Americans Love Traveling for Work, And Will Sometimes Even Admit It

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Business travelers indulge in fun and decadent past times while on the road, new survey reveals

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- All work and no play? Not when Americans travel for business.

Turns out, Americans enjoy hitting the road for work, and one big reason is they indulge in some fun -- even decadent -- activities while doing it, even if they don’t share all the saucy details with the boss, a new survey of American business travelers reveals.

Conducted by InvinciBull, a set-it-once VPN (Virtual Private Network) uniquely designed to stream content and data securely and anonymously wherever you are on the planet, the survey found that fully 80% of business travelers claim traveling for work is “good” or “great.” A mere 8% would rather stay at home, and just 11% find it a grit-your-teeth-and-get-it-over-with drag. InvinciBull launched this week from cybersecurity pioneer, Finjan Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNJN).

So why do American road warriors relish their work sojourns so much? In between meetings and glad-handing on the conference floor, they pass their (spare) time pursuing pleasure, and lots of it:

Eat, drink and expense it.

  • Cheers! Business travelers hit the bottle: 81% go to bars at least sometimes while on the road, compared to just 76% who do so at home. And the younger the traveler the more they knock ‘em back: 85% of those 18 to 34 say they hit the bars during work travel, compared to just 74% of those over 55.
     
  • Mini bar? Don’t mind if I do: 78% of business travelers raid the hotel mini bar at least sometimes, and the younger the travelers the more unlikely it is that they can resist its siren song. 99% of those 18 to 34 indulge, and that drops to 79% for those 35 to 54. The 55 and over crowd exercise the most self-restraint: a comparatively low number -- 68% -- concede to a mini-bar binge even occasionally.
     
  • Expand your palate (and your waistline): Half of all business travelers try new cuisines on the road, and younger travelers age 18 to 34 are most likely to broaden their culinary horizons: 55% of them say they consume novel foods on business trips, while just 44% of those 55 and over venture into new food terrains.

Skip out? Or Stay in? Or, better yet… both. Leisure activities make business travel bearable.

  • Let’s see the local sights!: Most business travelers - 60% - sightsee during their spare time on business trips, and older workers do so the most. 72% of those over 55 take in the local sights. Just 38% of cohorts who are aged 18 to 34 wander off from work to take it all in.
     
  • Let’s see the naughty sites!: Most business travelers - 53% - also cop to watching adult content on work trips at least sometimes. 62% of men enjoy X-rated materials while just 44% of women do so. Millennials are most likely to go for it: Fully 70% of business travelers age 18 to 34 indulge in some porn, and that drops down to 56% for those 35 to 54 and to 31% for those 55 and over (perhaps they’re too busy sightseeing).
     
  • Hit the snooze button: 90% of business travelers take naps at least sometimes on the road and younger travelers are getting more shut eye. 97% admit to napping on work trips, compared to just 89% of their over-55 colleagues.

You can’t always get what you want.

One potential obstacle to the good times on work trips? Not being able to watch the TV, movies or other video content you want, because of regional restrictions -- particularly outside the U.S. -- that block people’s access to some content on their phones, laptops and tablets.

39% of all international business travelers have experienced blocked content abroad. Young global travelers (age 18 to 34) are hit the hardest. 58% say they have been denied access to content -- whether it’s a live stream of a sports event or a movie through a subscription platform -- they want to see while outside the U.S.

“Blocked content abroad is a big headache, one many business travelers aren’t even aware of until they try to watch the game or a Netflix movie and find out the locale doesn’t let them stream or view it, even on their own device,” said June Bower, Head of Marketing for InvinciBull .“A service like InvinciBull is the perfect remedy to avoid the dreaded international video block.”

The InvinciBull VPN, from legacy cybersecurity experts Finjan, was released this month to address the frustration of many who want to watch their favorite shows or discover new entertainment, and say they’re often blocked from accessing it while on the road.

You deserve a break today.

America’s business travelers indulge in “me” time guilt-free, the survey found, even if some of them remain tight-lipped about the work-trip leisure pursuits. 78% of all business travelers feel a-ok about reasonable amounts of leisure activities while traveling for work, while 16% feel fine about it but wouldn’t pony up details of what they did to the boss.

  • Older travelers feel less guilty (and less secretive) about their work-travel leisure pursuits: 84% of those over 55 say that they deserve to take time for themselves and feel fine doing it. Just 10% say they deserve “me” time but would keep it secret from their boss.
     
  • Younger travelers are more guilt prone and private about personal pursuits on work trips: Just 68% say they deserve time to themselves and are fine taking it. 28%, meanwhile are content to take “me” time but would refrain from letting the boss know.
     
  • Vast majority are tight-lipped about their leisure when it comes to the boss: 70% don’t say a word to the boss about their non-work activities.

“Rather than travel being a necessary evil, Americans see work trips for the opportunities they present to take advantage of the time for some self-indulgent leisure pursuits, that take the onus off the hassles of travel, whether that’s watching shows they miss from home or venturing out to  see the sights in real life,” said Bower. “As long as the work’s getting done, nothing wrong with some well-deserved R and R, and no one says the boss needs to know!”

Methodology: InvinciBull used a third party research firm to survey over 500 business travelers, ages 18-55 in May 2018 who say they traveled on business 4 times per year on average.

The InvinciBull App is available for download on InvinciBull.io and is available on the IOS and Android platforms in the iTunes and Google Play stores. The Basic VPN Plan is free, which allows users to connect to the nearest location and use of up to 1GB of VPN data per month.

ABOUT INVINCIBULL:
InvinciBull launched this month from cybersecurity pioneer, Finjan. Helmed by Vince the Bull, the new VPN takes security by the horns and lets users easily access the data and content they’re looking for without the risk of hacking and tracking. Vince makes sure the InvinciBull VPN app is optimized for users to access all kinds of content when they want, wherever they are on the planet, with ease. InvinciBull VPN has a proprietary always-on setting that gives you the confidence to know that you’re always protected, safe and anonymous. Unlike other VPNs, InvinciBull never collects user data. Ever. InvinciBull is a subsidiary of Finjan Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:FNJN).

Follow InvinciBull:
Website: http://www.invincibull.io/
Twitter: @InvinciBullVPN
Facebook: facebook.com/InvincibullVPN

Media Contact
Bonnie Rothman
Company B for InvinciBull
914-500-5150
bonnie@companyb-ny.com

Source: Finjan Holdings, Inc.

Released September 12, 2018