Traveling for business to an outside spectator may look glamorous, but believe us it is not like in the movies. More often than not, it is a big pain. Sometimes it even seems as if a business trip is expressly designed to raise our blood pressure. Long security lines, many canceled flights or simply inability to find our way through complex airport terminals can really affect our busy schedule.
And on top of that, business travelers are busier than ever before. They are doing more per trip than in previous years. Often they end up going to two cities instead of one or spending four nights on the trip instead of two. If you need help, there are certain apps you could have installed on your smartphone. There are some obvious choices like Google Maps, Lyft or Uber, but what about other lesser known apps?
There are many apps available on the market that can help you reduce business travel stress – from the airport when you arrive at your hotel, and then as you commute to your work-related event. Follow along ads see our favorite picks.
7 Best Travel Apps for Business Travelers in 2019
#1 Image to Word Converter
This one is a must-have. It can help you digitize existing documents you might have in paper form as well as edit documents that are in JPG format. Simply use app’s built-in image scanner to scan documents which you can then convert to MS Word and have it in the editable format right on your mobile device. Imagine this, you are about to sign a contract and just before you sign you find some mistakes in the document. No problem, take your phone, scan the document, correct mistakes and reprint it. It is as easy as that. The app has support for most popular cloud services, meaning you can convert documents directly from those services as well (Google Drive, Dropbox and more).
#2 Expensify
Expensify is a great app that will help you track your expenses while traveling. It is specifically developed for this purpose so there is no reason not to try it. By using the app, there is no need to worry about physical receipts and where you put them. Simply take out your phone, snap a picture of your receipt and create reports on the go. The app will do the heavy lifting for you and transcribe information from receipts. If you are connected to your company account, the app can even automatically submit business expenses for approval and reimbursement. Expensify is the perfect app for anyone who has a need for expense tracking and automated expense management.
#3 TripIt
Keeping track of all your travel plans and itineraries could easily become a really stressful job. Flight confirmations, boarding passes, booking confirmations and even the details like how to get to your hotel or meeting place are scattered around your inbox and can easily get lost. This app will take care of you. Simply forward your confirmation emails to the email provided by TripIt and they will arrange your entire itinerary into one easy to read and use package. Genius right? So to recap, your hotels, car rentals, flights, restaurant reservations, and all other travel plans will be automatically listed into your personal master itinerary. There is even an option to access your travel information in an offline mode.
#4 AwardWallet
In case you frequently fly with multiple airlines, there is a great chance that you have multiple airline rewards programs to track. If we perfectly described your situation, then AwardWallet is an app for you. It supports more loyalty programs them the majority of similar apps and it enables you to track all of your rewards from one centralized place. The app can give you reminders on expiring points as well. AwardWallet also works in an offline mode. Just keep in mind that some airlines don’t let you import your mileage points to the app.
#5 HotelTonight
This app serves as a great place to book last minute reservations. It is the bridge between hotels and business travelers which enables hotels to sell last-minute empty rooms and travelers to book a room instantly the same day they arrive. This is great for people who forgot to book beforehand, whose hotel is overbooked or for the ones who are simply feeling adventurous and are traveling without room reservations. HotelTonight allows you to search for hotels in many world cities and find and book great rooms at reasonable prices in just a few taps on your phone.
#6 MileIQ
This is an important app to have installed on your smartphone if you frequently rent or drive your own car on business trips. The principal is simple, the app logs your miles and classifies the mileage as personal or business travel. It operates automatically whenever your car is moving and when you come to a stop, the app automatically pauses. When you arrive to your end destination, simply swipe right on the screen to log a business-related drive or swipe left to log a personal drive. It is as easy as that! This information can later be provided to your company how you would be able to get reimbursement. MileIQ can also calculate your mileage deduction which you can provide to IRS.
#7 DUFL
This one is actually a great and very innovative idea. DUFL is a service that makes your packing for a business trip a thing of the past. When you register for a service they send you a large suitcase which you can then fill with your business clothes and send it back to them. The people from DUFL will then photograph, record, clean and store the clothes you sent them. When it is time to go on a business trip, you simply open the app, select the clothes you will be wearing and send them your itinerary. A suitcase filled with clothes you choose will be waiting for you at the hotel when you arrive. At the end of a trip, you only need to send them back your clothes and they will clean and store your clothes so they will be ready for your next trip.
Final Conclusion
These apps are only the beginning and there are many other available on the market. All of the mentioned apps will help you prepare for a trip, travel with ease and arrive home safely.
What are the apps you frequently use for your business travels?
Let us know in the comments below.
