The Best Business Travel Tech for Staying Connected in 2023

In case you missed it, some incredible new technology came out in 2022. Thanks to websites like TheTechPanda, AndroidPolice, Apple.com and ScienceFocus, we’ve picked some of the best devices and apps from 2022 for you to experience in 2023 while traveling.

Devices for Your Business Travel

1. The Apple Watch Ultra
The Apple Watch Ultra takes all of the good bits of previous designs, and piles as much as possible on top. Designed to take on extreme environments, elevations, and temperatures, Apple Watch Ultra is an essential exploration tool that can take you everywhere and help get you home. With a robust titanium case, precision dual-frequency GPS, up to 36 hours of battery life, the freedom of cellular, and three specialized bands made for athletes and adventurers of all kinds.

The perfect travel companion to take to extreme weather climates, you’ll stay in touch with the office while out for a mountain biking expedition!

2. Apple Airpods Pro 2^nd
For Apple fans, Airpods are likely the obvious choice for a new pair of in-ear headphones. If you are looking for the latest and best option, it will be the new Apple Airpods Pro 2nd generation. While they don't come cheap, they offer Apple's best active noise cancellation outside of the incredibly pricey AirPods Max, as well as upping the battery life to get you six hours on a single charge. The most important upgrade here is the new H2 chip. This aids the noise cancellation and allows the headphones to adapt songs to offer rich bass and clean high notes in real time.

Whether you’re commuting for work or out for a run, these airpods will drown out the outside noise so you can focus.

3. Apple MacBook Pro 13”
Apple's new MacBook Pro ramps up specs and improves on an already popular design. It continues to feature the touch bar, offers more RAM allocation, the charging is faster, and the Pro now features Spatial Audio. However, the biggest change here is the processor, now featuring Apple's M2 processor chip. This makes the 2022 MacBook Pro an incredibly powerful computer. Finally, we have an Apple laptop that can keep up with gaming alongside the demands of professional editing and creative software.

Work is exceedingly more fun when using this new Apple Macbook Pro. It also travels like a dream, slim and compact for airport security or for commuting to the office.

4. The Velo 2 cycling computer
Trying to get around a city on a bike is a stress like no other, attempting to navigate cars, people and lanes, while also tracking your destination on your phone with a confused navigation system. The Velo 2 cycling computer is unfortunately unable to remove the cars and people in your way, but it can make the navigation easier. This tiny circular device attaches to your bike, giving you easy minimal navigation instructions that are built from tracking real life journeys. You can also track your speed, arrival time, distance, and check the time. It’s even weatherproof.

The new way to get to the office in record time. Finally, a way to stay fit while traveling to your destination without fear of getting lost.

5. Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
There are a lot of smartphones out there, but realistically Apple and Samsung steal most of the limelight. With its two latest devices, Google has managed to join those top two, offering a pair of serious contenders in the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.  In most of the obvious ways, these are great devices, dealing out solid battery performance, a strong processor, bright and colorful display, and even one of the best cameras we've used. But the device's software is what’s most impressive. Able to translate voice notes to text, cut photo-bombers out of your pictures, and even screen calls so you can see if it is spam or not, the device offers a huge variety of ways to make your phone experience better.

Traveling is a great way to test out a new phone. Experimenting with the camera features, testing the battery capacity, and utilizing the business features for work is a great way to get more bang for your buck.

6. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Samsung has been making real waves in the world of folding smartphones. Now on the fourth edition, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the most impressive folding smartphone to date. It’s water-resistant, has been tested to fold and close up to 200,000 times, and despite the hinge, this features one of Samsung's best displays. Whether you want to use it in tablet form or in its cover screen, both look sleek and feel responsive with a 120Hz refresh display.

A blast from the past–a folding phone! The tablet form makes a great feature for working on office documents, and the sleek form makes it easy to travel through airport security.

7. KODAK Luma 150
The KODAK Luma 150 portable projector promises to expand the screen to up to 150 inches while delivering bright, vivid images. It has built-in, surround-sound speakers and a headphone jack for private viewing, with a battery run time of up to 2.5 hours, which is rechargeable via mini USB.

Portable enough to fit in a briefcase if you need to produce a presentation for work, or your backpack if you’d like to watch a film or enlarge your gaming experience on the go.

The Top Apps for Your Next Business Trip

1. GoodNotes on Mac
Use GoodNotes on Mac to access your digital notes wherever you work, whether on the subway, train, car or plane. With iCloud, your digital notes will be synced on all your devices, making the GoodNotes Mac app the perfect partner to access those to-do lists on your computer.

2. Gentler Streak
An exercise and fitness tracker with a twist: it always puts your well-being first. With its help, you'll find a personal balance between fitness and rest. Gentler Streak responds to your readiness and proposes daily workout actions that keep you within healthy activity levels. You’ll know when you're burned out and need a rest or it’s time to push yourself–follow the guidance and see your fitness improve.

3. How We Feel
Users start by checking in with how they are feeling in the moment and then tagging or journaling about factors they believe are contributing to their current emotional state. Since emotions are neither good nor bad, How We Feel users are then given the opportunity to explore strategies to feel the way they want to feel through helpful videos and activities. Great for exploring when you’re chilling in your hotel room or taking a break outside the conference room.

4. Locket Widget from Locket Labs, Inc.
Allowing users to send live photos right to family and friends’ Home Screen, Locket Widget drives intimate connection between loved ones, free from traditional social media pressures. When you’re traveling for work and missing your friends and family, this cool app will keep you feeling close to your loved ones.

5. Waterllama from Vitalii Mogylevets
With its colorful design and gentle guidance, Waterllama makes meeting hydration goals fun, using creative challenges, reminders, and cuddly characters to keep users on track. Get reminders to drink water regularly, join healthy challenges like Weight Loss Sloth, and take advantage of the water minder calculator. This is the perfect app to make sure you’re hydrating properly while traveling!

6. Simple Mobile Tools
Known for its open source apps, from its calendar, gallery, or even flashlight app, you're covered with some open source goodness with Simple Mobile Tools. The app is free, there are no ads, and permissions are kept minimal. Stay organized without sacrificing your privacy while traveling.

7. Mastodon
Mastodon is a solid alternative to Twitter, but since it's decentralized, there's no one person pulling its strings. There's a slight learning curve since anyone can run their own server, but once you get your bearings, not much is different from Twitter in the grand scheme.

Technology can make a huge difference when traveling for business. Just as these devices and app suggestions can aid you during your travel, CLC Lodging can support you with knowledgeable travel support, pre-negotiated discounts, and streamlined booking, reservation management, and payment technology from our portal and mobile app.