Business travel can be an opportunity to let your inner adventurer loose

Business travel can still too often seem conventional and unstimulating to many professionals, particularly if they fall into a familiar and rushed routine: pack a suitcase, rush to the airport, attend back-to-back meetings, eat and sleep in uninspiring places, and return home. However, the small things you can do outside of that routine, even for an hour or two, can help create experiences and memories worth holding onto. For those who dare to break the mold, business trips can offer boundless opportunities to appease a sense of adventure.

According to recent Booking.com research, 46% of Canadians want to be “limitless travellers” and embrace the new and different while pushing boundaries during their travels. However, 67% do not believe they are adventurous enough when traveling. While the statistic captures the thinking of travellers overall, as people’s professional and private lives continue to merge, the sentiment can apply to business travellers as well.

Business travellers may feel they don’t know enough about a destination to turn work travel into a memorable short trip, are wary of time constraints or believe that solo work travel doesn’t allow for adventurous experiences. Since both younger and older generations often regret not putting more adventure into their travel experiences, the time to change that is now. After all, Canadian travellers say their favorite thing about traveling is the chance to experience a new culture (61%) with Gen Z’ers more likely to regret not being more adventurous (34%).

Here are some tips from Booking.com for Business, the global leader in connecting business travellers to the widest choice of incredible places to stay, to become a bolder business traveller this summer.

Let your guard down and look around

When traveling for business, it’s easy to stick with the familiar or fastest route between meeting locations and the accommodation, with the urge to get back to your accommodation post-meeting as quickly as possible. To experience more of your destination, suppress that urge and allow yourself to wander. Do some research on the neighborhoods beforehand to identify places of interest and take a longer route back, making small detours as you go. Take care of the basic logistics beforehand, but allow for spontaneity and go off the beaten path.

Tap a local for recommendations – or even a fellow traveller

Source knowledge about a destination from the locals. What’s the best place to try local cuisine after a business meeting? What’s the fanciest bar in town? Anywhere with a great view of the city? It’s easy to forget that that hotel staff are often locals with incredible knowledge of the destinations we visit. Make use of that. Ask the concierge for a recommended place to eat within walking distance. 43% of Canadian travellers are looking to be more adventurous with the type of cuisine they eat while travelling, and locals will be exactly the people to help you do this. While a fellow traveller may not know more than you, he or she may be a fun companion for the evening and offer a nice break from work.

Step out of your comfort zone

Most business travellers are accustomed to eating meals alone, though often at the restaurant within the hotel or alone in their rooms. Traveling solo doesn’t mean in-room dining. Instead, be bold, brush aside any awkwardness and head out for a unique dining experience. Ask for a bar seat, where instead of eating alone at a table, you can mingle with locals and other guests, get tips from the bartender, and embrace the chance to dine at some of the most booked restaurants in a city.

Don’t know where to start? Try Booking Experiences to discover the best a destination has to offer, including top restaurants, all through a mobile device. It’s also highly curated, so you are in full control of the recommendations.

Dare to relax

After a day of meetings, having some ‘me-time’ for relaxation or exercise can feel necessary to unwind. While many places to stay offer an on-site gym or spa – or at the very least a yoga mat – finding a more adventurous option that’s unique to your destination can offer an more interesting experience and make you feel like an ‘insider.’ Classes such as public yoga in Bryant Park in New York City or a session at the Arch Climbing Wall in London, which features more than 30,000 square feet of climbing space, can help cater to your inner adventurer and leave you feeling fresh for the next day of meetings.