Sixty-five percent of young professionals in the U.S. consider business travel a status symbol, according to a recent survey commissioned by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Seventy-five percent consider it a work perk, 39 percent wouldn't take a job that didn't allow them to travel for business and 81 percent said they repeatedly travel for business because they can get more work done in person.
The survey was conducted in March among 1,600 U.S. adults between the ages of 23 and 35. Of the respondents, 1,200 were business travelers who had stayed in a hotel for business purposes at least once in the past 12 months. The remaining 400 were adults who had not yet started traveling for business but anticipated starting soon.
The 1,200 current business travelers indicated how they felt about traveling for work and cited the perks of doing so.
Anxiety Around Extending Trips
Sixty-nine percent of business traveler respondents wish they could extend their trips, and 59 percent regret not extending a previous business trip to explore more. In addition, 54 percent would like to extend their business trips for leisure but do not know how their bosses will react, and 44 percent of all respondents worry it makes them look bad to their company's senior leadership. Moreover, 58 percent would like to fly in a day before meetings/events to prepare but are nervous to ask.
Frustrations
Thirty-eight percent can't enjoy the weekend when they know they're traveling for business the next week, and 38 percent continue to feel the stress of traveling three to seven days after their trip. Forty-six percent said their employers or bosses don't consider personal time when asking them to travel on business. A significant portion cited negative consequences of business travel to their health. In fact, 44 percent said they gained weight due to traveling for business, and 58 percent sacrifice sleep/wellness when traveling for work.
How Soon-to-Be Business Travelers Feel
Of the 400 respondents who have not yet started traveling for business but anticipate doing so soon, 83 percent wish they had more opportunities to travel for business. The hotel stay was a top perk for 60 percent of these respondents. Forty-six percent have anxiety about balancing their schedules with travel in the mix.