Working away on business? Here’s our selection of the best apps to help make your life easier

 

Working away on business has lots of perks; exploring new cities, learning new languages, indulging in fresh new foods and experiencing a different business culture.

When you’re travelling for business, we still think it’s important to fully immerse yourself as much as you can into your new environment. Even if you have a tight work schedule, try and find time to venture out of your hotel and working location.

Here at Cotels, we know all too well that working away from home can often become stressful. Keeping on top of emails, meetings and organising expenses can be time consuming – your trip should be stress-free so that you can represent yourself and your company in the most positive way possible.

So, we’ve put together some of our favourite apps to use when on a business trip that will help it go as smooth as possible.

TripIt – Gather your itinerary

If you’re off on a business trip you more than likely have emails coming out of your ears from your flight carrier, hotel, car hire and other transportation uses you have planned – not to mention that business will be running as usual back at the office, so you’ll be trying to keep on top of that, too. TripIt combines all of your confirmation emails and organises it into a digital itinerary.

If you upgrade the app you can get live updates on your travel status – perfect if you’re running on a strict schedule.

Expensify – Keep your expenses all in one location

The Expensify app allows you to track your travel expenses and keep on top of any transactions that need to be forwarded on to your employer. If you’re self-employed, this is a great way to work out your tax returns at the end of each tax year, too.

All you have to do is scan receipts into the app and Expensify does all the calculations for you – gone are the days of manually inputting each and every transaction.

Google maps – Gather your bearings

Let’s take it back to basics with Google Maps, which is unbeatable for when you’re navigating your way around a new city or town. Working in a new place can often be stressful and getting to certain locations at specific times can prove difficult if you don’t know the quickest route. So, make the most of Google Maps and let Google lead the way to your conference or meeting.

Let’s Lunch – Network smarter

Working in a new city has great opportunities for your entire career as well as doing the job at hand, so why not try killing two birds with one stone by combining networking opportunities with your meeting schedule?

LetsLunch helps you meet new professionals within your industry who you may not have connected with before. If you have a spare hour or so between meetings why not head to a nearby coffee shop or bar at the conference centre to network with other people in your profession?

Workfrom – Work remotely in vibrant cafes

Working in the same meeting room and building can get pretty tiresome, especially if you’re in a new area that you’re keen to explore. So, we recommend downloading Workfrom! It lets you search any city in the world for the best coffee shops, cafes and coworking spaces – ideal for freelancers, creatives and digital nomads.

If you’re looking for fast Wi-Fi, a good sandwich and coffee surrounded by like-minded people, this is the app that will help you find it!

 

Where are you headed on your next business trip?

If you ever find yourself working remotely around the Northampton and Milton Keynes areas then why not head to one of our nearest luxury serviced apartments, Cotels, for a cosy home-away-from home environment?