Five PC apps for smoother traveling

Introduction

\n\tI travel almost constantly, so I’m always on the lookout for applications that make life on the road easier. Here are five PC apps that have made my travels more fun and hassle-free.

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\n\tNote: If you’d prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

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\n\tPhoto credit: Copyright \u00a9 iStockphoto.com/Vertigo3d

NeatReceipts

\n\tI use the current version of the NeatReceipts on a regular basis, and I’ve found only one problem: Multi-page documents or receipts must be scanned as individual pages and then combined. Unfortunately, NeatReceipts tends to combine the pages in random order. It can be challenging to get the pages properly arranged.

Streets & Trips

\n\tAnother application I use constantly is Microsoft Streets & Trips. This mapping software suite can be invaluable for trip planning. It can give you directions to a destination and includes a database of many points of interest. You can also use it in conjunction with a GPS.

Streets & Trips

\n\tYes, most cell phones do a lot of the same things Streets & Trips does. But when I am planning a trip, it’s easier to view information on a full-size computer monitor than to work through the process on a cell phone.

Flight4all

\n\tAnyone who has done much traveling within Europe knows that airfare between European destinations can be expensive. Flight4all is a handy app that checks the rates of all the discount airlines that operate within Europe.

Flight4all

\n\tFlight4all includes a wizard that guides you through the process of selecting a departure and arrival airport and a set of travel dates. You can also just use the planner instead. Flight4all lets you base a search on the number of days you’ll be gone, which days of the week you want to travel on, or on a set of specific travel dates.

Hotspot Selector

\n\tHotspot Selector offers a basic search interface that enables you to look for hotspots by site name, street name, town, postal code, or country. Its advanced search interface lets you do a search based on things like connection types, operators, and distance.