The 10 Best Free Apps For Business Travelers

Business travel can be a headache. Fortunately, the iPhone and now even Blackberry are great travel companions. Here are some awesome apps that will keep you organized, help you out once you get to your destination, and hopefully make your life a little easier. The best part: they're all free!

iPhone Apps

Trip Tracker
Trip Tracker has perfected the art of automated itineraries. Rather than having to input any information yourself, you simply register your frequent flier and hotel rewards numbers on their website, and the app will "automagically" import your travel information for you. You get push notifications, flight status updates, and your complete itinerary, all in one place.

GateMaps
For those who need to make some quick transfers, GateMaps should come in handy. The app has detailed maps of the terminals at six major US hubs, and more are coming soon.

The airports currently covered:
* Atlanta (ATL)
* Chicago/O'Hare International (ORD)
* John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
* Los Angeles (LAX)
* Miami International (MIA)
* San Francisco International (SFO)

Skype
You can use this app to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, or chat by instant message, making it an indispensable app for anyone traveling internationally. After this summer, Skype will start charging a low fee for any calls made over 3G, but Wi-Fi calls will still be completely free.

Taxi Magic
The magic part of this app's name comes from the fact that you can get a cab super-fast at the touch of a button. The app coordinates with local taxi dispatch services to find one that close to you, then lets you book it without even making a phone call. You can even track the taxi as it's on its way to you. Taxi Magic is available in most major US cities.

Bump
No more scrambling to find business cards or forgetting to input someone's information while you're on the road: the Bump app lets you import and share contact information with other iPhone users just by holding your phones close to each other.

Expensify
Expense reports are a headache for anyone traveling for business. Fortunately, now there's an app that "does expense reports that don't suck!" Expensify organizes your travel expenses as you go, then packages them up in one handy, IRS-friendly report for you to submit to your employers.The best feature of this app is how you upload your receipts: just take a picture of them with your iPhone camera. No more lugging around a wallet full of old receipts!

HopStop
Make sure you never get lost on your way to a meeting. HopStop is a lifesaver for anyone taking public transportation in an unfamiliar city. Simply input your starting and ending locations, and the app figures out the fastest route, clearly explaining all transfers and walking directions.

The iPhone may have the corner on the apps market, but the good old BlackBerry is still the go-to smartphone for many people in business. A few of the improvements: users will be able to pay for apps through carrier billing, and the store will be much easier to search. Check out a few apps for the Blackberry in the App World that have been designed specifically with business travelers in mind.

Blackberry Apps

Poynt is a must for anyone who finds themselves in an unfamiliar destination. Poynt uses your BlackBerry's location-sensing technology to pinpoint points of interest around you. You can search for restaurants, retail stores, gas stations -- anything you might need when you're on the road.

WorldMate Live is the ultimate business travel organizer. WorldMate Live sets up and keeps track of your itinerary for you -- all you have to do is send your trip details (such as your flight and hotel confirmations) to a specific WorldMate email address, and the app imports your information without any manual input.

Navita Translator breaks the language barrier. If you ever find yourself struggling with a language barrier, bust out your phone and take advantage of Navita Translator.
It is capable of "speaking" over 50 languages, and it can translate words that you input, text from emails and SMS, and more.

Do you know of any other great business travel apps? Share them in the comments.

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