The Rise of Bleisure Travel: Unpacking its Significance for 2025 and Beyond

• Bleisure travel is increasing as employees extend work journeys to incorporate leisure activities.
• One bleisure traveler mentioned that he perceives it as a supplement to his dedicated vacation time.
• AllFly, which facilitates corporate group travel arrangements, stated that the demand for bleisure trips continues to rise.

When 25-year-old Josh Nichols had a brief work trip to Hamburg, Germany, he and a colleague opted to add a few additional days to visit Belgium and France, two places he had never explored.

“I was already in Europe,” Nichols, who serves as an analyst for United Airlines, informed Business Insider, “so I’m like, ‘Let me just hop down and visit these other countries.'”

The fusion of business and leisure travel has become so prevalent that it has a distinctive term: bleisure travel, which is also known as blended travel.

While this trend has been on the rise for several years, it received an additional impetus during the pandemic when travel restrictions were lifted and business travel resumed. In early 2022, American Airlines reported that over half of its newly booked trips were a combination of business and leisure travel, an increase from a historical average of approximately 20 to 25%.

A study released by the American Hotel and Lodging Association in 2023 indicated that nearly half of business travelers reported extending a work trip in the prior year, and 84% expressed interest in bleisure. Hilton’s 2025 Travel Trends Report revealed that nearly 30% of global travelers now embark on trips with “frolleagues” — colleagues who are also friends.

Kenny Totten, the founder and COO of AllFly, which focuses on corporate group travel, informed BI that companies are welcoming the trend and simplifying the process for their employees as a strategy to attract and retain talent.

“Approximately one in four corporate travelers will either arrive early or extend their trip afterward, making it a significant trend for us,” he remarked.

Bleisure can manifest in various ways, but it typically occurs when an employee is already engaged in a business trip. During their work journey, the employee may engage in sightseeing during their leisure time or reconnect with a friend or relative residing in the area they are visiting. Many bleisure travelers prolong their trips to have complete days to explore while they are off the clock.

“Anything that enables me to experience something new when I would otherwise just be sitting in my hotel and waiting for the next day of meetings is something I would define as bleisure,” Nichols stated.

Companies are evolving to satisfy bleisure needs

AllFly, which organizes travel for companies ranging from 50 to over 10,000 employees, has adjusted its trip booking methods in response to the increasing demand for bleisure. It has introduced features that simplify the process for its clients to allow employees to book flights for several days prior to or following the scheduled work event.

“The more luxurious the destination, the greater the likelihood of extension,” Totten noted, adding that when AllFly arranges work trips to Hawaii, 42% of individuals extend their stay.

The company has also implemented a split pay feature, enabling employees to arrange all their travel through their platform while easily dividing the costs covered by the employer. For instance, if someone wishes to bring their spouse on a work trip to Hawaii, they can conveniently book together while having the company cover only the employee’s airfare.

Some business travelers incorporating leisure activities into their journeys also prefer to upgrade their seats to first class, so the split pay model allows the employer to cover the base fare, with the employee bearing the cost of the upgrade.

Totten indicated that the request for bleisure has persistently grown annually, and AllFly anticipates arranging more hybrid trips in 2025 as well.

Nichols, who frequently travels for work, mentioned that bleisure is an excellent method to maximize his business trips, but it does not substitute dedicated PTO. He still utilizes all of his vacation days and considers bleisure as a “supplement.”

He added that one possible drawback is that travel can be exhausting, so sometimes extending a business trip may not be the wisest choice.

“At times I sit down and think, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t rested in my bed for 10 days. I would appreciate some time in my own bed.'”