Keeping things in perspective - work-life balance

Exploding the myth that road warriors sacrifice all for the company, a new survey from Expedia Corporate Travel finds that 66 percent of those polled do not have problems balancing their personal life with work obligations.

The myth, says Rob Greyber, Expedia Corporate Travel's senior vice president of North America, is that “Travelers have to put their lives on hold and cannot stay in touch with friends and family when away from home”. The reality, he asserts, is different. Folks are “getting creative when it comes to maintaining their relationships while traveling,” he says. Seven percent, for example, use a Web cam to connect with family members. Technology drives a fundamentally different kind of connectivity, one that transcends mere business transactions.

There's nothing that says business travel and personal travel have to be mutually exclusive. Expedia Corporate Travel's survey of more than 1,100 U.S.-based business travelers finds that 59 percent of those folks have someone join them for all or part of the business trip so they can spend free time together. Some travelers even take their pets on trips.

Business travel can beat up your body big time, but only if you let it. Expedia's study concludes that “travelers are not letting work trips disrupt their routines”. They're taking time to work out at a hotel gym, eat healthy food, and find downtime. Fifty-five percent say they take time to relax in their off hours.

Part and parcel of relaxation is seeing the sights. “I have made it a point (when traveling for work) to spend a little time finding something local to see,” says Dave Hatton, a marketing manager for Select Comfort. He has toured Navy Pier in Chicago, and taken an airboat ride in Louisiana.

It's just this sort of holistic approach to travel that's making mulch of the myth that business travel messes up your life.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler