7 of the Best Business Travel Apps for 2016

Travel has become easier in recent years, thanks largely to the emergence of the smart phone and the awesome apps created for it. Here are 8 of the best for business travel.

1. TripIt

Itinerary planning is greatly facilitated with the TripIt App which can store all your reservation numbers in an easy access spot. The only task I have is forwarding my confirmation emails, and TripIt will create a master itinerary plan for me complete with everything I need. The founder of Hotwire was the original developer of this app, though Concur owns it now.

2. Record Travel Expenses

If you are not convinced of IFTTT, that can link web accounts and set up automated actions, then perhaps you would be interested in the Do Button option for keeping a record of your travel expenses.

When you have downloaded your Do Button app, you can load the “Save Receipts to Dropbox” option and then just take a snapshot of the receipts you acquire and they will be placed in the drop box.

3. Circleback

Disclosure: As the chief business officer here at Circleback, one might think my opinion biased. Nevertheless, if I say so I, this App was designed to be the perfect business companion. I have been traveling for business for most of my professional career and use this to organize contacts and keep them all de-duped, updated and accurate.

I even receive notifications if a plan is subject to changes, so I can get in touch with key people and prospects as they set new agendas. A business card scanner and a email signature capture are two more slick features of the Circleback.

4. Toggl – Time Logger

Available to Android users is Time Logger, with similar features to the Hours option but not quite the same visual quality. Entertainment, travel and transport are a few of the many pre-set categories offered by this app. Timing is begun with a simple tap. Reports can then be obtained and time spent on various activities can be assessed and fine-tuned.

5. Quest Visual

Google’s latest acquisition, Word Lens, can scan foreign texts you come across and translate them into your native text. Already supported by the app are most of the major European languages including Portuguese, German, Italian, French, English and Russian.

The Free App comes with the English/Spanish Translator, the other language packs are free to download for a limited time at least at the time of writing. None of the etiquette problems associated with language when traveling so.

6. Handshake

Those who work the trade shows require this app. It can facilitate the transactions you will encounter on an attractive display. It completes the sales-order process and can transmit the information back to company HQ for processing and execution. It can also bring up all pertinent client information such as previous transactions, account information and more.

7. Wifimapper

When making trips outside of the US, you will probably prefer to stay off your data plan. The WiFi Finder App can show you to the nearest WiFi Hotspots in your area. This is provided for you on your GPS, so you don’t have to connect to WiFi to find WiFi%u2014 because that would be pretty useless.

The Database is extensive as well, over 145,000 registered Hotspots across over 140 countries in the iOS app, the Android version covers over 550,000 hotspots in the same countries. The type of facilities in which the WiFi source is located are also brought up, for instance a restaurant, coffee shop, library, hospital or whatever the case may be.

Wifimapper will also inform you if there is a charge to connect or not. Here is some more advice on the subject.

These apps will make travel easier and ensure that you can organize yourself, cutting out a lot of the stress.

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