How to Make the Most of Your Business Trip

This blog post was updated on November 8, 2023.

Many of us travel for business on a regular basis. When visiting a city for work purposes, our focus is usually on the job at hand. However, there are many ways that you can have your cake AND eat it too — in other words, have fun and explore new places when you’re not working. That’s right, we know how to make time for touristy stuff on a business trip, so during your next lunch break, check out our tips.

Build an Extra Day Into Your Schedule

If possible, build in an extra day at the beginning or end of your work trip to see the sights. It’s especially great to do this if you’ll be taking cheap flights to a city with lots of things to do. For example, if you’re ever in the Big Apple on your next biz trip, take the opportunity to stay after your work so you can catch a show at the Met Opera or go out to dinner with a friend. If you plan this ahead of time, the day will feel more relaxing than rushed, and you’ll return home feeling rejuvenated instead of exhausted.

Use Your Downtime Wisely

Even the most intense work trips are sure to have a bit of downtime. Sneak away to see a historic site during your lunch hour, take an early evening tour before dinner, or book tickets to a weeknight play. If you’re moving around a city (or country) for work, figure out where you’ll be in relation to interesting sights and activities and plan out the best ways to use your downtime each day.

It’s even better if you’re traveling with colleagues who like to do the same types of things that you do. Having someone to go sightseeing with will help you stay motivated to actually go out during your time off. Your colleague might also have ideas of interesting things to see and do that you didn’t even know about!

Choose the Right Locations to Visit

If you love traveling but don’t know how to make time for touristy stuff on a business trip, all it takes is a little creativity. Some jobs are so demanding and getting some time off may not be easy. This means that whenever you get a small chance like a business trip, you need to take advantage of it and visit as many attraction sites as possible.

One of the best ways to achieve this is to choose the right locations to visit. There are many touristy places you can see. However, choose a place that’s easily accessible and also has breathtaking sites so you can snap a photo and remember the city or town you’re in. Don’t choose a place that you’ve visited before — we’ve got things to do! Remember, being on a business trip means time is limited. This means maximizing every free moment you get.

Schedule Your Workday Strategically

A business trip can offer you a lot of opportunities when it comes to visiting attraction sites. But this can only happen if you schedule the meeting or meetings in a way that will create more downtime. It doesn’t matter whether you’re going on a business trip alone or with a group of people.

The most important thing is to ensure that there’s enough time for you to sneak out and have some fun. Ensure that the tourist attraction location you choose is not too far away from where your business meetings will be taking place. This will help save time and allow you to explore more sites during your business trip.

Fly at the Best Time

Another way to enjoy your business trip is to book the first flight in the morning and take the last flight out. For example, if your meetings or business activities are planned for late or early afternoon, take advantage of the afternoon morning hours to visit a few tourist attractions before your meetings begin.

Also, don’t rush to go back home after your meetings are finished. You can also do all of your activities in enough time if you do them early on, but make sure to visit a few more places before boarding your flight back home. Make sure you take the last flight out to avoid any mishaps.

Dine at a Restaurant With a View

When planning your business trip, it’s important to check out some of the restaurants around the place in advance. Try to look for restaurants built along beaches or near sunset areas. It will be a great opportunity to view your beautiful and new surroundings while dining. And, maybe you’ll even capture the sunset. The best place to get a better view is on the rooftop or on the balcony. Who doesn’t love dining al fresco?

Travel on a Friday

Booking cheap flights to travel on a Friday is another easy way to create time to visit tourist attractions (assuming your training or business meetings will take place toward the beginning of the week). You can decide to travel on Friday and take advantage of the weekend to visit a few more tourist attractions before your meetings officially kick off. Alternatively, you can hang around for the weekend after your workweek is done and spend a little more time there before you have to fly home!

Do you know how to make time for touristy stuff on a business trip? Enlighten us in the comments!