6 Travel Hacks and Apps for Budget-Friendly Business Travel

Have you ever tried keeping traveling expenses to a strict budget?

If you have, you’ll know it’s far from being the easiest thing in the world. Traveling as an entrepreneur can be especially costly if you don’t have the budget or resources to cover the full cost of a business trip, especially if there’s more than one of you going.

Thankfully, with the help of technology there are several ways to help make your budget go further so you and your employees can make the most of your business travel.

Stay Connected

Before traveling, consider purchasing a phone for yourself and your team on a 4G network. Ensuring your team is plugged in should be a main priority as the following tips rely on having a phone at your disposal and you’ll also want to be able to stay connected to your team or business partners. 4G networks often offer special perks for travelers like international texting and data plans to help keep you connected, while the phone you select will assist you by offering a variety of apps that can be useful for tracking expenses and spending habits throughout your trip.

Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, looking into alternative accommodation options can help reduce costs on a budget-friendly trip. Try installing the Airbnb or VRBO app to search for local apartments available for rent at a cheaper rate than a standard hotel and book right from your smartphone. In the event you’re traveling with a team of people, consider renting a full house with several individual rooms to accommodate everyone traveling in your party without forgoing privacy.

Getting Around

Once you’ve got your accommodations booked, install the Uber app on your phone to save on transportation. If you want to save money even further, consider using UberPOOL to carpool with others also using UberPOOL and split the fare even further.

In the event you’re feeling particularly ambitious or if you don’t mind public transportation, using the Maps app will show you the quickest way to navigate a city to your destination using public transportation. There’s no better way to see a city, am I right?

Excursions and Reservations

Phones can come in handy for other business expenses as well. Things like booking discount excursions through Groupon for team building exercises and making reservations or viewing reviews for potential venues and restaurants for client meetings can all be done with the click of a button from the comfort of your room. Citypass coupon codes are a great way to save on the cost on many activities you would want to plan for your team.

Keep Those Receipts

The nice thing about making purchases through your phone is that it tracks all of your purchases via the apps you’re using or through email confirmation which makes it incredibly easy to track your expenses at the end of your trip for tax return purposes. Being able to monitor your expenses as you go will help ensure you’re spending money where you should be, and also make it clear when you need to reel it in and get back on track if you’re overspending in certain areas. Consider using a budgeting app like Mint to allocate certain budgets to specific areas of travel like transportation, dining and accommodations to give you a visual of how much money you’ve spent on the specific details.