Best Finance Tips for Traveling to Los Angeles

admin | June 29, 2013

Hotels, conventions, shopping, food, and transportation costs can all add up quickly on a business trip or vacation. You really cannot avoid the stress of travel expenses, especially when all you want to do is focus on the final destination to a city like Los Angeles. Similar to personal travel, business travel calls for budgeting for many companies. There might be some expenses you may be unaware when planning or during your trip. Added costs, offers, and taxes that call for deductions and audits may come up as you plan your grand trip to Los Angeles. Here are some ways to reduce the stress on daily costs and finances:

Travel Savvy

Once you arrive to Los Angeles, there is no need to rent a car unless you must. Los Angeles has a great transportation system with costs as low as $3 for a day bus pass and a Metro Trip Planner to help guide you to your destination. Your transportation needs can vary from day to day depending on where you need to go and what you want to see. You should plan out your daily travels well in advance to figure out costs and your route.

More info about Los Angeles public transportation here: http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/los-angeles-public-transit

Deals and Discounts in the City

If you look on the right websites for deals and discounts that cities like Los Angeles can offer, your trip will be much more affordable. For food, try to eat away from tourist attractions. The food will be less expensive and finding a café or local restaurant away from the city chaos will be more relaxing and memorable than eating at a chain restaurant.

While vacationing at Los Angeles or if you take a break during your business trip to enjoy the city, look into free walking tours or download a podcast to listen to that will guide you around the city. Depending on which museum you wish to visit, some are free every day or on select days during the week.

For more info about tourist attractions in LA visit this site: http://www.latourist.com/

Keep Your Receipts

One of the best ways to keep track of your travel expenses and budget what you spend is to be organized. You may purchase a lot of things or not as much as previously planned, but either way hold onto your receipts. These slips of paper will be your ticket to getting expense deductions whether the purchases were made online or in person. With a digital camera or a smart phone, you can take a clear photo of your receipts as well. That way you will have a permanent record of your expenses if you do not want to hold onto your receipts or in case you accidently throw the receipts away.

Add an App

When visiting Los Angeles for a business trip, festival, or vacation – you will be very busy! However, an app can help you simplify your records so you can relax and enjoy your trip. Today, many apps are available on smartphones to help you keep track of expenses for easy auditing and deductions. Just a couple to check out include:

Expenditure helps keep track of income and expenses during your trip. It can also convert the currency for you.
Expense Manager can help categorize the types of transaction (hotel, transportation, or food for example) as well as auto fill continuous transactions.
Toshl Finance Expense Tracker is a budgeting app that is useful for business and personal expenses to help keep track of what you spend your money on.

Business to Business Services

Accounting firms are available to help you with all of your auditing and deduction needs. Taking advantage of tax consulting services is a good way to seek out help with your travel expenses and to get a second opinion on any records you are unsure of for both local and international travel. Prepare and organize your receipts to be looked at or share what you have saved on your app with a consultant. Accounting firms can help you to create a strategy that will help fit your travel needs when it comes to budgeting how much you are able to spend or willing to spend before expenses and deductions. They will be able to help you plan your future expenses, answer questions you may have about travel expenses, and look at your business expenses from your trip to make sure you did not miss a thing.

For more information about Los Angeles taxation visit this blog: http://www.wallaceapc.com/our-blog

When you travel for business or vacation, costs can be stressful and you want to enjoy the experience of being in Los Angeles. By being organized and seeking out services, you can ensure a relaxing and eventful trip with less tax stress. Save receipts, check out the latest finance budgeting apps, or contact an accounting firm.

Author bio: This article was written by Simon a tourist, blogger, content manager, financial expert from Europe. All these tips are based on his experiences travelling the Los Angeles area. He is a financially conscious guy with a Msc. in International Economics and he is a longtime contributor to various financial, accounting, taxation blogs.