How Gen Z “frolleagues” are turning work into more than just a 9 to 5

“We all know and love bleisure travel – where corporates and team mates are mixing work and leisure time when they’re in a new destination to make the best of both worlds, and travel more cost effectively,” said Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley.

“For some, that’s individually exploring a new city, for others, they might bring their family along for portions of their travel, but for this new cohort, colleagues are teaming up to make the most of a destination together.

“It’s particularly common among younger corporates, like Gen Z workers, who perhaps don’t yet have a family of their own but are still eager to share these exciting new experiences and memories with others.

“Oftentimes, they’re on a work trip with a colleague who has become like a friend already, so they are able to take advantage of that quite easily.

“As we see a lot of workplaces making a return to the office, staff members are better connected, team culture is strong, and the opportunity to form friendships from colleague relationships is only growing.

“We know a lot of businesses encourage taking the opportunity for that level of work-life balance and flexibility, as it has an overall benefit to productivity and staff loyalty, so it truly is a win-win.”

The research coincides with the release of Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report, which found that 1 in 5 “frolleagues” now travel together, with Gen Z twice as likely to do so.

Brisbane based Communications professionals Natalie Farmer (27), Eliza Woods (25) and Georgia Trainor (24) formed a strong friendship at their first job out of university and have now planned a leisure trip to Europe together this summer.

Ms Farmer said they “weren’t worried” about travelling together as their friendship had seen them navigate the inaugural years of their careers - a formative time for professionals in their early 20s.  

“The three of us started at the same workplace at around the same time back in 2022. We were all in similar life stages, having recently graduated or about to graduate, all in relationships, all navigating the challenges and excitement of launching our professional careers.

“We were spending five days a week together and became close very quickly, and before we knew it, we were planning weekend trips to the Gold Coast and now, a trip to Europe. We all work in the city and have booked the trip through Flight Centre, so it’s been easy to pop into the store on our lunch break and plan parts of the holiday.

“Travelling overseas is different to a weekend away but our shared experiences – including working together – have played a big role in building our connection and understanding of one another and we feel perhaps even more confident travelling together than some of our friends we haven’t met through work.

“Having something to look forward to – like a holiday – is extremely important to us as we navigate the workforce as young professionals.”