Bleisure seekers arise: It's time to mix work and play

What will your colleagues or, more importantly, your boss think of it?

Reach the beach: It’s easy to get from Manila to Mindoro Island (Rex)

All work and no play may make you a dull boy or girl, but when you're travelling on business, it also makes you a very wasteful one. These days, opportunities to mix the two abound.

Business travellers will know the scenario all too well. Step one: fly to an exotic, exciting destination. Step two: attend an important meeting. Step three: gaze wistfully from your hotel room window or kick your heels at the airport before wandering off to departures.

Now, the experts are getting to grips with this dull downtime. Enter a concept that combines both business and leisure: ladies and gentleman, welcome to the stealthily growing world of “bleisure”.

I decided to research this concept for myself, purely for business reasons you understand, while on a recent trip to the Philippines. I had a day to myself, so I decided to get away from Manila and visit one of the 7,107 nearby islands. The issue was how to reach them efficiently. I discovered a small charter airline trying to build its business on the back of the growing “bleisure” market. The attraction is obvious; to reach our destination, Mindoro Island, is a six-hour ordeal by road and ferry from Manila. By seaplane it takes just 30 minutes, and you even get a stunning view of a volcanic lake thrown in. It's quick, practical, and a world away from the bustle of the big city. Why would you want to do it any other way?

Mindoro is majestic: an island inside a lake, inside an island. With time of the essence, I hopped on a boat. Just 48 hours earlier, I had been sitting at my desk in New York; now I was lying on white sand, with the waves lapping at my toes.

There are complications. Do you take your partner? Can you take a few extra days' leave to make the most of the trip? Does it distract you from your work? What will your colleagues or, more importantly, your boss think of it? The key is to be up front about it. You don't want people thinking you're taking them for a ride. Don't you dare try to put it on expenses, and make sure it never costs the company an extra penny.

Yes, the hypermobile global warriors who just want to get home will frown upon it. But if you're travelling somewhere truly special, perhaps somewhere you might never otherwise be able to visit, be sure to add a little bleisure to your trip in 2016. I will.

Richard Quest is CNN's international business correspondent and presents 'Quest Means Business'. Follow him on twitter @richardquest