According to a report on millennial travel, the once clear boundaries between “work” and “play” are slowly dissolving – replaced by new expectations.
Guest Post by Rebecca Muller
One third of Americans pick vacation destinations based on their ability to stay connected to their daily lives, and over use technology throughout their vacation to stay up to date with email and work-related tasks. According to forecasting in Ford’s latest travel trends report, these statistics echo a larger movement taking over millennial travel: the ‘bleisure’ class.
Part business trip, part leisure vacation, the bleisure phenomenon is a trend that stems from the technologies that have allowed us to “go away,” but not truly ‘go away’.
In some circumstances, this blurring of work and play can be beneficial in today’s workplace culture. Hypothetically, if employees feel more comfortable booking a vacation knowing they can answer an occasional email if needed, they can benefit by not feeling horrible stress throughout their trip and wondering what happened at the office.
But in practice, it’s often worse to feel that connection — knowing you’re able to check back in with the office can mean you’re unable to resist the urge to do so.
The trend reflects a generation that has serious trouble unplugging and being present. The report specifically points out the “paradox of plugging in to check out,” as digital nomads are “finding new ways to plug in and work in order to physically check out of the office.” This always-in-office mindset poses a threat to our well-being, and even sets a standard that employees should in fact check email on vacation.
While this trend of going on a business-leisure vacation may sound like the best of both worlds, there is still value in setting boundaries with technology and getting our time back, allowing us move from “time well spent” to “time well invested.” With pushes in both directions, millennials will have to gauge whether or not incorporating work into their leisure time is affecting their well-being and mental state — and plan accordingly. In other words, if you find that you’re unable to relax at the beach without checking your inbox every few minutes, you may be better off scheduling that automatic “Out of Office” email.
Want to find balance while experiencing life in a new city? Work remotely from an innovative city for the month. Or simply take a break, travel to write, take a sabbatical, it’s entirely up to you. Learn more here.
Originally posted on Thrive Global.
Rebecca Muller,Rebecca is a graduate of New York University, where she studied Media, Culture and Communications with a minor in Creative Writing. For her undergraduate thesis, she researched the relationship between women and fitness media consumerism.
