Today, many businesses thrive on personal connections and travel. Depending on what type of industry you are in, you may find yourself in foreign cities more nights than in your bed. Or, if you’re interviewing in a foreign city for relocation, how do you know where to eat or what form of public transportation to use?
Do you want to ride the subway? How do you know which way to travel on the subway, or what lines are running behind? We have uncovered our favorite travel apps for navigating, eating, and finding comfortable places to stay when in a foreign area. From finding a last minute penthouse apartment to rent, we have our list to keep you in tune with any city you travel to like a local.
Yelp is my “go to” when I am looking for nearby restaurants or places to have a cocktail at. Yelp is the local guide to finding whatever you want to search for; whether the best sushi in walking distance, a reasonable nail salon, or authentic Chinese. The local businesses are rated on the app by other Yelp members. These members offer true reviews of their experiences.
Larger cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston are known as a major hub for food trucks. From Gorilla Cheese’s Gourmet Grilled Cheeses to the Taco Truck to grabbing a waffle kabob from Waffels and Dinges, the food truck world is your oyster. However, with limited time when traveling for work, how do you know where to go and get the best grub? By using the Tweat.it app, you can locate food trucks that are close by or favorites in your search bar. Much like yelp, you can search different food options to get the best truck for your palette. My recommendation? Any dessert truck.
Sometimes a midday meeting turns into a longer stay. Or, maybe the hotel you initially wanted to stay at wasn’t the “city” experience you had hoped for. Or, maybe your company’s budget wasn’t as high as the city’s standard. How do you pick somewhere else? AirBnb is an international travel app that allows you to find the perfect place, all from your phone or tablet. AirBnB gives a new aspect of staying in the city, by offering you the option to live like local. Many city dwellers rent out their apartment as a whole or a room for a highly discounted rate through the App. Instead of sticking to the hotels, book one of the secured offered listings and pay via the app for your stay. It’s available on iOS and Android.
Roadify is the main app I use when getting around public transportation. It allows you to plan the best route to get around. If you’re wondering if you can stop and get that coffee, the app also lets you know when the next train/ferry/bus will be hitting your station, as well as the next three that are pending.
Whether using it via the Internet or App, Hopstop is another great traveling app for when you are looking to get around a large city. The app allows you to plan the best route, as well as the fastest. It takes into consideration walking or different transportation options, as well as updates on transportation service. The app gives you the option to view transit maps as well if service is spotty or next to nothing in the subways. The taxi option allows you to give an estimated cost, as well as call local cab companies in the meantime.
If you don’t want to stick your hand out in the street and wave a cab down, Uber is the best option. While waiting on the check, turn on the app and request a car to wait in front of the restaurant. You can watch on the live map the route of your driver, and know how far they are from your location. All costs are paid through the phone, which makes the worry of credit card fraud nonexistent and it easy to be expensed for business reciepts. To keep up with cab competition, many Uber drivers offer special perks such as water bottles, mints, or phone chargers to make the ride a lot more comfortable in the busy city streets.
