Careers That Allow Travel to Be Deductible

Professional surfers can deduct some travel expenses.

Suitcases, jumbo jets, glamorous business meals and comfy hotel digs -- business travel has long upheld an allure that makes people want to get into jobs away from their cubicle desks. Despite its drawbacks -- long lines, time spent away from friends and family, living out of a suitcase -- business travel can be rewarding, with the added bonus that some careers allow some travel expenses to be tax deductible.

Workshops

Workshop leaders frequently take their classes on the road, visiting other towns, libraries, bookstores and recreation centers to reach new students. Clients sign up for meditation classes, writers' retreats, business efficiency talks, scrapbooking lectures or self-improvement workshops led by someone with demonstrated mastery of the topic. If your career involves leading workshops in different locations, you'll probably be able to deduct travel expenses. These might include transportation costs, lodging and a percentage of your meals, according to the IRS. You'll also be able to deduct travel expenses related to renting a facility to house your workshop sessions.

Journalism

Traveling journalists work in a variety of fields, either covering foreign affairs for a newspaper or magazine, reviewing hotels and restaurants for travel journals or attending out-of-town events related to their stories. In addition to deducting transportation costs, lodging and meals, this career's reliance on communication means that you'll also be able to deduct expenses including remote Internet access, fax machine services, postal fees, cell phone bills and stationery products such as notepads and pens. If your traveling combines work and pleasure -- perhaps you're researching Hawaiian bed-and-breakfasts but plan to book a snorkeling trip just for fun -- then only the work-related portion of expenses may be covered, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Freelance Expert

If your career involves serving as a freelance expert in fields including technology, website development or restaurant branding, your clients will expect you to travel to their locations to better understand the situation they're hoping your expertise will improve. Some of your work may be based from home, such as initial online research, telephone conversations or online conferences, but eventually you may make a tax-deductible trip to a factory, corporate headquarters or construction site to analyze problems up close. Deductible expenses may include transportation, lodging and the transportation of items needed to evaluate problems, including infra-red cameras, computers, construction equipment or measurement tools.

Professional Surfer

Professional surfers are expected to chase swells around the world in the hopes of winning contests or scoring magazine cover shots. Whether you're hopping on a red-eye flight to Indonesia or schlepping up the California coast in a rented van crammed with surfboards, it's likely that your travel-related costs are tax-deductible. Transporting expensive surfboards, visa costs and competition entry fees are probably deductible.

Caution

Once you land a career involving deductible travel, it's not a free pass for extravagant spending. Keep documentation of all spending, such as credit card statements and travel receipts, to back up deductions at tax time.

References

• Internal Revenue Service: Deducting Travel, Entertainment and Gift Expenses
• Internal Revenue Service: Business Travel Expenses
• Gaebler.com: Tax Tips for Entrepreneurs
• Inc.com: Business or Personal: 7 Tips to Deducting Travel Expenses
• Matador Network: To Be (Or Not To Be) A Travel Journalist
• University of California, Santa Cruz: Information Technology Analyst

Resources

• Transworld Surf: Top 10 Surf Friendly Careers