While business travel is almost always a good thing for businesses, it can sometimes be a cause of concern for travelers. The more you travel for business, the more likely you can become stressed, unhealthy and lose motivation for your job. That is why the trend of bleisure travel (a trip that combines business and leisure) is growing so fast. Sixty percent of business travel in the USA now includes bleisure components, and two-thirds of business travelers say it is important to be able to extend business trips with leisure add-ons.
Bleisure Travelers are Unique
Bleisure travelers have special needs:
- They lack time. Since they are focused on important business objectives, they have little time to plan for leisure activities before the trip, and little time to engage in leisure moments while they travel. They have pockets of free time, scattered throughout the day. They often realize they have some time at the last minute (e.g a meeting is canceled).
- They are in search of meaning. Most millennials prefer that their business trip also make sense from their personal point of view, beyond their business goals. That means finding positive social impact in the way they consume experiences and products.
- They know they must take care of their health. Meals should be nutritious and exercise routines should be maintained, a difficult task when on the road.
Well, now there’s an app for that! The creators of the Jack and Ferdi app made it their mission to revolutionize business travel and empower bleisure travelers, by addressing these specific needs.
Personalized Travel Recommendations
Jack and Ferdi uses machine learning techniques to make travel recommendations that are unique to each bleisure traveler. Personalized recommendations are delivered based on the traveler’s interest, time constraints and location so the traveler gets unique recommendations that are suited to his/her profile, which can be changed at any time.
One of the benefits of the app is to avoid having to triage through dozens of unsuited reviews (in TripAdvisor or Yelp for example) which is something a busy traveler has no time to do. A five-star recommendation in TripAdvisor for one person is not necessarily a five-star recommendation for another! We are all different.
Your Own Data, Delivered in 3 Bleisure Universes
Using a combination of artificial intelligence and local curators, Jack and Ferdi first generates a database of proprietary data from expert sources (e.g encyclopedias, expert bloggers, cook books…). The app content deliberately focuses on authentic recommendations, in the sense that they are in line with the cultural identity of the city. Content is available for more than 60 different global destinations.
Then the app organizes this information in 3 universes to facilitate a quick and seamless immersion in the local culture:
1) ‘Explore’ is the gateway to typical food, genuine experiences, unique viewpoints, local souvenirs to bring back;
2) ‘Care’ is where travelers will find the best running itineraries, amazing charities with local impact, and curated local music playlist.
3) ‘Work’ gives the user access to critical business manners, engaging workspaces and cafés to be productive, and fun facts to use as icebreakers.
As mentioned previously, all suggestions are tailored to the user, based on their user profile and preferences.
Jack and Ferdi is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Anne-Fleur Andrle and Romain Aubanel who — after years of seemingly unending and exhausting business travel — were inspired to create an app that would help business travelers maximize their limited free time.
“The Jack and Ferdi team is committed to helping turn potentially long, exhausting business trips into memorable, enjoyable experiences,” Andrle explains. “Having traveled more than 80,000 miles for one job in just two years, I know the toll that business travel without balance can have. I never had the time or energy to research what I should see or do in my limited downtime, nevermind think about extending my trips for leisure. Jack and Ferdi is the app I wish I’d had while traveling for work. It does the research for you.”
With bleisure travel at an all-time high, Jack and Ferdi aims to make business travel healthier, rooted in local culture, and socially impactful.
“Bleisure travel is booming, and with good reason,” said Romain Aubanel, co-founder of Jack and Ferdi. “Business travelers who build leisure time into their trips say it helps them to work more effectively, takes some of the stress out of business travel and keeps them more relaxed while away from home. Bleisure travel also benefits employers, as it improves employee job satisfaction and retention, and at the same time can save companies money. It really is a win-win.”
Jack and Ferdi is available for download now for IOS devices at the Apple app store. Coming soon for Android devices at Google Play.
The company is incorporated as a public benefit corporation and is committed to donating a percentage of profits to local organizations dedicated to preserving culture and heritage sites.
For more information, visit Jackandferdi.com
