You may think I am nuts. Tell my client about travel booking apps?? First, I am not talking about booking apps; if you think they haven’t discovered and checked them out, you are underestimating today’s client. We all know and use apps on our smartphones, and there are some great ones that you should be recommending to your clients to add more value to the transaction.
Citymapper
Citymapper is a comprehensive app that helps you navigate a destination. Enter your starting and ending destinations and it will tell you how to get there (you choose the mode) and how much it should cost.
It does offer in-app navigation, which can be viewed on your phone, or, if you prefer, sent to the speaker, so you are not looking like a complete tourist!
PackPoint
I used to provide my clients with a handy packing list. It was a printed piece of paper when it started and then went high-tech with a PDF. This replaces it and then some. Enter your destination, duration, and type of experiences you want, and the app will suggest a packing list. And it is tuned into the weather at the destination, so if there’s a cool snap on its way, it will suggest a sweater or light jacket!
App in the Air
This is more for the geeks amongst us! Track all your air travel, routes, destinations, miles, trips and more. You can share trips with others and receive tips from their trips as well. It is a perfect app if you are a frequent flier and need to get to the next level of frequent flier.
TripAdvisor
I have a love-hate relationship with TripAdvisor. I love it because it includes activities, restaurants, hotels, and more. I love it because it allows for real-people reviews. I hate it because it allows for real-people reviews. You just need to be able to read between the lines to see if the reviewer is reasonable or not. I tend to scroll past the first page because the trolls seem to be at the top.
FlightAware
This is probably my favorite app. With traveling today, I do not want to spend one minute more than I need to in an airport, and this app is my lifeline. I can track flights, preceding flights, historical flights, and more. When I am picking up my girlfriend, this is my go-to for her arrival. It is based on FAA data, so it tends to be more accurate (in terms of up to the minute) than airline apps and airport websites.
Communicating while on a trip can get expensive with roaming charges, etc. Granted, it is a lot easier than it was, but with the advent of wifi being available for fee in most populated areas, this is a great free app to keep in touch with the folks back home. While it started out as a texting app only, it has now morphed into one that handles voice. Bonus for the end-to-end encryption because you can never completely trust public wifi (or rather the characters that may be trying to hack into it)
All of these apps are available for Android or Apple in their respective app stores. I suggest having them on your phone and available to demonstrate for your next client! Do you have any amazing app discoveries?
