Sometimes when I travel, I mix business and pleasure. Maybe it's an extra day tacked on to the end of a business trip for socializing or sightseeing. But when I do, I try to keep careful track of my expenses. Like most business travelers, I want to be able to maximize my legitimate tax deductions without making a mistake or accidentally claiming personal expenses that were actually business expenses.

That's why guest author and tax expert Frank M. Gruber has put together some tax tips for business travelers to learn what's a business expense and what's a personal expense when they're on a trip that mixes business with pleasure. (image credit: irs.gov)

Like business travel isn't expensive enough, travelers heading to some foreign countries also have to pay local taxes such as the VAT, or Value Added Tax. But don't worry--there are ways to get the VAT taxes you've paid back. Consult this list of VAT refund options.

Experienced business travelers have the drill down pat. Book the flight, book the hotel, book the car. But here's a new wrinkle. Maybe instead of booking a hotel, business travelers should consider booking a vacation rental instead. Vacation rentals actually provide an interesting alternative for business travelers planning on being in a location for a longer time, or to teams of  business people that want to entertain or travel as a group. Sound interesting? Consider this overview of using a vacation rental for your next business trip.

I hate to pay full price on airline tickets. But sometimes I have to, when the deadline for travel is near and I haven't pre-booked a flight, I know I'm going to pay premium prices. That's usually when I turn to my frequent flyer miles. However, some folks take a try at more creative methods for reducing their airfare prices. A new entry in our Business Travel glossary explains how the "throw away ticket" approach to flying may save some people some money.