Half of French business travellers see travelling on business as a perk, compared with just over a third (35%) of their British counterparts according to new research (see chart below).
In fact, one in six UK business travellers (16%) say that there is nothing that they like about business travel. This is more than in any of the other countries surveyed, and twice as many as in France or Spain.
Around one in eight Britons (12%) say they choose a job specifically because it does not require business travel, compared to only one in 25 workers in Spain (4%) and around one in 15 workers in Germany (6%) and France (7%).
The study of 11,883 nationally representative adults aged 18+ in the UK, Germany, France, Republic of Ireland and Spain conducted by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental showed strong variations across Europe in terms of who is taking business trips and how they perceive them.
The survey also revealed that only around a third of UK adults (32%) travel for business, compared to 36% in France, 38% in Germany, 45% in Spain and 44% in the Republic of Ireland.
Britons are least likely to be into turning business into bleisure.
One in five Britons (21%) have extended a business trip into a long weekend or holiday, in contrast to 28% of business travellers in France, 34% in Spain, 24% in Germany and 22% in Ireland.
Only 37% of UK business travellers will go shopping while on a work trip, compared to 43% of German and 44% of Irish workers. Similarly, only 27% of British workers allow extra time for sight-seeing, compared to 52% of Spanish, 37% of German, 35% of French and 30% of Irish business travellers.
David McNeill, AVP corporate sales EMEA for Enterprise and National, says: "Travelling for work is a part of life for many people across Europe. Many see this as a perk and take advantage of the potential to blur the lines between business and leisure, bringing some fun into a work trip. Equally, there can sometimes be downsides such as long hours and a sense of isolation."