Ahhh, fall. Here at Lovell Communications, the change of the season is unmistakable, and not just from the pumpkin cheesecake hanging out in the kitchen (thanks, Sarah!) As talk of holiday marketing fills the air, I try to divert my attention away from the treats across the hall and let my mind drift to less calorific matters: holiday travel.
The very mention of those two words together could make you want to hide under your desk until Santa and his reindeer jet off to the tropics. But fear not!
Below you’ll find a list of this season’s hottest travel applications for your smart phone. Whether you are gearing up for business travel, visiting family for the holidays, or just trying not to lose your mind after your flight is re-routed for the third time, here are some of the best apps to help you keep your sanity during the busiest travel time of the year.
5. KeyPoint – On-the-go business travelers frequently rely on PowerPoint for client presentations or business proposals. But when a PowerPoint issue needs to be addressed on the fly, business travelers are often out of luck. With KeyPoint, you can create, edit and play presentations, turn them into PDF’s, and share on your website or blog.
4. OpenTable – Did you make a dinner reservation only to find out that your connecting flight was delayed? Find out last minute that you’re in charge of organizing an eight-person dinner party for a client? With OpenTable, you can find a restaurant, choose a table and book it online. Included are more than 20,000 restaurants in all 52 states and more than 15 countries.
3. Mint – Setting (and keeping) a budget during the holidays can be daunting. Recommended by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Mint compiles all of your financial information in one place. You can see what’s happening with your checking, savings, investment and retirement accounts at any time, and track spending as you go. Funds are non-transferrable through the read-only app, but the app makes the list for being an efficient finance tracker for travelers.
2. Expensify – If you’re traveling for business, you’ll want to keep a paper trail of your expenses for a travel report. You could do this the old-fashioned way, but why give yourself extra work? Your smart phone will gladly keep track for you – for free. Using your phone’s camera, you can snap pictures of your receipts to retain a digital record, in chronological order. The app allows you to log mileage, meal expenses and other business related travel costs.
And our number one recommended travel app is…
1. TripIt – Keeping track of your travel reservations can be as tedious as logging your expense report, especially when traveling between several cities. Winner of a 2011 Webby Award, TripIt takes your flight reservations and puts together an easy to read, detailed itinerary. The app tracks your miles, points and more. You can also sign up for push alerts, which will alert you if your flight is delayed or changed.
Do you have any favorite travel apps? Let us know!