Travel expense deductions for professional growth.

[jon higuchi]

I am a contract teacher for a non profit Arts Center. Can I deduct out of country travel expenses for personal growth to improve my teaching skills?

[SusanY1]

No, you can't deduct the cost of travel for general professional/personal growth. That would be a nondeductible personal expense.

You can deduct only ordinary and necessary business expenses.  This could include travel for a teaching seminar, an arts seminar that improved the knowledge of the subjects taught, or something similar. It wouldn't include general travel for the same (even if this included visiting art museums and the like).