More U.S. Workers are Mixing Business and PleasureA blended lifestyle of work and play gains traction among travelers.

Before she launched her New York City-based ethical clothing line, Citizen's Mark, in May, Cynthia Salim took several trips abroad to meet with suppliers and visit factories. She instituted a "bring a buddy" policy for each trip and dedicated about 70 percent of the time to work and the rest to leisure. Her companions generally had relevant interests, adding depth to the excursions.

"I'm all about bleisure," Salim says. "After all, that's one of the perks of being an entrepreneur, right?"

Ugly word, hot trend:Bleisureis the practice of squeezing personal leisure time into a business trip. It's a custom rooted in history: Thomas Jefferson purportedly enjoyed living as a part-timeflâneurwhile serving as U.S. ambassador to France. But the new bleisure suggests a more blended lifestyle of work and play that is gaining traction among entrepreneurs.