Ten Essential Apps for Business Travellers

Not so long ago we posted our guide to Essential Apps for Travel Lovers and with more and more smart phones on the market there are more tools for every kind of traveller. Here we look at some indispensable apps for the traveller who needs it most; for many, business travel means a minefield of information and very little time to process it all – if there was only a way to make things simpler…

Expensify

There are few people who’ll disagree that filing expenses is the worst part of business. Expensify is the rescue remedy for all those accounting headaches. Record and keep track of mileage and cash expenses and save images of receipts for uploading. Link a credit card with the account and will generate e-receipts for all purchases. Painless and paperless.
FREE for Blackberry, Android, iPhone and iPad.

Talk To Me

Talk To Me for Android

Android phone users really lucked out with this app, one of the very best text-to-speech (and speech-to-speech) programs on the mobile market. Talk To Me will translate over 40 languages and speak the translations back to you for most of them. It’s so simple to use and might well be your best friend in any communication tight spot.
FREE for Android.

The Trainline

One of the essential downloads of last year and an indispensable app for anyone doing business in the UK*. Finding out when your next connection is couldn’t be easier. Aside from browsing comprehensive schedules for the whole country, you can now buy tickets within the app.
FREE for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and Nokia.

WorldMate

Though available across all mobile platforms, WorldMate is really one for the BlackBerry user. The BB version can manage itineraries, check weather, convert currencies, search Yelp for local recommendations and more. Its niftiest feature however, is TripCatch which automatically identifies your travel confirmation emails and syncs them with the itinerary in the app. The paid Gold adds real-time flight info and alerts.
Basic version FREE for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad.

EasySign Mobile

Quick, straightforward and green, EasySign allows you to sign invoices, orders or whatever you like on the go. Just import email attachments (PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, jpegs, text documents) into the app, add your signature on screen and send without the pain of searching for a printer.
FREE for iPhone.

EasySign Mobile for iPhone

Keypoint

KeyPoint for iPhone

Create, edit, play, share and publish presentations on the go; Keypoint is the essential tool for the time-strapped traveller on their way to an important meeting. The great easy to use interface comes loaded with 10 themes and 7 animation styles to choose from and you can export straight to Keynote or PDF.
£1.19 for iPhone.

TripCase

One of a number of cover-all organisational tools on the market, TripCase stands apart with a few key features. Once all your itinerary details are imported to the app, its intelligent messaging system uses it to inform you of any delays or other useful information and advice relating to your journey or accommodation. Real-time alerts of cancellations and gate changes also come as standard with the free version. You can also post updates to any or all of your social networks at once.
FREE for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.

Taxi Magic (US)

All hail the app that eliminates the need to hail. Taxi Magic is fully integrated with taxi dispatch systems across the US* and allows you to book a cab, track its journey to you and pay with your credit card within the app. Get an e-receipt for expenses and well, what else do you need? We eagerly await the arrival of as effective an app in the UK.
FREE for iPhone. (*US store only. If travelling to the States from elsewhere click on your account at the bottom of the app store homescreen to change country.)

Virgin Atlantic Flight Tracker

Virgin Atlantic Flight Tracker for Nokia Ovi

We couldn’t really go without mentioning our own Flight Tracker app, especially as it’s now available for Nokia Ovi users. Reliable real time flight statuses and schedule information, straight from the source. Simple.
Free for Nokia and iPhone.

Help Call

One final lifesaver (literally) for the iPhone crowd comes in the form of Help Call. This app automatically detects where you are in the world and activates local emergency numbers for one-touch access. You can also store a designated friend’s number alongside the usual police, fire and ambulance services.
59p for iPhone.
Are there any awesome apps you just can’t travel without? We’re always on the lookout for tips, so let us know in the comments below.