The IRS Could Pay For Your Vacation

With the arrival of summer people everywhere will be hitting the road to take a well-deserved vacation. The bad part is many companies such as oil companies, amusement parks, and hotels will take advantage of this time to raise their prices

With a little planning, the smart traveler can get help from the IRS to cover some of the expenses. Combining business with pleasure could allow certain expenses to be deducted from your taxes, even if there are other members of your family with you

If the primary purpose of the trip is for business, you can deduct the cost of air fare, cab fare, and lodging. There may be some allocations if the trip is being combined with pleasure. It the primary purpose of the trip is pleasure, you will not be able to deduct the expenses

An example is if you have business meetings scheduled for five days but plan to stay on after the meetings, only the five days of meetings will be deductible. You need to keep your number of business days greater than the number of pleasurable days. If your primary reason for the trip is business, you will still be able to deduct the expenses to and from the trip. The days spent to and from the trip are also considered to be business days. If you travel early and leave late you will have more time for personal activities

For a word of caution, you must follow the IRS rules carefully. The expense of boarding a pet will not be a deduction and neither will extravagant meals and lodging. Also, the costs of personal entertainment are not deductible. You cannot deduct expenses incurred by your spouse unless they are also conducting business

It is very important to keep all documentation and receipts for the expenses you plan to deduct. The business you conduct should be outside the realm of normal business activities. The IRS might check the validity of your claim and the burden of proof will be on you

Self-employed taxpayers will find it easier to take advantage of business travel deductions. This is because employees are typically reimbursed for their expenses and you would be considered to be an employee. The down side to this is there may be limitations on what expenses will be considered as unreimbursed travel expenses

With careful planning you may find there are several ways to save on your summer travel. By carefully observing the IRS rules you might find that combining business with pleasure can actually lower your out of pocket costs for your trip. It is always advised to consult a tax advisor for additional information.

• July 4th To See A Record Number Of Americans Traveling  Thursday, June 28, 2007
  AAA reports they expect to see a record number of Americans on the road this July 4 even though gas prices are high and the 4th falls in the middle of the week. The survey shows that approximately 34.7 million people have plans to travel by car which is a 0.7% increase from one year ago. There are another 4.7 million who intend to travel by plane which is up 3.5% over last year. Also, approximately 1.7 million plan to vacation by train or bus.
  
  
• Nine European Nations Are On Course To Join Borderless Travel Zone  Thursday, June 28, 2007
  Brussels, Belgium: There are nine new European Union nations which plan to join the bloc’s borderless travel zone sometime before the end of the year. Germany’s interior minister expressed concern for security from some of the EU members.
  
  
• According To Boeing Air Travel Might Double  Wednesday, June 27, 2007
  Boeing, the aerospace giant, says its annual Current Market Outlook shows global air travel will explode during the next 20 years. According to Boeing, there will be approximately 28,600 new aircraft to hit the skies by 2007. The report shows that passenger traffic will increase at the rate of 4.5 percent on an annual basis and the global fleet of commercial aircraft will double.
  
  
• United States Warns Citizens About Travel To Copa American Tournament  Tuesday, June 26, 2007
  The US State Department in Washington has issued a warning to US citizens who want to travel to the Copa America football tournament in Venezuela next week. The State Department says there has been an increase in violent crime in Venezuela. The crimes include kidnapping, assault, robbery, and burglary. These crimes have been directed at US embassy employees.
  
  
• How To Keep Kids Safe On Vacation  Monday, June 25, 2007
  You think it will never happen to you. While on vacation your family is going to stay healthy. You won’t let your child get sunburned, there won’t be any kind of an accident, and you won’t have to seek out the nearest emergency room in a place where you don’t know anybody. Statistics show that almost half of the accidental deaths of children happen in the summer. Nationwide, close to 3 million children will be involved in an auto accident, bike accident, fall, or boating accident. Many of these accidents will happen while the family is on vacation.
  
  
• AOL Launches Travel Guides to Worldwide Destinations  Friday, June 22, 2007
  AOL launched AOL Travel Guides, an online resource that provides detailed information on more than 1,900 national and international locations and over 100,000 hotels. Also available through AOL(R) Travel Guides include destination information -- restaurants, bars, sights, activities and events -- as well as hotel listings, with links to book directly from the site. In addition, the guides automatically plot these locations on a map using industry-leading technology and features from MapQuest(R).
  
  
• The IRS Could Pay For Your Vacation  Friday, June 22, 2007
  With a little planning, the smart traveler can get help from the IRS to cover some of the expenses. Combining business with pleasure could allow certain expenses to be deducted from your taxes, even if there are other members of your family with you...If the primary purpose of the trip is for business, you can deduct the cost of
  
  
• US Amends Passport Rules To Accommodate Summer Travel  Thursday, June 21, 2007
  The US State Department has announced that US citizens who plan to travel to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean will be able to show a government issued photo ID and a receipt from the State Department showing they have applied for a passport. This rule is in effect until September 30, 2007. The website will allow you to print this receipt which has a unique locator number printed on it.
  
  
• The Top 20 Most Expensive Cities In The World  Wednesday, June 20, 2007
  For the second year in a row Moscow has been designated as the most expensive city in the world. The Mercer Human Resource Consulting Firm used the cost of living in New York City to determine that Moscow rates 34.4 percent higher in housing, transportation, grocery goods, clothing expenses, and arts and entertainment. London placed second, as opposed to number 5 last year, while New York dropped to number 15.
  
  
• Youth travel is becoming a new trend  Tuesday, June 19, 2007
  Youth travel is one of fastest growing segments in the travel industry and shares a 20% market across the globe. This segment includes people under 25 years of age including college students, high school children and even school children who travel for school and social engagements like church, science, sports, choir, band, civics or language classes.
  
  
• Legislation passed to extend travel without passport when visit Canada or Mexico  Tuesday, June 19, 2007
  The legislation that proposed the extension of date until 1st of June 2009 for Americans to use their photo identification and birth certificated for entry into Mexico and Canada has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. Under this legislation, Americans can enter these countries both by land and sea
  
  
• Decline in the number of visitors from overseas to United States  Sunday, June 17, 2007
  Travel promoters in the USA are concern over a decline in the number of visitors from overseas to United States. The local visitor's bureau of Orlando, Florida goes on record stating that the city draws more than 50 million visitors annually out of which 3.5 million are international visitors. Orlando is famed for its attractions like the Disney World. While more than 50% of the 3.5 million come from Europe and about 25% from Canada, the rest of the visitors are a mix of Asia, South America and the Middle East.
  
  
• Fraud and Travel Industry  Saturday, June 16, 2007
  Travel scams have taken the front seat along with the expansion and growth of the travel industry... Very often the damage we find is not only lost money but also dashed hopes and expectations -- ruined times together as families. If you are a traveler who is looking to rent a vacation home by owner, take the following precautions... Speak with the property owner on the phone ...Check if holiday home has a website - most of the vacation rental homes has it's own site
  
  
• Make your next vacation stress less.  Wednesday, June 06, 2007
  You can make your next vacation stress less with right preparations... Finances and budgets are very important and need due consideration to enjoy your vacation without burning a hole in your pocket... All vacation destinations offer vacation rentals which are an experience in themselves at prices that are much lesser than hotel tariffs...