I have had the opportunity to explore some gorgeous parts of Arizona on four different occasions (more on that here), occasionally getting a little too close to nature. What makes those adventures even better is that I never paid for the flights that got me there! How? Because they were work trips that I extended, empowering me to find leisure in the business. I have done this with visits to Phoenix, Arizona, and NYC for longer stints, as well as shorter visits in Toronto, Canada, and San Francisco, California.
NYC 
Grand Canyon 
San Francisco
I’m currently preparing to take my first work trip since February 2020, when I flew out for a work conference that I used as a jumping off point to visit both Scottsdale, Arizona, and several cities in Colorado, and I am figuring out just where I can sneak in some of my own fun. Here’s how you can do it:
- Extend your travel dates. Historically, my employer has had no problem covering a flight with a different arrival or departure date than expected, so long as it isn’t more expensive than if I flew on the “correct” dates for whatever my work event was. In this case, I then only have to worry about my housing for the extra travel time – and fortunately, I have a lot of friends who are willing to house me for free. 😉
- Fly home the next day. If you can’t tack on a lot of extra time, like the weekend before or after, I always recommend going home the day after your business is done, if possible. I’ve never had issues getting the night in the hotel covered, since I was in the city that day for work, and then I have the evening and next morning to get some exploring done.
- Pick a restaurant just for you. Clients love to be wined and dined, and I have eaten many spectacular meals when out with them. That being said, I love to do some research and find a restaurant to eat at that’s just for me – maybe they’re very ‘grammable, or maybe their French toast has rave reviews. Whatever the reason it calls to me, it feels like a little treat to eat at a place I scoped out on a work trip, just because I wanted it.
- Be flexible. 36 hours in San Francisco wasn’t very long in the city, so we made a lunch reservation (see above), and then saw where the day took us. That meant we could be flexible when we saw the cat cafe right by our hotel and jumped on the chance to visit, or when we decided to walk along the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was also on that work trip to San Francisco when we couldn’t see the redwoods because it required too much coordination for our short time there, so remember that adding some fun into your business trip is still just a fun business trip. That being said, it’s a great way to explore new cities on a budget, and when you can really extend your time, you can fit in a lot – like visiting the Grand Canyon, tubing down Copper Mountain, exploring the High Line, and wandering through Ice Castles.