What is Bleisure Travel?

What Is Bleisure Travel?

Bleisure travel is when someone adds personal vacation time to a business trip, turning one journey into a mix of work and leisure.

For example, an employee flies to New York for a three-day client meeting and then stays through the weekend to see friends and explore the city. The work portion of the trip is covered by the company, while the extra leisure days and personal activities are usually the traveler’s responsibility.

This matters because bleisure can boost employee satisfaction and make business trips more rewarding, but it also raises questions about costs, liability, insurance, and policy rules. In managed travel and expense programs, you need clear guidelines and the right tools so that bleisure is beneficial, fair, and compliant.

Understanding Bleisure Travel in Detail

What Counts As Bleisure?

A trip is usually considered bleisure when there is a clear business purpose (e.g., a meeting, conference, or site visit) and the traveler adds personal time, activities, or side trips to that same itinerary.

Common patterns include:

➡️ Arriving earlier than needed for sightseeing

➡️ Staying after meetings end to enjoy the destination

➡️ Adding a side trip to a nearby city for vacation

Typical Cost Split

Companies generally pay for travel costs directly related to the business purpose, such as:	Travelers typically pay for:
Airfare to and from the business city (if cost-neutral vs. a business-only trip) Hotel nights for business activities Ground transportation for work	Extra hotel nights for personal time More expensive flights if chosen for personal reasons Personal activities, food, and tourism Side trips not required for business

Companies generally pay for travel costs directly related to the business purpose, such as:

Travelers typically pay for:

Airfare to and from the business city (if cost-neutral vs. a business-only trip)

Hotel nights for business activities

Ground transportation for work

Extra hotel nights for personal time

More expensive flights if chosen for personal reasons

Personal activities, food, and tourism

Side trips not required for business

Modern platforms like Navan make it easier to compare “business-only” vs. “business + leisure” itineraries to show what portion is company vs. personal spend.

Why Bleisure Is Growing

Bleisure has become more common because:

Remote and flexible work make location less fixed.
Employees want a better work-life balance and richer travel experiences.
Combining trips is an efficient use of time and money.
Younger workers often value experiences as much as traditional perks.

Companies increasingly see managed bleisure as a way to improve employee happiness and retention.

Why Is Bleisure Travel Relevant?

Companies that handle bleisure thoughtfully can see happier travelers, smarter use of travel budgets, and a better employer brand.

Here is why bleisure matters:

Employee Engagement and Retention

Allowing responsible bleisure can turn a routine business trip into a positive experience. That can reduce burnout and make travel more attractive.

Cost Efficiency

Sometimes a slightly different flight that enables a weekend stay is the same price as or cheaper than a pure business itinerary. If the company’s cost is equivalent or lower, everyone wins.

Travel Risk and Duty of Care

When personal days are involved, it is not always clear when the company is responsible for a traveler's safety. This makes clear policies and good tracking critical.

Policy Clarity and Fairness

Without rules, bleisure decisions can feel random or unfair. A well-designed bleisure policy creates consistent expectations.

The Typical Bleisure Workflow

A business need is identified for a trip.
The traveler considers a bleisure option and asks to add personal days.
The traveler checks the policy and gets any required approvals for the extension.
Itineraries and costs are compared. The traveler or booking tool compares the cost of a business-only trip (the baseline) to the bleisure itinerary. If the bleisure trip is more expensive, the traveler usually pays the difference.
The trip is booked and costs are split. The booking is done in a way that separates the company-paid portion from the traveler's personal add-ons.
Expenses are managed. During and after the trip, business expenses go on the corporate card, while personal expenses go on personal cards. Expense systems keep the two clearly separated.

Practical Scenarios: Bleisure in Corporate Travel

Scenario 1: Simple Weekend Extension

An employee has meetings Monday–Wednesday in London and wants to stay until Sunday. The round-trip flight is $900 whether they return Wednesday or Sunday.

Result: The company pays the full airfare and the hotel through Wednesday. The traveler pays for the hotel from Thursday to Saturday and for all personal activities.

Scenario 2: More Expensive Flight for Personal Reasons

A business trip requires a Tuesday–Thursday visit. The business-only ticket is $600, but a ticket that includes a weekend stay is $750.

Result: The company pays $600 toward the flight, and the traveler pays the $150 difference plus their extra hotel nights and personal spending.

Scenario 3: Side Trip to Another City

An employee has a business trip to Paris and wants to visit Barcelona afterward for vacation.

Result: The policy requires a clear cost comparison. The company pays the "as if returning from Paris" cost, and the traveler covers all incremental costs for the Barcelona leg.

Common Challenges and Solutions in Bleisure Travel

Challenge 1: A blurred line between business and personal costs.
This happens when trips are booked as a single bundle without clear documentation. Solution: Require a business-only cost comparison at the time of booking. Use a travel platform that can save and show that comparison automatically.

Challenge 1: A blurred line between business and personal costs.

This happens when trips are booked as a single bundle without clear documentation.

Solution: Require a business-only cost comparison at the time of booking. Use a travel platform that can save and show that comparison automatically.

Challenge 2: Duty of care and insurance confusion.
Who is responsible if something happens during the personal portion of the trip? Solution: Clarify in your policy when company coverage applies and when it does not. Ensure travelers know they may need personal travel insurance for leisure days.

Challenge 2: Duty of care and insurance confusion.

Who is responsible if something happens during the personal portion of the trip?

Solution: Clarify in your policy when company coverage applies and when it does not. Ensure travelers know they may need personal travel insurance for leisure days.

Challenge 3: Perceived unfairness or inconsistency.
If approvals are handled on a case-by-case basis with no standards, employees may feel some people get special treatment. Solution: Define standard rules (e.g., max extra days, cost-neutral requirement) and document them in your travel policy. Use tools like Navan to enforce these rules automatically.

Challenge 3: Perceived unfairness or inconsistency.

If approvals are handled on a case-by-case basis with no standards, employees may feel some people get special treatment.

Solution: Define standard rules (e.g., max extra days, cost-neutral requirement) and document them in your travel policy. Use tools like Navan to enforce these rules automatically.

Challenge 4: Expense misuse or mistakes.
Travelers may accidentally submit leisure expenses as business ones. Solution: Train travelers on what is clearly business vs. personal. Modern tools like Navan Expense can auto-classify some spending and flag out-of-policy claims.

Challenge 4: Expense misuse or mistakes.

Travelers may accidentally submit leisure expenses as business ones.

Solution: Train travelers on what is clearly business vs. personal. Modern tools like Navan Expense can auto-classify some spending and flag out-of-policy claims.

Challenge 5: Complex itineraries and manual calculations.
It can be hard to calculate the “business-only” baseline for complicated trips. Solution: Use your travel management company (TMC) or a travel platform to provide a documented comparison quote. Attach that quote to the booking or expense report for reference.

Challenge 5: Complex itineraries and manual calculations.

It can be hard to calculate the “business-only” baseline for complicated trips.

Solution: Use your travel management company (TMC) or a travel platform to provide a documented comparison quote. Attach that quote to the booking or expense report for reference.

Aspect	Pure Business Travel	Bleisure Travel	Remote Work / WFA
Purpose	100% Work-related	A mix of work and personal time	Ongoing work from a location of choice
Who Pays	Company (100%)	Split: Company for business / traveler for personal	Traveler (standard salary applies)
Itinerary	Built strictly for business needs	Extended or modified for leisure	Flexible; not tied to a specific trip
Policy Complexity	Lower: Standard travel and expense rules	Higher: Requires rules on cost-splitting & liability	Variable: Requires tax and legal compliance
Duration	Short-term (trip-based)	Trip-based + personal days	Long-term or permanent

The primary challenge of bleisure travel compared to pure business travel is "splitting the bill." Modern platforms simplify this by allowing travelers to book their personal extensions on the same platform while automatically routing personal costs to their own credit cards. This ensures the company doesn't overpay while the employee enjoys a seamless booking experience.

Business travel: Trips taken primarily for work reasons. Bleisure starts with a business trip and layers personal time on top.
Travel policy: Your company’s rules for booking and paying for travel. A good policy includes a clear section on bleisure.
Duty of care: A company’s responsibility to look after employees’ safety while they are traveling for work.
Per diem: A daily allowance for meals and incidentals. Policies should clarify that per diem covers only business days.
Corporate card: A payment card used for business expenses. Bleisure guidelines should state clearly that personal expenses go on personal cards.
Expense management system: Software that processes and audits expenses. Tools like Navan Expense help separate personal vs. business spend.
Travel management company (TMC): A partner that books and manages travel for companies.
Travel approval workflow: The process for approving trips. Bleisure extensions may require extra checks.