There's always been a strong textbook nature to business travel that made it hard for employees to feel excited about it. It followed the same routine every time: you get assigned, you book the flight, you stay at the approved hotel, you attend the meeting or conference, and then you head home. It's easy to see why people were so unenthused; when you follow such a standard, boring script, it just feels like work made more complicated. A hassle even.

But in today's modern landscape, with Gen Z paving new expectations in the workforce, this generation is rewriting the business travel narrative. Instead of groaning at the thought of traveling for work, many now see it as an opportunity to grow and experience something new. In many ways, young workers are learning to emphasize the "trip" aspect more than the "business".

Technology Isn't A Challenge, It's The Standard

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Gen Z might be stuck with being called "iPad kids" for the rest of their lives, but there is an advantage to being one. Never has a generation been more comfortable with the digital side of business trips, and that ease can't be overlooked. Hand them a laptop and they'll get settled in just like that, and with their phone while on the go, they can effortlessly rebook a cancelled flight in an instant. It's safe to say that this familiarity with tech has definitely smoothed out the travel process.

But beyond that, this newer generation has also displayed a much more welcoming attitude toward AI, a tool that's being used more and more to improve the efficiency of business trips. This AMEX article perfectly encapsulates how Gen Z is using AI not just to build out their itineraries, but using it to improve the experience overall. From using chatbots to pick out hotels and restaurants to streamlining expenses and handling navigation, AI has proven that planning business travel doesn't need to be a headache.  

Travel Is Seen As An Opportunity For Growth

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It's also sad to think that travel could ever be seen as dull. Not only do Gen Z workers see traveling to another city, state, or even country as a fun way to see more of the world, but they also see it as a chance to grow professionally. After all, business travel allows employees to step outside their desk and gain experience in the real world.

We get that visiting another office or stepping into a conference hall might not sound particularly exciting, but with the right attitude, it can be pretty valuable. For bold and ambitious young workers, talking and networking with senior leaders or experienced colleagues is just another opportunity to learn a thing or two from people outside their usual circle. Besides, new insights and perspectives are always important, right?

It's clear more than ever before that companies should be prioritizing their employees' professional growth this way. As shown in this Deloitte study, many young workers are specifically choosing companies that care about their education and development, and business travel is just one exciting way to support that. When you reshape business travel into an opportunity or strategy for learning, both the company and employee get so much more out of it. It's really just killing two birds with one stone.

Work Trips Are Becoming More Personal

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At the end of the day, no one said business trips need to be boring and bland either, and no group of workers knows that better than Gen Z. You've already made the trip, so why not make it worth your while? With Booking.com travel statistics showing in a survey that 84% of North Americans performed better with a higher quality business travel experience, it's clear that "bleisure travel" (business and leisure) has only grown in popularity.

For a lot of young business travelers, they understand that work doesn't take up 24 hours of the day, meaning there's plenty of time to explore local communities and neighborhoods outside the conference rooms. To make things even easier, workers are adding this element of travel into the planning process, asking AI to look for lodgings near local restaurants with good reviews, cultural attractions, famous landmarks, and more. 

Using the same Booking.com stats, a 2023 study showed that 87% of Gen Z workers extended their trips, whether that be adding a weekend or tacking on a few vacation days to properly explore the area. Yes, clear rules do need to be set by the company to establish what expenses are covered and what are categorized as personal interests, but this rise in bleisure travel shows that workers are definitely taking on a new approach to being away for business.