"Bleisure" Tips for Your Next Business Trip

How often do you mix business with pleasure (b-leisure)?

With millennials representing the largest generation in the American workforce, it's no surprise that "bleisure" has evolved from a buzzword to a workplace phenomenon. 

In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, 6 out of 10 people tack on personal time to business trips.  "Bleisure" is a welcomed trend. The workplace demands so much; employees should seize every opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

In July, I traveled to Dublin, Ireland for a work training with Accenture Strategy. Yes, a training!

Accenture invests pretty impressively in the professional development of its people. Every year, professionals across the globe are required to attend a training dubbed "Strategy College" where we brush up on core skills, discuss innovation trends, and expand our network. It was the first year the firm held this training outside of our U.S. based training facility - and I was one of the lucky few who got to attend.

Let's just say that best lives were lived during those two weeks. From me to you, here are my "bleisure" tips to make the most of your next business trip:

- Conserve your energy during the week, if traveling internationally and staying the weekend. Trust me, jet-lag gets worse with age. My 'almost thirty' body could not hang.

- Go for a walk in the mornings. There's something special about seeing the city when the rest of the world is still sleeping. The sun is rising, the streets quiet and for this short time - the city feels like it's yours.  It's a great way to kick off the day and jet-lag!

- Bring versatile clothing you can dress up for work and dress down during the weekend. You don't want to check a bag for a "bleisure" trip, the few extra days aren't worth the risk of losing your bag at the airport! There were too many of these cases on my last trip.

- #YesNewFriends - Make friends with the staff you interact with during the week (e.g. concierge, bartenders, baristas) they make for excellent local guides during the weekend!