Women's Travel Tips - Packing Light
Some of the things you should consider are, your health, the health of close relatives, employment, weather related problems, just to mention a few. In short, think of the things that could go wrong that could cause you to cancel a vacation.
What Are Business Travel Expenses? The first golden rule of business travel expenses is that they must be ordinary and necessary. This leaves some room for interpretations but in principal its typical travel expenses that you need to incur in order to operate your existing business or to satisfy your job duties. Secondly your business travel expenses must be reasonable. This again leaves some room for interpretations as first class flights and limousines can be very reasonable for some but not for others.
Know what you need to bring, and what you need to leave behind. Make a list. Pack your suitcase the week before your vacation, and then return to it the next day with a critical eye, and take out every single thing you absolutely don't need. No "what-ifs" allowed.
When you travel on business internationally then all your travel expenses related to getting to and from your business destination are deductible. If you spend part of your time abroad on personal business then you must check if you are can deduct all your travel expenses or if you must allocate them proportionally between business and private expense. When you travel on business domestically it makes difference if your travel includes an overnight stay away from your tax home or not. If it doesn't include an overnight stay then it's considered a local same day business excursion and you must make sure your trip qualifies as such, i.e. must be a reasonable distance from your tax home and for clear business purposes.
Be sensible with your shoes. They take up a lot of space, and it just doesn't make sense to bring six different pairs for different outfits. Wear your comfortable walking shoes on the plane, pack your sandals and one (yes, I said one) nice pair of shoes for going out. Throw in folding slippers for the hotel, and flip-flops for the beach, and you'll still have lots of room for everything else.
Normally you can deduct your travelling expenses to and from the destination only if the trip is primarily related to your business. If your trip is primarily personal in nature than you can't deduct any of your airfare, accommodation and other travelling expenses... even if you engage in some business activities while there. You can however deduct any particular normal business expenses you incur while there and are directly related to your business, i.e. taxi fare for your business appointment. It's the facts and circumstances that decide if your trip is primarily for business or pleasure. The amount you spend on your business activities compared to your private activities is usually the deciding factor. Always play by the rules.
If something doesn't look or sound right, chances are it isn't. So you need to know what you should do to correct your situation. There are a lot of things you can get or do to make your travel safer; money belts, locks, etc. I will cover many of these in a future travel blog. Unless you learn to be aware of what's happening around you, your vacation could end badly. With these few simple rules, you can do as much as possible to keep you and your traveling companions out of harms way. Simply put, always be aware of your surroundings; unless you can afford to hire a body-guard to do it for you! Watch for my next blog on safe travel.
What Are Business Travel Expenses? The first golden rule of business travel expenses is that they must be ordinary and necessary. This leaves some room for interpretations but in principal its typical travel expenses that you need to incur in order to operate your existing business or to satisfy your job duties. Secondly your business travel expenses must be reasonable. This again leaves some room for interpretations as first class flights and limousines can be very reasonable for some but not for others.
Know what you need to bring, and what you need to leave behind. Make a list. Pack your suitcase the week before your vacation, and then return to it the next day with a critical eye, and take out every single thing you absolutely don't need. No "what-ifs" allowed.
When you travel on business internationally then all your travel expenses related to getting to and from your business destination are deductible. If you spend part of your time abroad on personal business then you must check if you are can deduct all your travel expenses or if you must allocate them proportionally between business and private expense. When you travel on business domestically it makes difference if your travel includes an overnight stay away from your tax home or not. If it doesn't include an overnight stay then it's considered a local same day business excursion and you must make sure your trip qualifies as such, i.e. must be a reasonable distance from your tax home and for clear business purposes.
Be sensible with your shoes. They take up a lot of space, and it just doesn't make sense to bring six different pairs for different outfits. Wear your comfortable walking shoes on the plane, pack your sandals and one (yes, I said one) nice pair of shoes for going out. Throw in folding slippers for the hotel, and flip-flops for the beach, and you'll still have lots of room for everything else.
Normally you can deduct your travelling expenses to and from the destination only if the trip is primarily related to your business. If your trip is primarily personal in nature than you can't deduct any of your airfare, accommodation and other travelling expenses... even if you engage in some business activities while there. You can however deduct any particular normal business expenses you incur while there and are directly related to your business, i.e. taxi fare for your business appointment. It's the facts and circumstances that decide if your trip is primarily for business or pleasure. The amount you spend on your business activities compared to your private activities is usually the deciding factor. Always play by the rules.
If something doesn't look or sound right, chances are it isn't. So you need to know what you should do to correct your situation. There are a lot of things you can get or do to make your travel safer; money belts, locks, etc. I will cover many of these in a future travel blog. Unless you learn to be aware of what's happening around you, your vacation could end badly. With these few simple rules, you can do as much as possible to keep you and your traveling companions out of harms way. Simply put, always be aware of your surroundings; unless you can afford to hire a body-guard to do it for you! Watch for my next blog on safe travel.