There’s a term that’s becoming more common which is bleisure—a combination of business and leisure travel. The common wisdom is that business travel is a burden, but increasingly employees are turning it into something enjoyable.

Even if you’re just in a city for a few hours, you can stash your luggage in a secure place and have a little time to sightsee.

Do One Enjoyable Thing Every Trip

If you frequently travel for work, make a vow to yourself that every trip, you will set aside at least one fun thing to do while you’re gone. Maybe it’s a walking tour, trying a new restaurant or even visiting the hotel spa.

If you have something to look forward to on each trip, you’re likely going to have a better attitude about going altogether, and you’re going to feel mentally more ready to take on the work component.

If you’re worried you won’t follow through, book something before you leave.

If you don’t feel like you’ll have time with your work schedule, think about tacking on an extra day to your trip.

Stay in a Great Neighborhood

If you have the option, try to book a hotel or rental apartment that’s in a fun, exciting neighborhood while you’re gone so you can walk out the front door and so some exploring.

If you have to take transportation across town in an unfamiliar place to see anything, it’s going to be a lot tougher to get out and about.

Enjoy Your Early Mornings

In the early mornings, you may not have meetings or other work commitments, so take this as a chance to enjoy your destination, wherever that may be.

Early mornings are actually the best time to see a new place, particularly if you’re in a bigger city that can get crowded.

Spend your mornings walking or jogging, or perhaps go to local cafes for coffee.

Be Organized

Make sure you’re well-organized before any work trip. This will help you reduce your stress, plan your time well, and make sure you leave time for a little sightseeing.

First, write down all of your work commitments. You can even go into the details, such as how you’ll get there and how long you’ll have between meetings. You can also build your social work commitments into your schedule.

Then, identify blocks of times that you may have free to do other things, and pencil in how you’re most interested in spending those periods of time.

Don’t Do Room Service

It’s tempting at the end of the long day when you’re an unfamiliar place to get back to your hotel and order room service but avoid this.

Use your meal times as a chance to get out and about, get a feel for the local area, and have great food.

Find Opportunities to Be Social

One reason people are often hesitant to do much when they travel for work is that they don’t have anyone to explore with. If that sounds like you and you don’t have any coworkers who are in town, think about reconnecting with old friends who might live in the area.

If that’s not an option, you can also look at sites like Meetup.com and see if there are any upcoming meetups that appeal to you. 

Use Loyalty Programs

When you use loyalty programs for work, you can then take those points and exchange them for leisure travel with your loved ones.

One way to make the most of all of your business travel is enrolling in as many loyalty programs as you can and then trying to ensure you book with those brands, whether it’s hotels or airlines.

Even if you have a company card, the loyalty points you accrue through the program itself are yours.

You may also be able to ask your boss if you can link a personal account to your corporate card so you can keep the rewards you earn through card spending.

Finally, when you’re traveling for work, make sure you’re taking care of your physical and mental health. Try to fit in time for a workout at your hotel, or a walk around the neighborhood. If you have a grueling work schedule, take time out for a massage or something that’s relaxing for you.

Don’t let a work trip be a time you’re only chained to your laptop. There are plenty of ways you can turn it into something you enjoy and capture the meaning of the word bleisure.