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Business travel can be stressful but today it doesn’t have to be that way. Smartphones make a great travel companion today. This is because you can download a lot of useful apps to use along the way. Exactly what app you can use will depend on the type of smartphone you have but there are some decent apps available regardless.
Apps for Android and iOS
There are some apps that are shared between smartphone operating systems. Whether you have an android or an iOS Business Insider says that the apps you want to check out include:
- Skype is a great way to stay in touch regardless of where you’re traveling – even if you’re traveling abroad. With this app, you can make free calls and message people without spending a lot of money. Web conferencing is also an option. This allows you to have visual calls with up to 10 people at once, which is a decent size for an online meeting.
- Google Maps helps ensure that you don’t get lost on your way to a meeting. Simply enter the destination and the app keeps your route on the screen as it directs you there.
- Google Drive allows you to save all of your documents in one place so you don’t have to carry them with you. You can then share and edit these documents with your colleagues. Once you do so, any changes that you make are instantly stored within the app.
- ClassPass is a monthly fitness membership that gives you more flexibility than your local gym. This is a credit based system that gives you access to local gyms and studios that are shown in the app. There’s also ClassPass Flex. It lets you sign up for classes in other cities when you travel. The only “catch” is that you need to use more than half of your credits in your hometown each month.
- Cisco Webex helps to be in contact at some point with management or other team members, and while there are a great many online conferencing apps available, the Cisco WebEX app (formerly known as Cisco Spark) appears to be one of the standouts. Ideal for speaking with anywhere from just two individuals to potentially hundreds, it’s also easy to use, and enables you to hold meetings with anyone at any time, wherever they may be so long as they have their mobile device handy. Additionally, this app also has a number of additional features not found in other conference and meeting apps.
- Slack is a quick way for you to communicate with colleagues since you won’t have time to sift through emails while you’re traveling. Through this app, you can easily send real-time private and group messages. You can also share and edit documents.
Apps for iOS
Today there seems to be a growing preference for iOS. In this case, Uni Globes Ameer Travel says there are some apps just for you that you shouldn’t overlook. In specific, these include:
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- SayHi makes it easier for you to travel in a foreign country. It understands that while you’re there one of your biggest hurdles will be speaking their language. With this translation app, you can say more than just “hello.” All you have to do is establish the primary language so that when you’re ready to speak or type a word or phrase into the app it will be translated into the secondary language of your choice and read out loud either a male or female voice and in almost perfect dictation. The app will even save your favorite questions and phrases in a pop-up menu for quick access. You have 33 languages to choose from – including Arabic, French, German, Swedish, and Mexican Spanish.
- GateGuru helps you organize travel itineraries so that you can navigate through airports easily. This is done by linking to Kayak, TripIt, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. The app doesn’t only give you flight information but it also gives you real-time feedback on airport services and amenities. Currently, it includes information on over 120 airports – ones in the U.S. as well as some in Europe and Asia. There’s also reviews, opinions, and photos about these services and amenities created by your fellow travelers. This way you know about the quality of the food and service, as well as what type of atmosphere to expect. Oftentimes this is even provided for you in real-time.
- YPmobile offers you more than GPS, it also has categorized business listings, menus, hours, directions and user reviews. It can even help you find the lowest gas prices in the area and places offering a Wi-Fi hot spot.
- PocketCloud uses the cloud so you can view files, launch apps and access any resource available from a host machine to a mobile device over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G mobile networks. Since you won’t always have a computer available when you’re traveling, this really is a convenient travel companion. Through it, you can connect to machines running Linux, Mac OS X (10.6) and Windows (7, XP, Vista). You can also connect to systems running RDP or VNC remote protocols as long as you use their IP address or hostname.
Apps for Other Devices
There are also people who still prefer something other than Android or iOS. If you’re one of these people, there are some apps developed for you to use so you won’t feel left out. One of the best apps for this is available on BlackBerry, Mac OS X, and Windows. EverNote is a free app that can help you remember anything and everything. Its interface is really easy to use so you can take notes quickly, capture memories via audio, and even attach pictures. You can also add titles, descriptions, and tags so you can quickly search through everything. All of this is automatically synced across all personal devices. It’s also easy to share with your contacts via social networks. If you don’t want to share something, simply use a passcode to lock it safely away.
Traveling doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. With some help from these apps you can get yourself organized. Since most of these apps don’t even need internet usage, they’re right there at your fingertips when you need them. So, take some time to turn your smartphone into the powerhouse it’s meant to be today.
