Business Owners: Five Surprising Changes That Affect Business Travel

In 2003, I took my business on the road for threeevery day or two. 3. Plastic. During our 2003 trip, we
months while traveling by car around much of Northhad to keep hitting up ATMs for cash, because quite
America. In 2007, I took almost as long for a roada few places where we had to pay for things did not
trip from Massachusetts to Alaska and back. In thoseaccept credit cards. In 2007, the only places where
four years, several things changed that significantlywe really had to have cash were a few tolls and a
affected some practicalities of taking care offew tourist attractions. We had one Canadian
business when away from the office and one's hometen-dollar bill with us left over from the previous trip,
base for that long a time. If you're planning extensiveand apart from that we were able to charge nearly
business travel and haven't been on the road in aeverything. When a panhandler tried to hit us up for
couple of years, some of these changes might comecash, we were able to say truthfully that we had
as a surprise to you, too. 1. Internet access. In 2003,none. We were putting everything on plastic, sorry! 4.
high-speed Internet was a specialty item in theCell phone coverage. Our surprise here was that
hospitality industry, restricted to a few name-brandthere wasn't as much improvement in cellular service
hotel and coffee-shop chains. Before I left on myfor the more remote sections of the U.S. as we
2007 trip, several people told me blithely, "Wi-fi isexpected. Along interstate highways, you can pretty
everywhere now." I'm glad I looked skeptically atmuch expect to get a signal. But otherwise, where
that assessment. During ten weeks of travel inpopulation density is low or nonexistent, cell phone
Canada and the U.S., only one-third of the time didcoverage is usually likewise absent. A big exception
wi-fi work conveniently and right away in the roomwas national parks. I had a long conversation with a
where we were staying. Another third of the timefriend back home from Denali National Park in Alaska,
we were able to use wi-fi after quite a bit ofwhere the whole county has only 1800 or so full-time
technical fiddling or by going to the motel office orresidents. 5. Mail forwarding. This change isn't the
restaurant. And the other third of the time, weprogress toward efficiency that you might expect. It
would have been without Internet access had wi-fitook longer in 2007 than in 2003 to get postal mail
been our only option. I had three backup options forforwarding going and longer to stop the forwarding.
this contingency: going online on dialup with theMy postmaster explained that forwarding was now
modem in my laptop; using my handheld phonecentralized and computerized. Whereas previously,
computer (an AT&T 8525) to pick up email; andindividual post offices had been in charge of
telephoning my virtual assistant to ask her to checkforwarding mail addressed to residents in their service
my email for me. 2. Receipts. If you're planning toarea, now this was handled at the regional mail
deduct business travel expenses on your taxes, thenprocessing facility. My postmaster could put in the
you need to save receipts and you need a writtenrequest to start or stop mail forwarding, but he had
record of the expenses and their business purpose.no direct control over the process, and it took 7-10
What changed since 2003 in this regard is that moredays for the forwarding and the no-more-forwarding
and more businesses provide receipts on thermalorders to take effect. Be prepared for these and
paper whose ink fades and smudges with the leastother changing conditions, and you'll have a better,
exposure to sun or friction. This means that if youeasier and more prosperous time away from home.
shoe-box your receipts into a pocket or aMarcia Yudkin is the author of Web Site Marketing
compartment in the car before you record yourMakeover and 10 other books. She publishes a
expenses, you could be unable to decipher yourweekly newsletter on creative marketing, Marketing
evidence. I'm not sure what the IRS's take on thisMinute ( ). Find out more about her report "Take
development will be, but I'm glad I had the disciplineYour Business On The Road" at .
to record the expenses in a little notebook at least