How to Have Fun on a Business Trip (Yes, Really)

By Andrew Sessa
April 01, 2015
Credit: Tom Haugomat
Related: Best Carry-On Luggage for Business Travel

Traveling for work doesn’t mean you can’t experience everything a city has to offer. Here’s how to get the most out of five major business destinations, including client-worthy restaurants, easy walking tours, and quick escapes when the meetings are over. Plus, get travel advice from frequent fliers and T+L’s picks of the top new business-class cabins and lounges.
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Beijing

Credit: Hufton + Crow

China’s sprawling capital can sometimes overwhelm, but there’s deep history and a vibrant contemporary culture if you know where to go.

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Beijing

Credit: Tom Haugomat

ON DUTY

Rich and crispy-skinned, Peking duck is Beijing’s signature dish. One of the best versions is at Duck de Chine, an industrial-chic space in the energetic Chaoyang district that’s perfect for a lunch meeting.

After dark, head to the 80th floor of the China World Summit Wing hotel to talk strategy at Atmosphere, the city’s highest bar. The views stretch for miles, taking in Tiananmen Square and the mountains beyond.

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Beijing

Credit: Planetpix / Alamy

OFF THE CLOCK

Context Travel has a three-hour, historian-led walk that lets you squeeze in visits to the Forbidden City’s imperial palaces before any late afternoon meetings.

For a window onto of-the-moment Chinese creativity, turn to the expat American guides at Chart Contemporary, who offer tours of galleries and studios in the 798 Art District (pictured).

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Beijing

Credit: James Jayasundera/Ampersand Travel

EXTRA DAYS

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is closest to town, but it’s often overcrowded. Instead, head about two hours away to the quieter Jinshanling portion—some parts of which are unrestored—for a hiking day trip with Imperial Tours.

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Frankfurt

Credit: Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI)

Germany’s efficient financial center has shaken off its boring reputation with a sophisticated mix of boutiques and cocktail dens.

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Frankfurt

Credit: Sonja Schimice

ON DUTY

Need to confer with colleagues before the day begins? Leonhard’s (pictured), on the top floor of the Galeria Kaufhof department store near the financial district, serves cappuccinos and buttery croissants on an outdoor terrace.

For a cocktail bar that’s upscale (and quiet) enough for entertaining clients, head to either the Parlour or Sullivan, located off pedestrian-only Zeil street.

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Frankfurt

Credit: Kirsten Burcher

OFF THE CLOCK

More than two dozen cultural institutions sit on the Museum Embankment, along the Main River. Our pick: the Städel Museum (pictured), for its impressive old masters. Culture Trip can organize a tour through the greatest hits.

Amid the outposts of Cartier, Versace, and Armani on Goethestrasse is the 135-year-old women’s boutique August Pfüller. The institution is a one-stop shop for labels like Proenza Schouler and Thakoon; its nearby kids’ store sells German-made Steiff stuffed animals.

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Frankfurt

Credit: Tom Haugomat

EXTRA DAYS

The town of Heidelberg, with its storybook Renaissance castle, is just a 50-minute train ride south from Frankfurt. Don’t miss a stroll along the café-lined Hauptstrasse.

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Dubai

Credit: Baerbel Schmidt

The crown jewel of the United Arab Emirates offers easy access to both beach and desert—ideal for turning that long trip from home into a vacation.

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Dubai

Credit: Thomas Loof

ON DUTY

London’s modern-Peruvian hot spot, Coya, opened an outpost at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai. It’s now one of the most sought-after tables in a city known for attention-grabbing restaurants.

How to make the most of a visit to the Burj Khalifa (pictured), the world’s tallest building? A 9 p.m. reservation to see the observation deck on the 148th floor, then drinks at the buzzy Privé club in the tower’s Armani Hotel. Call it a late-night teambuilding session.

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Dubai

Credit: Tom Haugomat

OFF THE CLOCK

On a day-long desert safari with Gulf Ventures, you’ll traverse sand dunes in a 4 x 4, ride a camel, and sip Arabic coffee in a tented camp.

Skip Dubai’s over-the-top malls and head for Bastakia, a historic neighborhood near Dubai Creek. Those negotiating skills may come in handy at the area’s souk, which sells gold, silver, and spices.

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Dubai

Credit: Courtesy of Six Senses

EXTRA DAYS

Sandwiched between a white-sand beach and towering mountains, Oman’s Six Senses Zighy Bay is about a two-hour drive from downtown Dubai. There you can go snorkeling, hiking, and sailing on a traditional dhow.

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São Paulo

Credit: Tuca Reines

Celebrity chefs, a booming art scene, and a kinetic urban energy: there are plenty of reasons to explore this expansive metropolis.

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São Paulo

Credit: Rubens Kato

ON DUTY

At Maní, ranked one of the world’s best restaurants and a go-to spot for a deal-making meal, stylish creatives and young finance types linger over dishes like foie gras bonbons and crayfish moqueca (stew).

Keep the evening going at the historic bar Riviera, which was recently revived by star chef Alex Atala. Or sample something from the long list of cachaças (pictured), Brazil’s signature sugarcane liquor, at Empório Sagarana, in Vila Madalena—and then pick up a bottle to bring home.

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São Paulo

Credit: Courtesy of Aigai Spa

OFF THE CLOCK

For a morning run, follow in-shape Paulistas to Ibirapuera Park, the city’s version of Central Park. The main loop is about 1½ miles long, and takes you past the Afro Brazil Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. If it’s too far from your hotel, cheat and take a cab.

Need some relief from the chaos? The new Aigai Spa (pictured) is a high-design, hydrotherapy-focused retreat with only four treatment rooms and a hammam.

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São Paulo

Credit: Tom Haugomat

EXTRA DAYS

It’s a two-hour drive to the Litoral Norte (northern coast), where the laid-back surfer vibe makes it easy to unwind. Stay at the 15-room Nau Royal, a chic pousada-style inn just feet from the shore.

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Las Vegas

Credit: George Apostolidis

There’s more to Sin City than casinos and showbiz—not that there’s anything wrong with a little strategically timed indulgence.

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Las Vegas

Credit: Courtesy of the Delano Las Vegas

ON DUTY

Ante up for a dinner at Mix at the Delano (pictured), where chef Alain Ducasse’s menu has expense-account-worthy items like filet mignon with foie gras and black-truffle sauce.

If you want to take things down a notch, try heading north of the Strip, where the bars are more Brooklyn than Vegas. One of the best: Scullery, a light-filled spot serving digestif-based cocktails and charcuterie platters.

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Las Vegas

Credit: David Litschel / Alamy

OFF THE CLOCK

Have a short window between meetings? The 50-minute hammam ritual at the desert-inspired Sahra Spa in the Cosmopolitan blends a hydrating scrub, detoxifying steam, and some much-needed alone time.

The flashing lights have long since gone out, but the roughly 150 signs at the Neon Museum’s Neon Boneyard (pictured) still offer a glimpse into Vegas’s past. They’re accessible only via an hour-long guided tour.

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Las Vegas

Credit: Tom Haugomat

EXTRA DAYS

Sundance Helicopters gets you to the Grand Canyon and back in 3½ hours. The picnic tour includes a flight over the Hoover Dam, the Mojave Desert, and Lake Mead—and a champagne lunch 3,200 feet below the canyon’s rim.

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