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Web Tools Ease Travel Planning Burdens
Julie Moline | WomenEntreprenuer.com
Most business travelers use the web for at least some portion of their trip—whether it’s planning, booking or compulsively checking the Weather Channel. But the web can offer more to make life easier. Here are a few under-the-radar sites to note.
Remote file access. One of the toughest things about business travel isn’t the travel part—although crummy flights, horrible hotels, surly service and bad food are trouble enough. No, the business part is often more difficult because you’re away from your business support system, both the human and the automated kind.
That’s why Box.net is so handy. Need a file, spreadsheet or document, but didn’t download it to take with you? Maybe you didn’t bring your laptop or you have a problem with it while you’re on the road. Perhaps you have to make an impromptu presentation and need some backup. Box.net lets you store, access and share your files from any location (home, office, satellite office) and from any device, including iPhones and BlackBerry phones. Box.net’s OpenBox Services include a clean, intuitive interface for editing, previewing, faxing and signing documents. And there’s no software to download.
Itinerary management. You just began a multi-leg trip. You booked two flights on Orbitz, two on AA.com and two on jetBlue. You made all of your car rental reservations through Thrifty, booked a room for one night on Hilton.com and the rest of your accommodations on hotels.com-except for the night you’re staying at a B&B, which you booked by phone. Keeping track of all of those confirmation numbers is a nightmare; so is figuring out how to get from place to place with the least amount of wear and tear. That’s where TripIt comes in.
TripIt bills itself as an online travel assistant that organizes flight, hotel, rental car, train, restaurant and various activity reservations-even when booked through different online services and vendors. Forward each travel confirmation e-mail to plans@TripIt.com, and the software automatically builds a master online itinerary that combines all the bookings with trip details, confirmation numbers, a daily weather forecast at your destination(s), local maps, driving directions and city guides. You can even add notes about client meetings and access the details from any browser or mobile phone.
Itineraries instantly sync with business calendars, so you don’t have to enter and update trip details manually. You can also share itineraries with colleagues, assistants and family. “Closeness” alerts notify travelers whenever their plans overlap with those of people they know who are on the road at the same time.
