In today's highly personalized world, it goes without saying that the "best" set of business travel-enabling apps will vary from one person to the next. Travelers shouldn't limit themselves to apps that have been collected by someone else and handed down from on high. Road warriors know better than anyone what tools they need to keep them on mission.
But busy travelers (and travel managers!) often don't have time for extensive due diligence. That's why BCD Travel is calling out some capital-P "Power Apps" for attention. The list below has been tested by our own road warriors; we know they'll make your life a lot easier.
If you wish to download, print or share the index, a PDF version is available HERE for your convenience.
Travel managers: In addition to promoting apps associated with the corporation's expense management system and online booking tool of choice, you'll find a wealth of options to propose to your travelers here.
| Journey management apps Help you know where you need to be and what's going on around you | |
 | TripIt manages your itineraries and lets you compare travel schedules, share destination information and publish plans to personal social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn |
 | Frommer's Remix helps you to create a custom travel guide based on your TripIt itinerary and your favorite interests |
 | The U.S. TransportationSecurity Administration app is a must for smooth travel in and out of this major market |
 | FlightCaster or FlightTrack Pro will support all irrepressible flight trackers |
 | Google Maps is a modern classic, and for good reason |
| Concierge apps Do all sorts of things for you |
 | TripList or Packing List can help you start your trip with your shoe on the right foot (and in the right suitcase) |
 | Triplingo lets you tailor your language-learning experience to your immediate needs, and includes a healthy dose of local slang |
 | XE Currency or Onada's currency converter can quickly calculate currency conversions, including bank or credit card charges |
 | SmartTraveler provides frequently updated official country information, travel alerts, travel warnings, maps, U.S. embassy locations and more from the U.S. Department of State |
 | Delivery.com can help you find food delivery when room service isn't in your budget |
 | Taxi Magic can help you find, track and pay for a taxi |
 | Limos.com, a ground transportation marketplace, allows you to take a different route and book a private car, often at the same price as a taxi |
 | Check Please will take the stress out of calculating your waiter's tip or splitting your bill with colleagues |
 | Genius Scan lets you quickly capture an image of a receipt and convert it to PDF for your expenses |
 | iPassConnect connects subscribers to wi-fi hotspots around the world |
 | GateGuru helps travelers find the nearest airport gift shop (no forgetting that special trinket for your kids!) or where to get the best pre-boarding bagels |
Cozi helps manage your family calendar, shopping lists, "to do" lists and family journal while you're on the go SleepStream 2 offers a range of "soundscapes" to aid relaxation or becoming alert when jet lagged HuluPlus, Justin.tv, Netflix and Uverse Mobile and similar apps help you manage television programming remotely Tru, Skype Mobile and Tango allow those overseas to enjoy a leisurely conversation for little or no cost (if your mobile is connected to wireless Internet, or in Tru's case even over 3G) OpenTable simplifies the task of finding a restaurant and making an instant reservation Eat This Not That helps you ward off road-warrior "excess baggage" by proposing healthy food swapsLifestyle apps
Keep you in touch with your home and personal priorities
| Location intelligence apps Incorporate GPS with consumer reviews to help you make the most of where you are standing |
 | Yelp, AroundMe and Urban Spoon help you find needed services like a dry cleaner or ATM and places like a subway station or a restaurant |
 | Alfred uses artificial intelligence to recommend restaurants nearby based on the restaurants you like near home |
 | Glympse allows you to capture your GPS location and send it via text to someone along with a message |
| Deal-of-the-day apps Help you make the most of special opportunities |
 | Groupon and Living Social deliver location-specific, short shelf life deals directly to your phone, letting you squeeze more out of your travel budget |
It is worth noting that many a useful app is not included here because they're just too voluminous. Nearly every supplier — be it an airline, hotel or car rental company — offers apps that may improve the user experience. In addition, many airports and most public transport systems in major cities (e.g., London transport) have their own apps, too. Be sure to search for these before you depart.
To learn more about how corporate travel programs are boosting policy compliance and efficiency through consumer-travel strategies, contact your account manager and download BCD Travel's white paper, The Customer Always Knows Best: Leveraging B2C Strategies in Managed Travel Programs.
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