When it comes to packing for a business trip, these days you could argue your mobile phone is more essential than a spare pair of pants. After all, it's more than just a phone. It's your diary, your camera, and your watch. It's your connection to the world. That's why we thought it would be useful to share with you five apps we think everyone should have whenever they're taking a trip for business.
GOOGLE MAPS – I know, it's an obvious one, but let's face it – it's essential. Can you even remember the days when you'd have to get out of your car and ask for directions? It seems like a bygone era. Heck, it IS a bygone era. When it comes to working away from home and finding yourself in a town or city you're not familiar with, Google Maps is a godsend. Of course, if you get in trouble you can always call one of our Rapid Travel Assistants and they'll do their best to help you find your way. But you can't beat tapping in the postcode of the conference centre you're looking for and having this app guide the way.
CITYMAPPER - This must have app on your phone helps you navigate cities and their public transport systems. One of the best benefits is not having to stand looking at the tube map in London (making yourself look like a tourist, a possible pickpocketing victim). You can simply tell the app where you want to go and it will plan you a route, making staying in a city you've never been to before as easy as possible.
ASANA – This is one you might not have heard of, but it could easily become your new best friend. Asana is essentially a workflow tool. And the app is ideal if you need to manage your schedule on the go. Asana allows you to make each task you have to complete into a little to-do item, which you can assign to yourself or someone else in your team. You can make notes on each item and move it around depending on the due date. Once you've completed a task you can tick it off and it disappears. Or, if you need to change the deadline, you can easily move it to a later date. For the busy business person, it's well worth checking out. Visit
www.asana.com for more.
WHATSAPP – Here's another essential. If you've not already moved your messaging onto WhatsApp, we recommend you do. Rather than incurring text charges, WhatsApp is free, which is handy. But it also allows you to create project-specific groups. So, if you're traveling on a business trip with a few colleagues and you all need to stay in touch – this is perfect. WhatsApp is also great for sending various media and useful links amongst a group of friends or colleagues. And you can even use it to do video calls, which is great for staying in touch with loved ones while you're on the road.
INSTAGRAM – We like Instagram here at Rapid. You can follow us behind the scenes on our
Instagram account! We like it because you never know when you're going to stumble on something interesting happening that you can snap and share with your friends and clients. And, if you're stuck in a hotel with nothing much to do, a scroll through Instagram can soon help kill some time as you get lost following people and hashtags posting all sorts of interesting images. Indeed, with these five apps on your phone you won't go far wrong on any business trip.
Of course, if you're not sure about how to work any of the apps we mentioned or if you want a helping hand, you can always give us a shout here at Rapid and we'll do our best to help. You can reach us 24/7 on 0330 090 41 42.
