How to Build Bleisure into Your Next Family Vacation

The article discusses how executives can mix business networking with leisure during personal vacations, suggesting strategies like planning meetings and staying alert for networking opportunities while on vacation. It emphasizes the potential of these casual interactions in forming valuable professional connections. The article also recommends following up with new contacts after the vacation to maintain and grow the relationships.

Since 2020, the corporate world has seen a rise in the desire for bleisure trips. Also known as blended travel, bleisure vacations combine work and pleasure. As a survey cited by Travel Weekly notes, 90% of professionals have warmed up to bleisure as a viable way to get the best of all worlds. You might agree — and even be dabbling in a bit of bleisure yourself. Nevertheless, you may be missing the boat on the full benefits of bleisure for you as a member of the C-suite.

How are you bypassing some major bleisure upsides? Usually, bleisure is birthed from company-paid excursions. For example, you’re sent to Paris to attend a conference and extend your stay a few days to take in some sights. However, bleisure doesn’t have to start from a business-related point. You can turn your getaway into a bleisure experience by folding some executive networking into your agenda.

Let’s say your family expects to explore the wine country in northern California for a week next month. The vacation isn’t related to your organization. Yet you can bring in some business (and bleisure) by making opportunities for executive networking while you’re there. That way, you can get the relaxation you deserve while expanding your personal or corporate reach.

For instance, you might be able to play golf with another CEO, CTO, or CMO. Or you could set up a coffee meeting in a popular spot with a peer you’d like to know. There’s no end to the possibilities. Even if you only leave your trip with one new professional contact, you’ll be ahead of the game coming back to the office.

If you’ve never looked at bleisure from this angle, you may need a few ideas to get started. This type of travel networking requires a strategic approach. Rarely, you’ll run into someone randomly while touring museums in New York or exercising in Hong Kong. You need to put a plan in action that includes some essential steps.

1. Begin setting up meeting times before you leave.
   As soon as you know when and where to go on vacation, jump on your LinkedIn profile. Though it might seem a bit arduous, look at the locations of all the people you’re connected with on the platform. Do any of them work in or near the place you’ll call a “home away from home” for days or weeks? If so, you already have a few individuals to contact. Send them a quick message and ask if they might have time to talk while you’re in their neck of the woods.
   What if you come up empty-handed? Not to worry. You can still use LinkedIn to mention that you’re considering visiting a certain region, state, or country. Ask for advice from others who are already there. See who “bites” at your request. Then, decide if those people would be good potential contacts and contact those you’d like to meet.
2. Consult with your executive peers and mentors.
   Touch base with other executives within or outside your organization for potential leads on individuals worth meeting during your trip. They might have connections or peers they’d like you to know or be aware of industry events happening in the area.
3. Stay on alert while you’re on vacation.
   You may only have one or two arranged meetings by the time you reach your destination. That’s fine. Enjoy yourself. Spend moments making memories with your family or companions. But always be on the lookout for potential executives to talk with. This could happen anywhere, from your hotel lobby to the sandy-covered beaches of a tropical resort.
   Follow a few rules when you meet someone you’d like to add to your contact list. First, be respectful. That person is on vacation like you and may not be as interested in a little bleisure as you are. Secondly, be laid back in your approach. Just getting the person’s email is enough. Finally, ensure you’re not coming across as someone just looking for a one-sided connection. Try to bring value to the table. To do that, pay attention to what the other person does and says.
4. Build on the relationship when you return.
   It’s been a wonderful vacation, and you’ve dabbled in some bleisure, too. Remember to stay in touch with any executives you’ve rubbed shoulders with on your journey. The last thing you want to do is let an opportunity go to waste.

This doesn’t have to mean that you set up a Zoom conference the moment you sit at your desk again. Wait a couple of days and then send your new contact a quick email or, if appropriate, a text. Ask how their trip was and thank them again for taking the time to talk with you. To prompt a reply, consider asking them a question. An example could be, “Do you have any advice on a good employee trophy store I could use? We’re hosting our annual team member awards, and I’m looking for a different supplier. Is there a company you recommend?” You’ll probably get an answer to your low-key start to a conversation. From there, you can build on your relationship.

While you shouldn’t ditch your family and make your next personal adventure about the office, you don’t need to completely remove yourself from the networking game. Sure, you’re dressed down and have a cocktail in hand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t grow your connections to help you and your company thrive.

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