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