Three in 10 people (30 percent) blended work with vacation this summer and four in 10 (41 percent) plan to do so in the next six months. This comes from a recent TripIt survey, which also round that 90 percent of respondents plan to travel before the end of 2023.
Of those who took part in “blended travel” this summer, 40 percent said they added vacation days onto a business trip, 33 percent worked remotely from a vacation destination and 27 percent both added days and worked remotely. Looking towards the next six months, those numbers are nearly identical, according to the report (41, 32 and 27 percent, respectively). Nearly half (48 percent) of respondents aged 25 to 40 took a blended trip; that number decreases with age (41 percent of 41- to 56-year-olds and 23 percent of 57- to 75-year-olds blended work and leisure while traveling this summer).
Respondents also largely said that their employers are supportive of blended travel (41 percent), while nearly half (46 percent) said they do not need to submit a request for blended travel. In all, 55 percent reported that their employer does not have a blended travel policy; 15 percent said they do and 30 percent were unsure.
The trend gained traction during and after the pandemic as many businesses had to set up remote working operations. By being able to do your job remotely, it gives you the freedom to work not just from home, but anywhere—including while traveling for vacation.
It’s not surprising, either, to see the trend much more popular with younger travelers than older generations. For one, a large portion of the oldest age group surveyed could be retired, thus negating the necessity of blended travel. Additionally, the younger cohort likely has fewer vacation days available then more senior employees and by partaking in blended travel, it can help spread trips out over a longer period of time.
It’s also likely, in the luxury sector, why world cruises are gaining in popularity. Combined with new and better Internet service while at sea, remote work (“blended travel”) allows for people to be away from the office for longer periods of time, while still being able to get their job done.
Source: TripIt
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