Can I deduct expenses as a new travel blogger for tax purposes? Small business vs. hobby question

First, understand the difference between a hobby and a business according to the IRS. They look at several factors, including whether you operate in a businesslike manner, put in time and effort, depend on income, change methods to improve profitability, have knowledge to run a business, have made profits before, and have a reasonable expectation of profit. A common misconception is that you need to make a profit in the first year. The IRS actually looks for profit in 3 out of 5 years (2 out of 7 for horse-related activities). So initial losses are expected in many legitimate businesses. For your travel blog, I'd recommend: keep detailed records of all business activities, create a separate business bank account, develop a business plan showing how you expect to generate revenue, track hours worked, and document all expenses with receipts noting their business purpose. As for specific expenses - the laptop, camera, and blogging course would likely qualify if used primarily for the business. Travel expenses get tricky - you can only deduct the portion directly related to creating content, not personal enjoyment.

I started my outdoor adventure blog 3 years ago while also working full-time, and I learned a lot about this tax situation. Check out https://taxr.ai for getting personalized guidance on self-employment deductions. It analyzed all my receipts and Venmo transactions and told me exactly what I could legitimately claim for my side business. Their system flags potential audit triggers too, which was super helpful when I was confused about travel deductions.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from that recommendation above. I uploaded my Airbnb receipts, flight bookings, and gear purchases from my recent Iceland trip where I was doing both vacation and content creation. The tool actually walked me through allocating each day as business vs. personal and explained what documentation I need to keep. It flagged several expenses I hadn't even considered writing off (like certain meals with potential collaborators). Super helpful and definitely worth checking out if you're in a similar situation.

When I started my cooking blog, I spent HOURS trying to reach the IRS to get clarity on home office and equipment deductions. If you're struggling to get answers from the IRS directly (like I was), try https://claimyr.com - they got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent was able to clarify exactly how to handle my situation, which saved me from making some pretty big mistakes on my return.

I have to eat my words and apologize to Profile 9. After my skeptical comment above, I was so frustrated trying to get tax answers about my Etsy business that I gave Claimyr a shot. Used it yesterday and got through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for WEEKS on my own. The agent walked me through exactly how to handle my situation with mixed personal/business supplies. They're legit and saved me a ton of stress during tax season.

One thing that really helped legitimize my side business for tax purposes was to get an EIN from the IRS website (it's free and takes like 5 minutes) and open a separate business bank account. I use it ONLY for business expenses and income. Makes tracking everything so much easier and looks way more legitimate if you ever get audited.

I've been running a mountain biking blog for 2 years now. Here's what I learned: track EVERYTHING! I use a spreadsheet where I log every expense with: date, amount, category, business %, and purpose. I take photos of all receipts. For travel, I document each day with what content I created. The IRS cares most about your INTENT - if you can show you genuinely intend to make profit (even if you don't right away), you're in better shape.

As someone who's been through several IRS audits for my freelance consulting business, I can tell you that documentation is absolutely everything. For your travel blog situation, the key is proving business intent from day one. Here's what I'd recommend: Before you leave, create a detailed business plan showing projected revenue streams (affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, product sales, etc.). Document your content creation schedule and upload timeline. Keep a daily log during travel noting what business activities you performed each day (filming, writing, networking with other creators, etc.). For expenses, you can typically deduct the business percentage. So if 30% of your trip days involve significant content creation, you might deduct 30% of accommodation costs for those specific days. The laptop and camera are easier - if used 80% for business, deduct 80%. One critical point: don't wait to start monetizing. Set up affiliate accounts, Google AdSense, and sponsor outreach before you leave. Having these revenue streams active (even if earning pennies) shows the IRS you're serious about profit, not just enjoying a subsidized vacation. The "profit in 3 of 5 years" rule gives you breathing room, but having some revenue from year one makes your case much stronger.