Apps for trip planning: top 8 corporate travel tools to streamline your business

We’re all looking for productivity hacks to help us get organized and reduce stress, and with an app for trip planning you can get business travel booked in no time. Whether you’re after a streamlined way to track expenses, stick to a budget, pack more efficiently, or plan your route, business travel apps tackle all the above.

With so many corporate travel apps on the market, it can be difficult to know which are worth using. Never fear – we’ve rounded up the top eight apps (and a few bonus business travel tips) to help you get started.

What is a business travel app?

What do we mean by corporate travel app, exactly, and what can these business travel apps do? Whether accessed via a desktop or downloaded to your smartphone or tablet, travel apps lighten the load of trip planning. Use general travel apps to find and book flights, hotels, and car rentals, or plan your itinerary. With business-specific apps, you can also track expenses and find meeting facilities.

How long does it take the average person to plan a trip?

According to Priceline research, the average person spends 16 hours planning and booking a trip, with Gen Z and Millennials spending over 20 hours on this same process. That’s the equivalent of two full workdays (or more), which is why it’s so important to find ways to streamline the business trip planning process.

The study found that trip planning’s not only time-consuming, but stressful. Over a fifth (22%) of adults surveyed found the planning process to be frustrating. Separate research commissioned by Hotels.com confirmed this with over 25% of those surveyed stating they found trip planning to be one of life’s biggest stressors. And roughly 40% stated they’d be willing to pay more to avoid the planning and research. These are just a few reasons to use apps for trip planning to cut down on the stress.

Business travel tips: how do you plan a trip like a professional?

From the research above, it’s clear that holiday planning is a daunting task for many tourists, but what about business travel planning? The key to taking this stress out of the equation is to start planning like a pro.

1. Make sure that you look at your company’s travel policy to find out what sort of budget you’ll be working with. Then, create an itinerary that falls within your spending limits.
2. Explore off-season discounts and exclusive offers and be flexible with travel dates, if there’s any flexibility in the schedule, to save more money.
3. Use a travel app, such as Booking.com for Business, to compare and book airfare and hotel prices.
4. Research your destination using blogs and destination-centric travel sites to create your itinerary. Plan where you’ll meet clients or colleagues and make conference room or restaurant reservations accordingly.
5. Plan your downtime by placing pins on Google Maps for activities and attractions.
6. Pack smartly with light layers that suit the dress code. Look for corporate travel tools that include suggested packing lists for help.
7. Research business etiquette and other local customs before you land, so that you’re ready to make the best impression on overseas colleagues and, most importantly, clients.

How can a corporate travel app simplify the planning process?

Business travel planning involves multiple steps, from budgeting to packing. Fortunately, corporate travel apps transform this process using automation and personalized results. With a good business travel app, you can:

• Plan and book trips from a single platform like Booking.com for Business, including flights, accommodation, and rental cars
• Consolidate multiple itineraries into a cloud-based document with access granted to multiple users for streamlined business travel management
• Get real-time updates regarding gate changes, flight delays, and weather events to navigate disruptions with ease
• Upload receipts, track expenses, and generate travel reports for more accurate expense management

Top 8 corporate travel tools

With these apps, you’ll be able to put all our business travel tips into action for fuss-free planning.

1. Hopper: Best for predicting the lowest prices

There’s nothing worse than booking a flight, only to see that it’s dropped in price a week later. With Hopper, you can time your bookings to ensure that you’re getting the best deals. The app’s algorithm analyses billions of prices daily to predict the near future of flight and accommodation costs. Then, when the lowest prices are predicted, the app notifies you that it’s time to book. An impressive 95% accuracy rate makes it a trustworthy option, too.

 2. Splitwise: Best way to manage shared expenses

One of the trickiest aspects of business trip planning with a group of colleagues is figuring out who pays what, especially when you’re all on a fixed per diem. With Splitwise, you can calculate and share expenses within a group. Everyone using the app enters expenses as the go, describing the type of expense (meals, accommodation, transport) and who was involved. At the end of your business trip, Splitwise calculates the expense per person, for more efficient reporting and reimbursement.

3. TripIt: Best for multi-destination itineraries

Not all company trip planning is limited to a Point A and B. When you’re undertaking a multi-destination journey, travel plans get complicated, and you need an app to keep everything one place. Enter TripIt, which compiles confirmations and itineraries into a single, master document. It automatically syncs with your online calendar, letting you review and change plans on the go. TripIt also sends alerts to make sure you don’t miss any legs of the journey.

4. Wanderlog: Best company trip planning app for road trips

This comprehensive trip planner is packed with features, most of which are free of charge. With Wanderlog, you can plan your itinerary with the help of user-written travel guides, finding the best deals on flights, car rentals, and lodging. Once you’ve created an itinerary, you can store it in the app for easy retrieval. This business travel app is particularly useful for road trips as it helps you work out the best route, including roadside support and attractions.

5. Wheely: Best for arriving in style

Traveling to London, Dubai, or Paris for work? Save time and skip the taxi queues. Use Wheely to request a high-end luxury car in advance and you’ll be whisked away from the airport to your hotel or meeting by a qualified chauffeur. It’s easy to book, by adding your flight details in the app for an on-time pickup. Cars also come equipped with chargers in case you’ve drained your devices on the plane.

6. Sygic: Best for bleisure travelers

You don’t have time to get lost, which is why it’s so recommended to download a good map app before you travel. Sygic Travel is perfect for planning detailed itineraries for each day of your journey, giving estimated walking times and distances so you won’t be late to meetings. Sygic is also a viable choice for those combining business with leisure. It comes with a user-generated database of each city’s most popular attractions, restaurants, bars, and shops. Use the Travel Maps feature to discover hidden gems recommended by other travelers, all while plotting your own journey times.

7. Packing Pro: Best for strict luggage requirements

Business trip planning often focuses on flights, accommodation, and activities. Packing the right things is important too, whether it’s important materials for a presentation or an outfit for an evening reception. With Packing Pro, you can create an unlimited number of lists to get organized, taking factors like weather conditions and trip duration into account. As you put each item into your bag, tick it off the list for streamlined tracking. The app even gives you suggestions to make sure you’re not forgetting anything important.

8. Booking.com for Business: Best for full-service business travel platform

Business travel planning involves a multitude of moving parts, which can swiftly become overwhelming. With Booking.com for Business, you can take control of travel plans from inception to completion. Use Booking’s all-in-one platform to reserve flights, car rentals, and accommodation without paying added fees. It offers exclusive business rates for travelers and letting you earn loyalty points. 

Is there a free trip planner?

Yes, many of the apps listed above are free, including Booking.com for Business, TripIt, Skyscanner, and others. Many of the best corporate travel tools come with multiple levels of service, with the most basic functions available for free and upgraded professional versions available for a monthly subscription fee. Whether you need a paid business trip planner depends on how frequently your team travels – for cost-saving apps, the fee can be well worth it.

Which trip planner is best?

There’s no one-size solution for every company. The best business trip planner will depend on your company’s size, budget, and travel frequency. The largest corporations will need a platform that can handle hundreds of complex itineraries at once, with dedicated account management. Small and medium-sized companies would benefit from free corporate travel planning tools like Booking.com for Business to streamline bookings while minimising costs. The best apps for trip planning are customisable as well, letting you tailor your travel solution to best meet company needs.

From dedicated customer support to itinerary tracking to spend management tools, today’s corporate travel tools take the hard work out of the business planning process.