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For Business
January 31, 2014

The 5 must-have Windows Phone apps for business travel



Gone are the days when travelling for business meant missing key meetings at the office, eating in random restaurants the locals would avoid for dear life, or missing flights because you’d misplaced the itinerary.

This is, of course, in large part due to the wonders of mobile technology, which has made business travel a lot less hectic and a lot more manageable. And when it comes to making work trips go smoothly, there’s no better smartphone than your Nokia Lumia. To see some of the reasons why, check out these super useful business travel apps, all just a click away at the Windows Phone Store.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) To Go

What is it? A travel planner in your pocket

Hip, hip, hooray, the can’t-live-without-you king of all travel apps has just premiered at Windows Phone. CWT To Go won the GBTA’s Business Traveler Innovation Award for Outstanding App in 2012, and for a very good reason. Powered by WorldMate, it allows you to get real-time flight notifications, view maps, check in on over 250 airlines and share itineraries with colleagues. While the trips you book through CWT display and sync automatically, you can also add itineraries from other apps, like TripIt, to keep all your travel information conveniently in one place. We also like the fact that you can pin the app or your current trip to your home screen for instant access. CWT To Go is available to all business travellers whose companies have Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) as their travel partner.

Who’s it perfect for? People who want all their travel docs at hand

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Trip Expenses

What is it? A very nifty expenses cataloguer

Oh, how organized this incredible handy travel expenses app makes us feel. Trip Expenses saves and keeps all the expenses info you’ve entered for current and past trips, including photographs of receipts. What’s more, it supports expenses incurred in pretty much every way you can possibly part with your money, from cash to credit cards and even gift cards. The great news for business travellers is the fact that it can deal with multiple currencies, and you only have to be online in order to email your expenses to someone. And, as we all have different jobs and different kinds of expenses, it lets you customize categories. We promise you this app will save you lots of time and lots of headaches.

Who’s it perfect for? Anyone with lots of receipts

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TeamViewer

What is it? A user-friendly remote access app

Did you accidentally save that important presentation on the desktop of your office computer rather than on SkyDrive? No worries, because with the TeamViewer app you can still access it from anywhere in the world. Safe and secure because of its excellent encryption and authentication standards, TeamViewer is the fastest and most user-friendly of all the remote access apps we’ve tried out. You can zoom in and out, scroll, drag and drop items as well as reboot your Windows, Mac or Linux computer from wherever your travels take you, and the interface matches your Windows Phone 8 operating system perfectly. It’s as if we were always meant to have it.

Who’s it perfect for? Regular business travellers

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GoToMeeting

What is it? A teleconferencing app

Clashing travel schedules with your key contacts? Your most important client visiting while you’re away on a conference. Oh dear… or you could just GoToMeeting. With this free app you can join a meeting with your Nokia Lumia on any continent, by just tapping a link on an email or a calendar appointment. Other attendees can show you their presentations, designs, reports or other documents on the screen, and you can discuss them using the built-in internet audio or phone conference. Out of the office no longer means out of the picture!

Who’s it perfect for? Business people who need to be in two places at once

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HERE Explore Beta

What is it? An app for getting to know your business destination

Lets face it, business trips are often hectic, leaving you little time to discover the hidden gems of your fascinating destination. This is where HERE Explorer Beta comes in, recommending the best places to go based on your location, the quality of places, and the time of the day. When it finds you something you love, you can save it to your precious private collection to come back to on your next trip. Big thumbs up to the sci-fi effect of this app: all we need do is hold our phone up and we see floating signs for possible destinations. We can’t wait to test this new app outside our home city… is that enough reason to book our next trip?

Who’s it perfect for? Business people who want to be in the know.

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Have you tried these five out yourself? If so, do you agree with us? We’re also very eager to know which other apps you’ve found essential on your business trips, so please share any top tips in the comments below. In the meantime, we wish you happy, safe and amazingly productive travels!

 Image credit: J Aaron Farr