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| CRBJ Home > November 2006 | |||||
Traveling for business, then pleasureBetty Stark
In the last decade, business trips that include children have jumped 250 percent, from 9.1 million trips in 1990 to more than 32.3 million trips in 2000, and the numbers continue to rise. Another national survey reveals that 88 percent of business travelers add on some vacation time at the end of a business trip. Clearly, the lines between business and pleasure travel are blurring. According to Adam Weissenberg, a Deloitte & Touche partner, this trend just keeps growing: "For years, Americans have brought work on their vacations. Now ... combined business/pleasure trips are emerging as a significant travel industry trend. "After their meetings are finished and business travelers turn into pleasure travelers, they might be more likely to splurge on food and services, particularly if they are staying longer at the facility and traveling with a spouse or friend," Weissenberg said. Before you invite your spouse and children or significant other to join you at your out-of-town destination, make certain you know in advance what company rules might govern the extension. Does your company travel policy encourage, or prohibit, adding on a few days at your own expense? What credit card will you use to charge your added hotel nights and meals? Most companies prohibit strictly personal expenses on company credit cards. Chances are you'll be flying both ways on a company-financed air ticket. If the cost to extend your stay is lower than the fare you would have paid for a there-and-back business trip, you have a strong argument in favor of the extension. And this argument is best made BEFORE you leave on your trip, to avoid uncomfortable issues after the fact. And what about your rental car? Will it cost more or less than a business-only rental? Will the company auto insurance cover you once you have moved into "civilian" mode, or must your own policy come into play? Will the rental car company insist on a separate post-business contract, potentially raising the rate on both packages? What about insurance in general? Your company's policy or workers compensation might cover you while you're working on their behalf, but chances are you're on your own once you've closed your briefcase. Talk to your personal insurance agent, ask your travel agent for travel insurance recommendations or visit www.insuremytrip.com for information on CSA's Travel Protection "Comfort Plan," specifically designed to protect leisure trips combined with business trips. And last, but certainly not least, there is the IRS to consider. If you typically deduct business travel expenses, you'd be wise to have a working knowledge of the rules set forth in IRS Publication 463 (www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch01.html), the bible of all that is and isn't deductible when you travel. Once you've cleared these hurdles, you'll find a veritable banquet table of stay-the-weekend offers from hotels, spas, golf course, and theme parks. Savvy leisure travel marketers know that business travelers and their families are a strong and growing revenue source and many of them have created packages "just for you." It's no secret that business travel is stressful and time away from home can strain family relationships. What better way to ease out of a work week than to stow the laptop and slip into a comfortable weekend package at a top-notch hotel or resort? Betty Stark is a Madison travel industry consultant and business travel writer with 25 years' experience. travelingwriter1@aol.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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