Business travel is a source of personal happiness, according to research conducted by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, who conducted a research study to discover how frequent business travel impacts one’s perspective on work, home life and personal well-being.
It conducted an online survey of approximately 1000 frequent US business travellers in May. “We feel the best way to help our guests succeed is to understand how they operate, so we can maximise their experience at our hotels,” said Shruti Buckley, Vice President and Global Brand Manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites.
“The overwhelming majority of travellers are satisfied or very satisfied with the amount they travel for business, which says a lot about the personal benefits of business travel,” continued Buckley.
Finding 1: Frequent business travel enhances your life
• 76% of respondents reported that because they travelled for business, they felt more prepared in life.
• 86% of respondents reported that because they travelled for business, they valued time with family and friends more.
• 83% valued their own personal time more.
• 92% said that taking business trips had made them a better overall traveller.
• 76% claimed their friends viewed them as expert travellers.
Finding 2: Frequent business travel leads to happiness
Despite experiencing travel delays; missing their families, pets and home-cooked meals; losing their luggage; or even skipping a family event, the vast majority of frequent business travellers reported positive emotions when preparing for and during a trip.
“While more than half of frequent business travellers said they worked twice as much when on the road, they also experienced a certain feeling of freedom,” said Buckley. “60% reported feeling free to do whatever they wanted, which is empowering, as is getting their job done.”
Participants also reported physical and psychological benefits to companion business travel. Other frequent business travellers’ happiness might stem from the aspects of travel they qualify as most enjoyable, such as experiencing new places, meeting new people, going out to eat, earning mileage or loyalty points, trying new foods, not going into the office, spending time alone and meeting up with friends.
Finding 3: Frequent business travellers can teach us a lot
“We credit our frequent guests with developing best practices for business travel,” said Buckley.
Most frequent business travellers report feeling prepared (62%) and confident (54%) when preparing for a business trip.
For example, some of the most frequent business travellers create an “always pack list” to make preparation easier. In addition to cellphones, computers and reading material, items that frequent business travellers always keep on hand include: business cards, medication, nutritional supplements, power cords and snacks.
• The majority of frequent business travellers (74%) also keep in touch with their friends and family at least once a day, using cellphones, email, text messaging, social networks, instant messaging and Skype.
• From photos to pillows, almost half (49%) bring a personal item along with them to remind them of home.
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