Better business trips

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1. Plnnr

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Plnnr is a web-basedrnitinerary tool that can save you time on trip planning. With a few clicks yourncan quickly get a full itinerary with routes, attractions, places to eat u2013 allrnusing your hotel as a central point of focus. The entire set up of your trip isrnsimple and focuses on what you want. Although much of Plnnr is centered onrnvacation travel, it’s a great place to start u2013 especially when your business travelrnis taking you to new parts of the world. Need to find the best place for drinksrnor food, it’s all just a click or two away. But Plnnr doesn’t just list outrnthose four- and five-star restaurants; it also maps out the routes from yourrnhotel. Plnnr is free to use and always at your fingertips, so long as you haverna web browser at the ready.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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2. Packing List

rnrnPackingrnList (Lite or Pro) is an Android app that allows you to create packing listsrnfrom scratch, generate lists from previous saved lists, and even includes arnmaster list which you can use for a base-line. The feature list includes:rnSave/use multiple lists, re-order categories, mass change for faster editing,rngroup lists by location/luggage, save lists on SD card, addrnnotes/quantity/weight to items, email/share your lists, and much more. If you’rernone of those that always seems to struggle with the idea of exactly what torntake for a business trip, Packing List could certainly help. With this handyrnapp, you can even create lists for each business trip you take, so the act ofrnpacking is just a matter of calling up the proper list and following the “instructions”.rnThe Pro version ($1.50 USD) removes the advertisements and allows you to checkrnlocation weather and sync lists across devices.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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3. Tripit

rnrnTripit is arnnifty mobile app that helps you organize your travel. With this tool you canrnforward hotel, airline, car rental, and restaurant confirmation emails to [email protected] (from the same email yournused to create a Tripit account) and generate an instant itinerary that can bernaccessed from your mobile device. You can manually set up trips or even allowrnTripit to automatically scan your Gmail account to find travel plans andrnconfirmations. Once Tripit finds those plans/confirmations, it will turn themrninto Tripit itineraries. Even if you don’t use the itinerary generator,rncreating a trip manually is still quite easy and allows you to set up lodging,rnmeetings, activity, dining, and much more. The Pro version of the apprn($49.00/year) adds real-time flight alerts, seat tracker, flight finder, refundrnnotifications, point tracker, and more.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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4. Expensify

rnrnExpensifyrnmakes keeping track of your business travel expenses a snap. With this handyrnmobile app, you can capture receipts from the device camera, scan your receipt,rncreate and edit expenses on the go, manage your time and mileage, sync yourrnbank and credit cards, submit reports (PDF format) via email, and more.rnExpensify features: Worldwide currency support, company expense policies,rnoffline mode, integrate with cloud storage, QuickBooks, Xero, SAP, NetSuite,rnand more. You can even forward an itinerary (from the account email) to [email protected] tornauto-generate a trip. If you’re looking for a business travel expense tool, you’llrnbe hard-pressed to find one more capable than Expensify.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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5. AirBnB

rnrnAirBnB is what yournwant if you’re tired of staying in the same cookie-cutter hotels for everyrnbusiness trip. With this service, you can book anything from bed and breakfastsrnto castles (yes there are over 600 castles you can rent from) for your travelrnstay. Instead of hooking up with corporate chains, you book with locally ownedrn(and individually owned) locations that offer every possible amenity. WithrnAirBnB you can rent from people in over 34,000 cities and in 192 countries.rnWhat’s best, you can read reviews of rentals from other travelers, so you knowrnexactly what you’re getting into. If you’re looking to turn your business triprninto a unique travel experience, this is what you want. The service is free,rnthe rentals are not u2013 but you can find incredibly cheap deals all over thernworld.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic

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If you’re a frequentrnflier, and you’re looking to make all those miles a bit easier, give one (orrnmore) of these apps/services a try and see if they don’t add a littlernefficiency and joy to your business trips. No matter what you do, or whatrnservice you use, always travel safely.

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Credit: Images by JackrnWallen for TechRepublic