If you travel to an unfamiliar city without a lot of time to spend, a few well-selected apps can help you make the most of your visit. In the interest of uncomplicated vacations and successful business trips, we are pleased to describe some of the best iOS and Android apps for exploring a strange city.
Using Mobile Apps To Get Around Business Travel
1) Tour guide in your pocket
Imagine waking up in a room at the Marriott. You desire breakfast and a walk about town, but you have absolutely no clue where to begin. Perhaps you have a business meeting at a scheduled time and don’t know how long it takes to get there. If you own a smartphone, your problems are solved. In fact, 21st-century travelers who carry a phone have an effective tour guide right in their pocket.
Nobody is as hip to a city as the local populace. That’s why SpottedByLocals is such a handy app for business travelers and tourists, too. Originally written to cover Amsterdam, SpottedByLocals currently provides guides for dozens of cities around the globe. Each guide costs a few dollars and it totally worth the small price, say travel geeks at Gizmodo.
2) How to get where you’re going
CityMapper is a free transit app that will keep you right on schedule. The lightweight, constantly updated app can tell you everything you need to know about city buses, ferry boats, subways, rail lines, bike lanes, and local ridesharing.
Input your location, tell the app where you want to go, and CityMapper returns accurate real-time info, including disruption alerts, line status, and ETA. Currently available in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, CityMapper is adding navigation for more cities all the time.
Lonely Planet Guides is another handy travel app that can tell you all about where to dine, drink, and dance in an unfamiliar city. It won’t tell you about many offbeat venues, but if you wish to stay on the well-beaten path, LPG can help you do exactly that.
If you prefer a more customized guide, Like A Local might be the app for you. Save destinations and maps to use in offline mode, and you may save a bundle on roaming charges and spare your smartphone battery, too, recommends TechRadar magazine.
3) Stay connected
In a new town, it can be tricky to find WiFi service. A sweet little app called The Wifi Finder can scout the air and tell you where to find free or paid wireless internet nearby. The app also advises the quickest route to the WiFi source. Filter by location and Wifi Finder will direct you to coffee shops or other specific venues. If you wish, you can download all WiFi locations for a specific area before you go, so you can find WiFi when you get there.
Which apps do you use to find your way around in a new town? Business travel can be a joy when you have the right assortment of apps on your smartphone. 🙂
