Business owners love two things: making money and not giving more to the IRS than necessary. A properly structured “working vacation” can help with both.
If you plan it correctly, a personal trip that includes real business activity can qualify as business travel. That means a significant portion of the cost can become tax-deductible under current 2026 rules.
And no, the tax code doesn’t require you to suffer in a budget motel. If the trip qualifies as business travel, the IRS doesn’t care whether you stayed modestly or went high-end. The following can potentially be deductible business travel expenses: