Travel Smart with Your Smartphone!

One of the best perks of being employed is that you sometimes get to go on business trips that require you to travel out of town or out of the country. Though given that it is still work per se, the elements of adventure and journeying to a foreign land are still present. Most of us are also on smartphones, and it’s amazing how technology can make our lives significantly easier. Various smartphone applications, or “apps” as they call them, can do more than just assist us while on a trip. So may they be for work or vacation, downloading these apps on your smartphone will do you a huge favor.

PLAN with TripIt (available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)

TripIt helps you plan all of your travels and on the go! This application is quite astounding, being able to book reservations, provide you with maps, and so much more. If you’re on a business trip, TripIt allows you to sync your calendar in with the application as well as fix your plans for you.

This hassle-free mobile application allows traveling with ease, making it one of the top travel apps today. What TripIt basically does is organize and compile all the things you have to do in your destination and lay them out in an itinerary format, making it very user-friendly and extremely reliable at the same time. This app in the world at any given time, either through your computer or your mobile device. It’s such a nifty application to have around, especially if you are a frequent flyer. You can keep track of all your to-do’s by a few taps here and there.

What’s also great about this application is that it comes for free, and is compatible with the leading smartphone operating systems, namely iOS of the iPhone, Android and Blackberry. In case you have an iPad, a version is also available for you.

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COMMUNICATE with Google Translate (available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)

Google Translate will help you bridge the language barrier wherever you may be! This application is extremely useful, allowing you to translate not only words but also phrases in more than 60 languages.

Having a hard time bargaining in the Hong Kong night market? Or what about mispronouncing that French word in a restaurant while with your client? This nifty Google Translate application can instantly correct your wrong intonations, and accurately translate what message you want to put across. No need to speak in broken English; all you need to do is to speak the phrases and you will hear the corresponding translations.

Some of the features of Google Translate will allow you to speak instead of text, listen to translations that are spoken aloud, gain access to your translation history despite being offline, display your translations in a full screen mode to make it easy for others to read, add a star to your favorite translations for instant access, and spell out non-Latin languages so you can read them phonetically.

EXPLORE with Wikitude (available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)

Wikitude offers a new spin on the normal travel application. By incorporating the use of Augmented Reality, Wikitude allows you to explore the world around you through your camera’s field of vision. Giving a rich and engaging experience, this application immerses you in your surroundings and allows you to identify the locations all around you. This is a practical application to have, especially for those who travel for business purposes. It serves as a handy tool when it comes to searching for meeting places and cafes that provide great ambience for business.

Another interesting detail about this application is that you can create your very own Augmented Reality world. This allows you to keep track of the destinations and locations that have relevance to you and your business partners, especially for important events such as contract signings and the like. Think of it as an augmented reality travel bookmarker, with everything—details, directions, and destinations—right at the touch of your fingertips. You can also share this data to your colleagues via popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Other features of Wikitude include locating events, Wikipedia trivia articles, [img src: http://www.wikitude.com/ restaurants, user reviews, ATMs, and much more. You can also browse through tour/wikitude-world-browser more than 150 million places and experience exclusive interactive content for

more than 2,500 content providers known as “Worlds”. Not only are places identified, but also the surrounding objects. You will also be notified for any existing mobile coupons and discounts for stores or shops near you.

TRACK with Trip Journal (available on iPhone and Android)

If you’re the type who likes to track and take note of your trips, then Trip Journal is a must-have for you. Through this application, you can track, document, record, and share what happens during your business trips with your office, friends and family.

An award-winning application, Trip Journal allows you to create a personal and memorable travelogue. Despite the number of features this application has, Trip Journal has improved its system in order to make it easier for you to browse and organize your details. Through the use of GPS route tracking, Trip Journal allows you to record your trip and use either manual or automatic location settings to position your favorite destinations. Geo-tagging is also one of the great features of Trip Journal, allowing your smartphone to identify the respective locations where your photos and videos were taken. Sharing functionality is also a breeze through this app where you can instantly upload your memories via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. Its integration with Google Earth also allows your friends and family to instantly view the route you have traveled, making it fun, engaging, and interactive.

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BACKUP your system with Dropbox (available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)

Of course, good business practices make it imperative to have all your important office files with you wherever you go, and Dropbox provide sthat solution. Thanks to this application, business presentations, data sheets, photos, videos and other documents can now be transferred from your computer to your mobile device. No need to worry about not having an important contract or travel document. Reservation at a certain hotel in a different country? Show them your document by simply syncing in the contents in your computer through Dropbox.

Simple and easy to use, this cloud storage service is definitely a travel essential. No need to worry about securing documents in your laptop when everything is stored in your mobile device. And as the name implies, you simply drag and drop the items to your Dropbox and they will be automatically synced.

Dropbox also allows for instant interconnectivity and sharing. Link your personal Dropbox to your friends’ and enjoy instant photo sharing even when you’re in a different country. Even if you lose your mobile device, you can be assured that all your files are saved in your Dropbox account and are easily accessible when you log on using a different device.

These awesome features coupled with a user-friendly interface makes sharing and storing a whole lot easier. Offline viewing is also made possible through this application, as well as multiple downloading and saving. You can also automatically save attachments straight to your Dropbox, and adjust your privacy settings. With this app installed in your mobile device, you’re sure to have everything you need with you, no matter where you are.