9 Essential Tech Tools Every Business Traveler Needs

We’ve all been there. You’re on the road, traveling for business and your smartphone battery dies. Nowhere to plug in, and you’re stuck in a meeting until 5. In addition to the prescribed laptop and smartphone is a battery charging pack—and these eight other tech tools every business traveler needs.

1. External battery pack.

Major airports have gotten much better at putting charging stations in terminals, but keep an external battery pack charged and loaded just in case. A few great options are this one from Sentey or this cool solar-charging version from SunJack.

2. Cloud conferencing app.

You’ll need to join meetings and conferences on the road (obviously), so make it easy to connect and collaborate from your phone while you’re in a taxi or hotel room. iMeet and Skype for Business are great on-the-go options. If your company already gives you a conferencing line, check out iMeet Agenday, which helps you connect to any conference automatically with a single click.

3. IFTTT.

“If This, Than That” or IFTTT lets you “connect the apps you love” and do it automatically. For example, I could choose the following IFTTT recipe: Save my handwritten note to Evernote. I could then take a picture of my latest customer meeting doodle and IFTTT would automatically save it to Evernote, where I could then share it out to my team.

4. Microsoft Office mobile suite.

Get the free Microsoft Office suite for your mobile device, giving you redundancy in case your laptop breaks or simply for ease of use if you’re a whiz-kid on your iPad.

5. Enterprise-class cloud file sharing.

You probably use a file sharing app already, but get the enterprise version from your employer to avoid security breaches while you’re on the road. Box.com for Business is a great option and includes file sync and share, alongside your enterprise’s IT helpdesk support.

6. Wi-Fi finder app.

Especially useful when you want to avoid overseas roaming fees, the Wi-Fi finder app helps you locate free or paid Wi-Fi locations in over 144 countries. Get it here for iOS and Android.

7. Expensify.

Avoid the back-in-the-office expense report pain by tracking your expenses on your road. Expensify automatically creates expense reports based on your credit card spending.

8. Tracking gadgets.

Lose your baggage or laptop bag, and business travel becomes a nightmare. New tracking gadgets make it possible to track down lost items, such as your luggage, backpack, handbag, smartphone and laptop. Great options are the Nokia Treasure Tag and Tile.

9. Translators.

If you’re traveling overseas, you can skip the translation guide and opt for a digital translator. These handy gadgets, like the Franklin 12-language Translator, are gaining ground in the biz travel market. Or you could opt to use Google Translate on your smartphone.

What must-have business travel tool should be our #10 on this list? Share your favorite devices, apps and gadgets in the comments below.

For more insights and analysis on the future of working on-the-go, download our free eBook “The Future of Business Collaboration: 2015 Edition” today.