Shock finding: most business travellers actually enjoy their trips

A surprising new study has revealed that many business travellers actually enjoy their time on the road.

The report by Egencia, Expedia’s business travel arm, found that 69% of business travellers find their trips more enjoyable than everyday working life. This, according to Egencia, “adds further evidence to the suspicion that many find business trips to be an uplifting experience, and a chance to break free from the shackles of the day job”.

Underlining the pleasures of business travel, 37% of the respondents claimed to feel more sociable than usual while on a business trip, and 38% said they are able to think more creatively. These positive feelings outweighed the negatives, such as worrying about a backlog of work or missing one’s family.

“The old adage that change is as good as a rest would seem to apply to many business travellers,” Egencia said.

The study also revealed that 69% of business travellers make their own arrangements, and only 20% do so because there is nobody else to do it for them. The biggest motivator for delegating travel booking would be to save time (55%) whilst most self-bookers want to do it themselves for greater control (62%).

But there is downside to arranging your own business trips; half of the respondents said they struggle with the process of altering their bookings when plans change.

Once on the road, 45% of global business travellers said that arranging ground transportation is the most frustrating part of the journey, and 70% head straight for the taxi rank.

And when they finish their trip, 43% report feeling tired and 28% feel relieved to be home.

“We’re finding that business travel is something most of us look forward to. Sure it’s tiring, but it can also be exhilarating,” said Christophe Peymirat, Egencia’s senior vice president for the EMEA region.