If you’re living your dream while working abroad and running your own business, you’ve probably wondered:
Can I write off my travel expenses?
You’re already hopping between cities (or countries), working in cafes, or co-working stations — maybe even attending retreats and conferences. There can be a lot of grey area if you’re constantly traveling, so what counts as a business expense?
First, What The IRS Actually Cares About
The IRS itself doesn’t care if you’re working from Bali or California. What they do care about is why you’re traveling. In order to write off travel as a business expense, it must follow these requirements:
- Ordinary and necessary for your job
- Directly related to your business activity
- Well-documented
If you’re simply working remotely while living your best life abroad, that’s great! But, it doesn’t quite count as a business expense..
What Counts as a Business Travel Expense?
Here are some examples that would be considered deductible expenses tied to business purposes.
Flights
Flying to a conference, client meeting, or content shoot? Deductible!
Flying to change up the scenery or move around? Not deductible.
Examples:
✅ You fly from Lisbon to Berlin to meet a client → business
❌ You fly from Berlin to Croatia for fun and just happen to work a little → personal
Lodging
If you’re traveling specifically for business, your stay would be deductible. But if you’re living somewhere and happen to work there, that’s seen as a home office – which isn’t deductible (unless you qualify under the home office rules).
Example:
✅ You stay at an Airbnb for 5 nights during a work retreat in Mexico → deductible
❌ You book a 2-month Airbnb in Barcelona because it’s nice and you happen to work from there → not deductible
Meals
The general rule is that 50% of your business meals can be written off for business use. The catch is that this only applies if you’re dining with a client, attending a business event, or grabbing meals while away from your main “tax home”.
Example:
✅ You get lunch with a prospect who’s looking at buying your service → deductible
❌ You get lunch with an old friend in the town you’re visiting → not deductible
Work Abroad, Write It Off — But Do It Right
Yes — you can write off travel as a business expense, but only if it serves a real business purpose. If you’re living abroad and working online, it’s tempting to call everything “work-related,” but the IRS is looking for clear intent and documentation. If you plan to write off any business expenses, plan to keep a clear record of all of your receipts, itineraries, notes, and proof of work events. This is your proof to the IRS that they were truly business expenses.
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