naturally suited to this kind of trip because office districts, conference venues, dining, culture and entertainment often overlap within the same areas or connect along major transport corridors. That does not mean the whole city is easy to navigate, but choosing the right base can make it much easier to move from work into personal time without rebuilding the entire itinerary.
A traveller working near the airport has different priorities from someone meeting clients in District 1. A guest attending an exhibition at SECC needs a different base again. Choose the business location first, then ask how easily leisure can fit around it.
A strong fit when meetings are in the centre and you want easy access to museums, dining, shopping and evening city life after work.
Suitable for specialists and international travellers who want a quieter lifestyle while remaining connected to the centre by Metro.
Useful for short business trips, frequent flights or meetings north of the city centre, helping reduce unnecessary airport transfers.
A Great Leisure Hotel Is Not Always a Great Business Hotel — and Vice Versa
Start by calculating travel time to your workplace, SECC, partner offices or the airport. Build leisure around the business schedule, not the other way around.
A proper desk, stable private Wi-Fi, good lighting and reliable video-call conditions may matter more than a photogenic lobby.
For multi-day trips, a kitchen, washing machine, living area and housekeeping can become more valuable than facilities you may only use once.
Check whether the neighbourhood has restaurants, cafés, parks, museums, shopping or public transport so the leisure portion does not require a complicated journey.
If the work schedule may change, review modification, cancellation and stay-extension terms before booking.
Within the CityHouse portfolio, collections such as NEST and TERA are particularly relevant to multi-day business travel because their spaces are designed to feel closer to a functional place to live than a conventional hotel room. The right choice, however, should still depend on meeting location, length of stay and how you want to use the leisure side of the trip.
Quick Information about Bleisure Travel
Bleisure combines business and leisure in the same journey, with time allocated to work as well as personal activities, rest or exploring the destination.
No. You can use evenings or gaps in your work schedule for leisure without extending the trip.
Not exactly. Bleisure begins with a defined business trip, while a workation usually begins with the choice to work remotely from another destination.
No. Policies vary by employer. Personal extensions, companions and leisure activities are often separated from reimbursable business-travel expenses.
It can be, especially when evenings or weekends are free. The most important step is choosing a location that reduces travel time for the business portion first.
Prioritise location relative to work, reliable Wi-Fi and a proper desk, longer-stay practicality, flexible booking terms and nearby experiences that are easy to reach after work.
An Efficient Business Trip Can Still Leave Room for the City
Bleisure is not about trying to do more on every trip. It is about choosing the right place to stay, understanding your work schedule and using the time that remains in a way that makes the journey more worthwhile.
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