DataServ’s 8 Favorite Apps for Business Travelers

For today’s business traveler, smart phones and tablets have become a necessity for everything from booking and keeping track of travel plans to finding your way around the city you’re visiting.  When you consider that everyone is doing what they can to keep travel expenses to a minimum in today’s economy, travel apps can be even more valuable.  Here are DataServ’s Top 8 Apps for Business Travelers:

TripIt. “Automagically” takes all your trip details and creates one truly helpful itinerary that’s there when and where you need it. When you receive a confirmation email from anywhere you book (air, hotel, car, restaurants, anywhere!), forward it to plans@tripit.com. TripIt instantly recognizes reservations from 3,000+ booking sites. You can share plans with family or colleagues directly as well.

Gate Guru. Includes real-time flight status information and push notifications for important flight information. Time to kill at the airport? Gate Guru has a structured amenity database that allows you to search for food and beverage as well as shopping and other amenities based on your terminal and gate information.

Best Parking.  If, like most companies, yours likes you to keep travel expenses as low as possible, Best Parking is a great app to have on hand.  A parking search engine that steers drivers toward the cheapest and most convenient parking garages and lots in 43 cities and 79 airports, it can help you save big bucks, especially in high-priced parking cities that business travelers frequent.

Hotel Tonight.  For travelers who want to keep business travel expenses low, and who are able to book hotel rooms at the last minute, this is a great app to have.  Need a hotel room tonight? Hotels give Hotel Tonight last-minute deals on their unsold rooms, with discounts up to 70%, in over 50 cities and airports.

Wi-Fi Finder. Quickly and easily find FREE or paid Wi-Fi when you travel. Using the GPS function on your phone, this app will tell you exactly where the closest Wi-Fi hotspot is, and how to get there.  You can even see which hotspots are served by your favorite internet providers and filter by location type (restaurant, hotel, etc).

Call a Taxi. Cabs are a necessity in some cities, but can be hard to find and can lead to some pretty big travel expenses.  Never get stuck looking for a cab in a strange city again; this app locates the closest and cheapest cab company to your location.

Currency Converter.  If you travel internationally, this app may be a lifesaver.  Converts exchange rates for over 180 currencies and 4 metals.  Avoid surprises on your travel and expense report with this great app.

Yelp.  There are lots of apps that can help you find a place to eat or find a yoga class, but list after list names Yelp as the go-to platform for business and service listings.  Use it to search for places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, then read reviews from those in the know.  Especially helpful for business travelers looking to save on travel expenses: with Yelp you can search by price and often find establishments running specials on their goods or services real-time.

Of course, taking the trip is only the beginning.  Now you have to fill out your expense report, often the most dreaded part of the entire process.  Tired of compiling and sorting stacks of paper, figuring out which spot on the report each one goes, remembering all of the policies and maximums for each category, and routing it so that you can get paid? This can be time consuming and takes you away from what you do best…your job!  That’s why DataServ developed its SaaS Expense Report Automation solution,  which takes most of the paper and hassle out of employee expense reports. Email us or give us a call at 877.700.DATA (3282) to learn more.