Millennials prioritize experiences over everything else and have distinct needs. They love to travel and have fun while traveling. According to Hilton Hotels &Resort research, 75% young employees consider business travel as a perk. Additionally, business travel have proven to increase job satisfaction among millennials.
This brings us to the most important question, how millennials can make the most of business travel without compromising on fun? In this article, we try to answer this question and tell you four ways millennials can use to make the most of their business trips.
1. Mix Leisure with Business
Don’t get me wrong. Millennials are as committed to work as older employees, but they are also more fun loving then others. According to Hilton research, 69% of young professionals wish they could take an extra day to enjoy and 44% think that by blending work and play, they are making a negative impression on higher management. This clearly shows that they want to mix leisure with business without looking bad.
Employers can let millennials enjoy a desert safari in Dubai and they will not only appreciate it but also return the favor as well as thank you for the experience. Although, it might cost businesses a little more but the experience your younger employees will make them more productive and ensure they stay healthy. Both employees and employers should look to find a win win solution that is acceptable for both parties.
2. Book Casual Accommodation
Unlike other business professionals, millennial travelers will book accommodation via apps like Airbnb. They would prefer a home like setup instead of impersonal rooms and services. According to Hipmunk, which is a flight finding website, 74% millennials prefers staying at a vacation rental instead of a five star or three-star hotel during their business trip. Airbnb for work has helped business travelers strike the perfect balance between corporate booking and personal experience.
This has forced businesses operating in hospitability industry to tweak their programs and offer new programs that offer a more local experience to business travelers. Even though, you will not be able to enjoy the same facilities that you would in a five-star hotel but it can help you feel right at home and live casually.
3. Take Full Advantage of Reward Points
The days when you have to carry cash on your business trip are long gone. Today, business traveler especially millennials are going cashless. They prefer using a corporate credit card which enables them to collect reward points, air miles and enjoy discounts on purchases. In fact, millennials redeem credit card rewards for travel more than any other generation as shown by Discover. This way, millennials can reduce the overall business travel expenses by availing air miles, reward points and discounts.
They also know which credit cards they should use when to earn more points and redeem at the right time. You can not only enjoy upgrades but you can also minimize the business travel cost if other employees on the business trip follow in the footsteps of these millennial employees. It is worth spending time to learn how to efficiently utilize these reward points and air miles because it can make a big difference to how much you end up spending on your business trip.
4. Stay Healthy
Health is wealth. You might have heard this common adage many times but unfortunately, your health is the last thing you pay attention to when you are on a business trip. You don’t get time for workout. You start consuming more calories and binge eating every now and then. Hunger pangs gets the better off you and you end up gaining weight and fats around your waistline. So, how millennials can stay healthy during business trip.
Use fitness apps like Runkeeper to keep you on track for workouts by sending continuous reminders. There are apps like 7-minute workout that help you stay healthy even if you have a busy schedule or don’t have access to gym. If jet lag seems to be a big problem, use apps like Flux and TimeShifter to get rid of it. You can also keep an eye on what you eat and count calories, so you can make progress towards your fitness goals even while traveling.
How can millennials take advantage of business trips? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.
