I have often done shops with nice fees, traveling from my home, just outside of DC, to DE, Southern NJ and even NYC, using a reimbursement only hotel shop in southern NJ as the anchor for that part of the route. The next day, I might proceed 100 miles north to visit my nephew's family. From there, I would do several shops within 50 miles of his house, while staying there. Here is how I allocated the trip for IRS Schedule C purposes:
Part 1: Home to last shop in southern NJ and overnight there, all deductible mileage.
Part 2: NJ hotel shop to my nephew's home, personal (since there were no additional shops along that route).
Part 3 Several shops near my free overnight stay, mileage to and from those to his house, all deductible.
Part 4: Return trips from nephew's house. The portion from there to the northern-most shop of the part one shops, personal mileage.
Part 5: Mileage home from that last northbound shop to my home, all deductive.
And, all documented with contemporaneous records. This is a somewhat conservative way of dividing the mileage. Some would have included that miles that I did not, just because of the shops based out of my free lodging.
BTW, if I had taken my nephew and his wife out to dinner to thank them for letting me stay there, I understand that I could have deducted their meals "in lieu of hotel expense." (Per IRS opinion that I found years ago.)
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
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