Combine Work and Travel – Travel Beyond the Work Timeclock
Traveling for work might make you feel obligated to stick close to your coworkers. But the truth is that you can easily turn your work-travel obligations into something fun for yourself. The best part, with a little financial creativity, you may even be out of pocket for little to nothing. Yes, it’s possible to combine work and travel.
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Work Travel Can Reduce Overall Travel Costs – A Fabulous Perk
No matter where you travel, there are sites to see, food to eat, and people to meet. If you are self-employed and must travel, you can deduct quite a few of your expenses. This can include around 50% of entertainment and meals*. You may also be able to deduct your accommodations and flight expenses. Before you start expensing travel costs, look at how this breaks down before you book travel. Also, make sure that you hold onto your receipts.
If you work for a company that offers travel reimbursement, you must hold on to receipts. And you should consider how to maximize your per diem allotment. Per diem payments may be greater or less than current GSA guidelines (2023) of approximately $98 per day for lodging and $59 per day for food. Your company may also reimburse expenses not covered on your per diem.
With such additional financial benefits available, (e.g., deductions or per diems), it’s a great idea to think about how to combine work and travel.
Digital Documents To The Rescue
Any time you travel, you’ll likely have to have documents. This could include travel confirmation numbers and ensuring you have a digital copy of your driver’s license handy for those “just in case” moments. PDFs are the preferred method for keeping digital documents on your smart device or the cloud. PDFs are easy and compact, meaning they can save to your phone so that you can access information even without an internet connection. Plus, if you need to add pages to a PDF, the best option is to use a free tool like the one at this link, which allows you to add what you need and organize your important documents into a single, easy-to-access PDF file.
Travel Guides Make A Huge Difference
If you’re already familiar with Travelpediaonline, you already know that this site offers many comprehensive travel guides for the US and abroad. Take advantage of these to know what to expect when you arrive. You can also use affiliate blogs, such as RetailMeNot, to get travel discounts on items not covered by your employer or that you can’t deduct from your taxes.
Don’t Skip Your Schedule
We thrive on routine, especially when it comes to working. Make a point to stick as closely to your regular schedule as possible, even if you’ve traveled outside your normal time zone. Understandably, you will be exhausted, cranky, and a bit unwell. If possible, adjust your schedule at home to match your new time zone, and arrive a day or two early to help yourself acclimate. Further, if you’re accustomed to exercising daily, try booking a hotel with a fitness center. If this is impossible, Henry Ford Health recommends doing yoga, push-ups, walking, or biking – you can rent a bike in most major cities.
Even if you can’t spring for a luxury air suite, you can still have a vacation/business travel experience worth writing home about. You’ll need to research and ensure you take full advantage of the deductions. You’ll also need to put the time into creating easy-to-access PDFs of essential documents. After that, the rest is deciding what you want to do when you combine work and travel. And be sure to keep up with receipts so you can return from your business trip/vacation with minimized out-of-pocket expenses.
This article was submitted by Kim Thomas at USHealthCorps.org
The Places Where We Go is where we share experiences and tips to help fellow travelers and enjoy their trips more fully. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at comments@theplaceswherewego.com.
*Tax rates can vary year-to-year and from location-to-location. Consult with your tax advisor for up-to-date information.
