I will never forget the distinctive hum of airport lounges and the blur of hotel check-ins from my time as a manager with McKinsey & Company. For years, most of my life fit into a carry-on: on the road four days a week, dashing from client meetings to flights, rushing to the airport while never bothering to look out the taxi window. I visited incredible cities, but experienced them mostly through room service menus and whatever view happened to be outside my window.

Nonetheless, those years with McKinsey taught me the value of travel in building community. Delayed red-eye flights turned into four-hour airport-floor conversation salons. Windowless conference rooms became after-hours karaoke bars. Travel turned anonymous colleagues into wedding guests, confidantes, and lifelong friends.

Still, the moments I remember most fondly happened off the clock.

They were the long weekends in which I stayed over in client cities, or flew somewhere entirely new (what we affectionately nicknamed a “leveraged fly-out”). Business travel became the gateway to some of the greatest adventures of my life, turning conferences on the Pacific Coast into escapes in the valleys of New Zealand and executive meetings into European city wanderings.

Now, running Awestruck Incentives, I can’t help but notice how many companies are missing the chance to turn routine business travel into something transformative. Event travel is a fantastic tool. Combined with structured opportunities that give employees the chance to truly revel in time at leisure, corporate event travel can become transformative for your employees, your brand, and your business objectives.

This opportunity is called “bleisure” — and it is the biggest “miss” in event travel management today.

Why Bleisure Deserves a Strategic Seat at the Table

Bleisure travel — the blending of business and leisure — is no longer a fringe perk. It’s an expectation among top talent, especially high-performing executives and sales teams. The global bleisure travel market is expected to grow 500% by 2033, driven by increasing employee interest. Nearly 85% of US travelers wanted to include some vacation time in their next corporate trip as of 2023, with 48% reporting that they had already extended a business trip for leisure purposes.

In today’s challenging macroeconomic climate, intentionally promoting bleisure is a strategic lever for companies seeking to retain and reward their best people. As the price of personal travel continues to climb (still up 9% versus 2019 levels), a business-sponsored trip with built-in time for leisure can offer employees a rare and meaningful opportunity to explore the world, one that they might otherwise forego.

And yet, most companies I see (including event travel leaders) still treat bleisure as something employees should “tag on” themselves. This hands-off approach misses the mark entirely and leaves valuable benefits on the table.

Why the Add-On Approach Fails

When bleisure is fully left to the individual, companies leave valuable benefits on the table. Yes, an individual can tack on a day or two at their own expense, but without intentional design, these extensions rarely deliver the emotional, cultural, or business impact they could.

Here are some reasons why:

Your employees lose the chance to access the benefits of working with a professional
At Awestruck Incentives, we make ourselves available to your employees for pre- and post-event travel design. That means that they are able to access many of the same exclusive rates, privileges, and amenities as your corporate group, not to mention our firsthand expertise and preferred partnerships. Without this support, employees often pay full price, miss out on unique experiences, and spend time navigating logistics alone. Integrating bleisure into your program ensures every traveler enjoys a seamless, elevated journey, extending the value of your event from start to finish.

Your employees feel guilty even asking
Employees often feel awkward asking for extra time off or to schedule their flights on earlier / later dates, even if they plan to use personal vacation days. Without formal acknowledgment that bleisure is encouraged, it can seem like “gaming the system,” which stops many from taking advantage of it. A company-designed or encouraged program removes that stigma.

You miss out on the opportunity to increase your ROI
Corporate travel is a significant investment. Adding opportunities for leisure in a structured, intentional way increases the trip’s perceived value, extends its emotional impact, and makes it more likely employees will associate those peak experiences directly with the company. Left as an afterthought, the same investment produces fewer long-term returns (or happy memories attributed to the employee’s own savvy planning, versus the company’s program).

Your employees miss out on the chance to travel together
Maybe some executives want to extend their trip with spouses to explore nearby regions (like my clients turning what was an inconveniently-timed business trip into a celebration of a milestone wedding anniversary). Maybe a trekking group from your Portland office wants to add on day for a “Fourteener” hike. When companies overlook the potential for bleisure around events, they lose out on these organic, shared experiences, which are often the moments that create the deepest connections and go the furthest in building corporate culture.

The best experiences are gone before your employees think to extend
The kind of high-value, memory-making activities that turn a trip into a true reward (think private vineyard tours, exclusive dining experiences, or behind-the-scenes cultural access) are often booked months in advance. When employees are left to plan last-minute, they get the tourist overflow, not the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

How to Flip the Script to Harness the Power of Bleisure

There are many successful ways to incorporate structured bleisure into your event programs and deliver exceptional results. Here are some of our favorites:

Organize high-impact group leisure experiences
Transform leisure time into shared, unforgettable moments by planning group activities that energize and bond attendees. Instead of leaving free time unstructured, curate experiences like private wine tastings, sunset speed boating, Amazing Race-style group games, hot air ballooning, and other events that resonate with your company’s values and the destination’s spirit. These collective adventures not only refresh your team but deepen connections that fuel collaboration long after the trip ends.

Negotiate special pre- and post-night rates in your package
Extend your event’s reach by securing exclusive room rates for additional nights before and after the official itinerary. This makes it easier and more affordable for employees to add leisure days without the hassle of separate bookings or inflated prices. Thoughtful negotiation with hotels and venues amplifies value for both your company and your travelers, encouraging longer stays and more meaningful engagement with the destination.

Invite plus ones, and create parallel partner programs
Encourage attendees to bring their partners by designing concurrent leisure programs that run alongside business sessions (either included in your program or for an additional charge). Whether it’s wellness retreats, cooking classes, or private tours, these tailored experiences ensure partners feel included and engaged while allowing employees to focus during meetings. This approach enhances the overall trip value, strengthens morale, and allows your employees to create shared memories with the people who mean the most to them.

Ditch the final night awards dinner for a purely leisure event
Reimagine the traditional closing ceremony by replacing the final night awards dinner with a purely leisure-focused experience. Think once-in-a-lifetime performances by musical artists, Paddock Club Suites at F1 events, or wellness retreats that allow attendees to unwind and savor the destination. This shift transforms the trip’s conclusion from a formal obligation into a memorable celebration, leaving a lasting emotional imprint tied directly to your brand.

Allow (and encourage) employees to indicate bleisure plans early
Integrate bleisure planning seamlessly by inviting employees to signal their intention to extend their trip during registration. Early visibility enables your team (or our team at Awestruck Incentives) to coordinate group activities, manage logistics more efficiently, and secure better rates or bookings for extended stays. Proactively encouraging this behavior removes barriers, reduces last-minute stress, and positions bleisure as a valued, normalized part of your corporate travel culture.

Unlock the Full Potential of Bleisure with Awestruck Incentives

I know from personal experience that bleisure isn’t just a nice-to-have. It fundamentally changed my relationship with McKinsey in the best way, and even after leaving McKinsey, I am continuing to coordinate opportunities to travel with former colleagues who have become dear friends.

Bleisure is quickly becoming a strategic imperative that transforms how your employees connect, recharge, and bring their best selves back to work, but it requires thoughtful design, expert negotiation, and a deep understanding of how to balance business with unforgettable leisure moments.

The bleisure approach that will support your strategic objectives will be as unique as your company. That is why we start with your strategic goals at Awestruck Incentives, not canned itineraries and experiences that are disconnected from your business. Our team works closely with you to craft customized itineraries that integrate bleisure effortlessly, ensuring your event drives measurable business results while creating lifelong memories for your employees.

Don’t let your company miss out on the biggest opportunity in event travel today. Contact Awestruck Incentives to start building strategic, bleisure-forward programs that elevate your brand, engage your team, and deliver real ROI.

Your next transformative trip is just a conversation away.