Gen Z workers see business trips as an opportunity to ‘upgrade’ their lifestyle

More than eight in 10 Gen Zers view business trips as an opportunity to ‘upgrade’ their lifestyle, according to a recent poll. The poll, which surveyed 2,000  business travellers, revealed that 26% often look for exciting entertainment and content creation opportunities while on work trips. Consequently, 36% post more frequently on  social media to share these work-related perks, sharing an average of three photos per day during their trip.

Interestingly, while one-third of Gen Z workers will expense lavish dinners during work trips, nearly three-quarters pay from their own pocket to upgrade their meals or hotel rooms, compared to just 27% of their older colleagues.

The study was commissioned by Hotels.com to celebrate the launch of ‘Save Your Way’ scheme that allows members to choose between saving upfront with their member discount or accumulating it as rewards to use later.

Melanie Fish, a spokesperson for the brand, said “Travelling for business doesn’t have to be all work and it shows the younger generation are fully embracing this.

“Not only are Gen Z and Millennials the most likely to extend their trip for leisure, they’re also the most resourceful, with 39% saying they maximise their rewards from business travel on personal trips.

“We also found that 97% of the younger generation have hacks they use to make their work travel much more fun.”

The research discovered that young Brits enhance their business travel by extending their trips with a few ‘personal days’ or saving up their daily food allowance for one fancy dinner.

More than a third of the young workers polled are also likely to expense a taxi or private car ahead of taking public transport.

What’s more four in ten would like to take a friend or family member along with them, to share new experiences.

One element all generations had in common was New York topping the list of dream work trip destinations, according to the OnePoll.com figures.

Melanie Fish, for Hotels.com, added: “For Gen Z, business trips are a chance to advance their careers – while also meeting new people and exploring new places.

“While this new research shows differences in what workers of different ages want, we want to enable every generation’s priorities by offering flexibility in how they use their member discounts”.