Combining Business and Pleasure and how to Write it off

While travel for most of us means good times and new adventures, for others–such as businessmen–it can be simply hell.

Jetting all over the country attending meetings or pitching goods, however, does have an advantage here in the States; it is tax deductible. Well, mostly.

Travel the World and Write it Off is a great little article in Budget Travel detailing the complicated tax laws and how one can take advantage of them by combining business and pleasure. In a perfect world, I would be able to fly to Paris for a single meeting, spend the next two weeks having fun, and then write off my hotel, food and flights for the entire time. Unfortunately, this is not the case: Uncle Sam is not that easily fooled.

Different rules apply for domestic vs. foreign travel; in the example provided above, you could only write the trip off if “business occupies at least 75 percent of your workdays.” And no, that trip to the Louvre is not considered business.

Of course, if your company reimburses you for your travels, this is all a moot point. If you work for yourself, however, check out the article, or irs.gov, to figure out the loopholes and somehow get Uncle Sam to pay for part of your trip.