Work hard, play harder: Bleisure travel is booming in Canada

Forget the red-eye grind. More Canadians are mixing business with leisure, extending work trips into quick getaways. The trend—“bleisure”—is taking off from Gen Z to Gen X.

A new Corporate Traveller Canada/YouGov survey reveals the shift: nearly one in four Gen X business travellers (ages 45–60) now tack vacation days onto work trips. That puts Gen X nearly on par with Gen Z. And they’re not alone: 63% of Canadians planning trips in 2025 say they’d go bleisure, with one in three already doing it.

Travel companies aren’t just tracking the trend—they’re leading it. Flight Centre Travel Group, a global corporate and leisure travel giant, formally embraced bleisure years ago. Lisa Baker, VP of People & Culture for the Americas, says employees are encouraged to extend trips and even work remotely from their destinations. “Our people are travel experts and passionate explorers,” she notes. “We see value in celebrating that knowledge in meaningful ways.”

The return of corporate trips

So, what’s fueling bleisure’s rise? For one, business travel is back. Nearly 30% of employees at small and mid-sized firms say their company’s travel demand now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. And the kicker: 91% report their work-life balance on the road is as good—or better—than it was in 2019.

The glow is brightest among younger professionals: 50% of Gen Z and 43% of Millennials say their balance is better than before. Still, Gen X and older employees are catching on—often with even more flexibility to tack leisure onto work.

Flexibility as a retention tool

Older employees report the most leeway: only 14% of those 65+ say they have “little or no” flexibility, compared to nearly 40% of workers 18–24. The numbers point to a broader rethink of work-life balance at every age.

At Flight Centre, the generational gap is clear. Gen Xers make bleisure a family affair, managing stress and workload with loved ones in tow. Gen Zers, on the other hand, view it as proof they’ve picked the right company—one that values flexibility. Flight Centre spokesperson Amra Durakovic stresses it’s more than culture—it’s strategy. “Business leaders need to understand that bleisure is a retention tool, not a perk,” she says.

Giving employees the freedom to add personal downtime to work trips helps curb burnout, strengthen loyalty, and lift job satisfaction. In a tight talent market, bleisure flexibility is proving to be a powerful tool for building a more engaged and resilient workforce.

Last year, Flight Centre’s internal brand Travelwise handled 1,700-plus employee trips, most mixing business with personal time. The result: more than $1.5 million in savings for staff. The company has also seen positive HR outcomes. “While employee engagement can be challenging to quantify, our retention rates have risen across all businesses and brands in the last two years,” Baker says.

As Durakovic sums it up: “It’s not about escaping work—it’s about expanding life.” Increasingly, that’s not just employee wisdom—it’s a playbook for thriving businesses.