WARNING: The IRS allows you to deduct travel expenses when you're traveling on business away from home. If you don't have a home to be away from, you don't get to deduct anything.

Sorry bud; I should have read all the replies first. Glad to preach to the choir, nonetheless!

I did this myself for a while in my 20's doing projects and then consulting. I've since romanticized it a bit, my experience:

I changed my address to my parent's address for all my credit cards, etc. Getting packages and ordering anything mail order was kind of a pain, especially when they would only send to your billing address. I’d have packages waiting for me for weeks sometimes, not great when you want some cool new thing “now”.

I had flexibility with travel - every weekend I could essentially travel "anywhere" in the US, so every weekend I'd go hang out with friends, relatives, etc. I think even after I moved away from my hometown to take that job, I never got homesick because I was still at every weekend party or event. People would be shocked when I'd say "I woke up in Seattle this morning, I'm off to Austin tomorrow."

When I would come back home, I would have literally a grocery bag full of mail.

After a while you get your life so minimized that the things you do have are incredibly precious, and it made me realize how much "junk" we tend to accumulate otherwise. I think I had a digital camera and an iPod, few other things.

I came to the conclusion during that time that I could spend any amount of money for they key things I wanted because I used them every day - camera, cell phone, computer, watch, bag, etc. I was forced to be hyper-aware of buying anything I'd have to cart around, so I'd buy exactly what I wanted, the first time. I wouldn't "upgrade" anything without having gotten rid of the old item first.

Something that hit me a few times that can really suck - you can be on a project for a long time and you start to build up a "social life" with the people you work with - you hang out after work or on weekends that you are around and they become friends. Then, unexpectedly, the project suddenly gets canceled, or you get re-assigned by the home office to some emergency thing and you end up having to leave - that day - and never come back. After a few iterations of that, it gets kind of old. Sure, you could go back and visit them on weekends, but you don't, and it all gets a little soul-less after a while.

It seemed I really went through clothing during that time - I try not to get suits dry cleaned too often, but when traveling from site to site it seemed they were trashed quickly and looked tired fast.

But yeah, if you can keep from partying away your saved money on weekends, you can definitely sock away some cash and living a nomad life isn't such a bad thing to experience once in life.

I'd also advise getting some sort of fitness plan, be it at the hotel gym, swimming daily, running, whatever. I was much better and happier when I was taking good care of myself and had some discipline in life rather than when I was camped out all weekend in the hotel watching HBO.

This. I am on the road for about 2/3 of the calendar year and sometimes all the hotels do get to me. I usually try to make it home twice a month for at least 10 days total, just so I can stay sane and not have to release my anger at an innocent front hotel desk clerk.

Is Nevada a state where the landlord does not have to go through an eviction procedure that takes at least a month?

However I am told that a foreclosing bank is not obligated to honor the entirety of existing leases, boo, hiss.

Some time ago I had colleagues who did a lot of travel and who got to, in their words, bank their salaries, while the company was paying for their meals and also many incidentals, as part of the normal travel expenses. They could have taken it a little further by living with relatives or, as this thread discusses, staying in the hotel longer and/or taking advantage of weekly rates.

What about a B&B?
 

It feels more like a home and the rates are usually better. Since B&Bs are private outfits you might be able to negotiate a better deal (since you will probably meet the owner is person). You might also be able to talk them into storing some small items for you which a hotel would never do.

Watching the thread since it opened, but still can't figure out the numbers for no financing. With $600~ spend, even if you save $1000 a month ($1600 is pretty high for Tampa rent, wherever you are staying), if you want to buy a $150K home (low end in FL), that would equal 150 months, or 12.5 years. Way too long of a wait (assuming home prices don't go up, etc.). And at that point in your life I don't know if you'd want a starter home anyway. Of course timing can change if you invest, etc, but it won't be within next 3 years for sure.

Update
 

Wanted to give everyone an update. The foreclosure was pushed back for now yet I took the opportunity to do a 'dry run' of my idea. I've spent 23 of the last 30 days in hotels.

I've stayed in the following chains:

FS Marriotts - best bedding by far, best overall experience, far from car and lacks a feeling of home

TownPlace Suites - worst bedding, least comfortable, but feels like an apartment. Car easily accessible.

Homewood Suites - much better than TownPlace, comfortable bedding, overall a very nice compromise. More like a suite than an apartment.

Hilton Garden Inn - great beds, good locations, provides good breakfast, rooms are nice

Fairfield Inn - yuck, avoid at all costs, overpriced Super 8.

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Positives: Enjoying seeing other places, checking out nightlife and restaurants. Very easy to focus on tasks I need to do with minimal distractions. Don't have to cook.

Negatives: Have not formulated a good bag-packing strategy yet. I can see how this lifestyle becomes tiring after a while. Missing some things I need at home.

-----------
Verdict: Not sure I can do this for a long term basis.

Thanks for the update Moman.... hope all gets better.

I might offer another option. In my late 20's I lived in what was to me a very nice apt. My girlfriend at the time was very nice but I wasn't ready to commit further. My dilemma was she wouldn't leave and being the relationship coward I am, I didn't want to go through the whole breakup thing. I decided the best and least painful thing (at least to me) , was to simply let my lease run out an move onto my boat.

At the time, my travel schedule was about 20 days per month. The marina facilities included laundry, pool, sauna, restaurant bar, showers and lockers. It worked out so well that my buddy and I split the cost of storing a 16' Hobie Cat in Marathon, FL for 20.00 per month. So basically I would travel for 4 days go to FL and go sailing for a few days, travel 4-5 more days head back to MI and to the boat for a few days. I really miss the simplicity that life.

I would guess there are plenty of marinas that would fit your bill. And the best part is you most likely don't need a boat. There are plenty of folks around here that would be happy to have someone cover the slip charge in order to avoid out of water storage. Just a thought, no taxes, nice views and generally nice neighbors.

In CT, cost of winter storage is less than half of the cost of the slip. could be different in year-round ports. how would you go about finding someone who's willing to have a stranger stay on their boat? otherwise, great idea.

I would start by checking out different marinas. Generally, most have a message board listing various boat services available such as cleaning, maintains and such. I would post a message stating your offer to pay for dockage in exchange for staying on their boat for a number of days a month. Also scope out where boats are stored if not at the marina proper. I find boat owners are a talkative lot and by and large nice. I would simply ask around. Right now is a terrible time to sell a boat, faced with a tough economy and the cost associated with boat ownership, this could a a win-win situation. My ideal boat would be cruiser 45' to 50' between 15 and 30 years old. You would expect to have 1 to 2 staterooms a good sized galley and a salon.
Based on the fact you are willing to live in a hotel, your "footprint" will be tiny and good sized locker at the clubhouse in addition to your space on the boat should be more than adequate.

UPDATE: Now living in hotel
 

Well folks, it has happened. I lost the unit and I've been living in a hotel the past two weeks. Luckily I landed a project that covers at least 23 nights of each month in Marriott full service properties for the rest of the year. So far the only pain has been having things "at home" (aka storage) when I could use them at my current site (across the country).

My current goal is to stick this plan out for the rest of the year and see how it goes. Between a combination of hotels, camping (which I enjoy), and staying with friends, I'll always have a place to stay. Ironically, I've taken a liking to sleeping in my truck too.

IMO, the novelty of living in a hotel will probably wear off in a week or so. Hotels aren't permanent residences. Homes are. I'm sure I'd get sick of the same 5 star hotel after a week. I stayed at a pretty nice 5 star hotel in China last summer for a week, couldn't wait to leave after 7 days.

Some years ago I was on a project which entailed getting rid of my appartment and moving into a hotel near our office. Although most of the time was spent at the home office, we were required for a quick relocation so almost all of my stuff ended up in storage.

I spent the first two months in a 5ish star hotel. I hated it after the novelty wore off after the first week. I then moved to a Homewood Suites for the next 5 or so months and I loved it.

The novelty has already worn off, but it's the best situation for me at the current time. Do I like this idea? Not really. It will take me another 2-3 months to figure if I'm really saving any money or not. The worst part to date is knowing that I don't have a "home" to return to when I'm tired of hopping around.

It's certainly a new experience. I often envied those old dowagers who would have a permanent suite in really fabulous hotels in New York (for example)..."ah yes, just send my correspondence to The Plaza".

Did you try looking for another place to immediately move into.. sounds like if you move out early, although you are bound by the lease, the circumstances would demonstrate a distress situation, so I would move out prior to the lease expiry so that you aren't caught in a lockout foreclosure overnight. Our family owns property and deals with foreclosures on a regular basis.. Even if you had to forfeit part of your deposit, paying rent to a delinquent landlord, and them pocketing it while going to foreclosure is a difficult situation to be in.

I wouldn't pay my rent for the last month in the place.. just forfeit your 1 month damage deposit and move on. Just my IMO.

Long before I knew about FT, I was in a similar situation with about a dozen co-workers for 11 months. (I had no idea how to take advantage of this situation without that FT knowledge. I wasn't even the member of a single loyalty program) I was on a food allowance where I had to produce receipts for everything and was only reimbursed for that. I gained 20 pounds in a month!

I was the only truly single guy and the only guy who liked it. It was a hardship for the guys with kids especially. At least two guys had their wives start affairs while they were away part time. Both ended in divorce. At the first chance to end this ordeal, all these guys got out.

I, like you, ditched the apartment. I was the only one. I saved a tonne of money. At the end of that year, I was never richer. I had no travel, accomodation or food expenses. I was getting overtime also. None of those other guys could sell their homes due to the temporary nature of the assignment, so they were losing out.

We could all have stayed in 5 star hotels as long as we checked out on weekends or when not at the job site. Or, you could have 7 days a week at a Rodeway Inn or its equivalent. By month 3, all of us were out of the weekly check out routine. Guys were sick of restaurant food and just wanted a fridge and a small kitchen so they could cook for themselves. They were tired of moving their stuff around twice a week. Being shift workers, getting cleaning staff waking you up after a night shift constantly was too annoying. I think after a while, you just crave stability and for other reasons, we were not in a stable situation. One enterprising guy, got our employer to agree to cut him a check for a trailer and pay for his campground fees. When he was done with that job, he walked away with a brand new, paid for trailer. (Since he was one of the guys who got divorced, it was the only thing he had left after the divorce. He lost his kid, his wife, his bank account and his house.)

I have to admit though, what made this a great situation for me, is that I crashed at my parent's place every week. I socialized with all my old friends and family. They provided the stability and cohesion to make this a great year. Going from 265 nights a year to 365 nights a year in a hotel room is an amazing test of endurance.

To the OP, once you find your preferred habitation, please make sure you are a member of that chain's loyalty rewards program. Whenever this situation ends, make sure you walk away their highest set of privileges and a massive number of free nights to be used elsewhere.

About 10 years ago, during the early days of Priceline when bonus money was abundant, a guy in San Francisco did this simply because it was WAY cheaper than renting or owning in San Francisco. The local news there did a story about him. He would typically make a series of bids and end up in the Hyatt Regency San Francisco for 6 weeks at a time for like $40/night or something. At that time Hyatt was still giving GP points for Priceline, so he was Platinum and the hotel kept him on the Regency Club floor. A sweet deal.

Airports typically have the best Priceline deals, so you could really do this as you describe, and save lots of money, especially if you're in an expensive area.

several years ago, I was "forced" to live for 14 months in a 1-bed room suite at the Intercontinental in an undisclosed foreign city. Actually, my company was too cheap
to rent me a "real" apartment because it was cheaper to put me up at the hotel.

To be fair, this was a real nice hotel... what Intercontinental isn't? :) The room had a
mini kitchen and a couple of 50" LCD TVs. I have room service dinner 2 or 3 times
a week. Breakfast was also delivered by room service monday to friday. (all paid for
by my company) I also had access to the lounge which had free cocktails in the evenings.

You would think that I enjoyed my stay... NOT.... I started to feel like a goldfish after
a couple of months. :(

Update 9/2010
 

It's now been 4.5 months that I've been "homeless". The following points should be noted:

-I've saved at least $600 a month and been able to see lots of cities in the US that I've been meaning to visit
-It feels great not "having" to be somewhere each weekend to check the mail or clean the kitchen, etc.
-My social calendar is much better and expanded by visiting people I haven't seen in years
-Averaging about 27 nights per month in hotels and 3 nights camping (I do enjoy camping so this is good)

The major negative is that I don't have a "Base", and sometimes it would be nice to settle down for more than one week at a time and be able to organize things.

The best positive is the feeling that if I want to go to NYC and rent a furnished place for a month or two, I can. If I want to camp for a month in the everglades, I can. The freedom is exhilirating.