100 Free and Useful Web Tools for Students Abroad

By Tara Miller

Studying abroad can be one of the best and most enlightening experiences you’ll have when you’re in college. You’ll get a chance to learn about another culture, see far away places and maybe even become fluent in the local language. While studying abroad can be fun, it can also be challenging if you aren’t prepared. Here are some tools to help you manage being away from home, including ways to keep in touch, make sure you can finance your trip and ensure you’re complying with all the legal issues involved in overseas travel.

Reference Sites

These sites can offer a range of resources to students abroad, from information on how to stay safe to places where you can talk with other students.

1. Transitions Abroad: No matter what you’re doing overseas, from working to going to college, this site offers resources, links, articles and advice.
2. Study Abroad Student Handbook: Learn how to choose the right program, maintain your health and safety while away and return to the states without any legal trouble from this great online handbook.
3. GoAbroad: Find information here on everything from rail travel abroad to how you can get a cell phone that will work in your host country.
4. IIEPassport: On this site you’ll get access to resources about places to travel, how to get health care, scholarships and more.
5. Study Abroad.com: This site will help you learn about all the study abroad programs out there, from high school to graduate college.
6. Study Abroad Directory: Visit this site to learn about the wide range of study abroad resources and a programs out there.
7. International Student: Learn about scholarships, engage with other students and learn about health concerns from this site.
8. NRCSA: Language center listings, test prep and loads of information on study abroad programs around the world on this site.
9. Study Overseas.comHere you’ll not only find program listings but a great selection of helpful online magazines as well. :
10. TransWorld Education: Visit this site to learn about insurance when you’re away, get tips and tricks, and read the study abroad webzine.

Government and Safety Tools

U.S. citizens can make sure they’re traveling safe and with all the proper documentation through these sites.

11. U.S. Department of State: From getting your student visa to finding out about safety conditions in your host country, you’ll find all the information you need here.
12. Emabassy.org: Curious where the U.S. embassy is in your host country? Find listings for all embassies around the world on this site.
13. Students.gov: Pay a visit to this site to read about government resources and programs for students abroad.
14. Center for Disease Control: Learn if you might be ask risk for certain diseases and health conditions through the bulletins and advisories on the CDC website.
15. International Driving Permits: Hoping to drive while you’re away? You’ll likely need a special license. Learn how to get one from this site.
16. U.S Customs: Make sure nothing you’re bringing back home with you will cause you trouble by reviewing the customs regulations ahead of time.
17. International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers: Here you can learn who and where to get medical help while you’re away.
18. GotoMyPC: If you’ve forgotten something at home or need to access your home PC, you can do so easily with a free trial of this program.

Keeping in Touch

Make sure your friends and family know you’re safe and what you’re up to with these free tools.

19. NetCafeGuide: Use this site as a resource to find out where an internet cafe is near you, so you can always be in touch.
20. Skype: This popular service is a great way to make free or cheap international calls to those you care about or just to chat online.
21. Rebtel: With this service you’ll get an alias number that will let you make dirt cheap international calls.
22. Nimbuzz: Check out Nimbuzz to learn how to make free calls and instant messages from your mobile phone from anywhere.
23. Fring: Download Fring to your mobile device and start enjoying free talk and chat.
24. Meebo: With Meebo, you can access your MSN, AIM, MySpace and Yahoo chat from one place.
25. Pidgin: From this service you can access virtually every instant messaging account out there, making it easy to chat with all your friend no matter what they use.
26. eBuddy: Check out eBuddy to access your chat services from your computer or mobile phone.
27. PostalRates: Want to send something home? This site will help you determine postal rates no matter where you are.
28. WengoPhone: Use this free softphone to keep in touch with everyone dear to you without spending a fortune.

Traveling Overseas

See all that your host country has to offer by using these resources to make travel easier no matter where you’re calling home.

29. Hostelworld: Though this site you can find cheap, quality hostels to stay in so you can enjoy seeing the sights while you’re away.
30. Hostels.com: Another hostel service, this site allows you to search for and book hostels just about anywhere.
31. SERVAS International: Through this program, you can get to know a country even better with travel plans that set you up with great local families.
32. Eurotrip: Make traveling through Europe much cheaper by reading up on discounts and deals on this site.
33. Hosteling International: The U.S. division of this organization can help you find reliable hostels around the world.
34. Routes International: Through this site you’ll find great airfares, hostel reservations and more.
35. STA Travel: Get discounted rates on all your travel needs from this student travel site.
36. Student Traveler: This site is geared towards the student studying abroad, and offers a range of information on travel planning and reservations.
37. Student Travel Resources: With ticket deals and information, this site makes it easier for students to enjoy travel on a budget.
38. Eurorail: For those studying abroad in Europe, this site makes it simple to purchase rail passes for extensive travel.

Travel Guides

These online guides can help you learn what sites can’t be missed and what parts you may want to avoid while you’re seeing your new city.

39. Lonely Planet: On this site you’ll find guides for destinations around the world, as well as a great online community where you can ask important questions and get answers.
40. Frommer’s: From deals to tips and tools, this site has a lot of travel advice to offer.
41. Fodor’s: Here you can find helpful forums, information on deals and even travel news updates that could affect your safety.
42. TripAdvisor: From booking a hotel or flight to getting advice on the best tours, this site is a great one-stop resource.
43. Let’s Go: Check out the free guides on this site to learn what to do and see in your neck of the woods.
44. Rough Guides: Travelers on a serious budget should check out this site to learn the best ways to see it all and save big.
45. WorldReviewer: Give this site a try to read reviews about places around the world and find out if you can get a great deal on a trip.
46. WikiTravelPress: Want a travel guide but don’t want to pay a fortune? This site allows you to print a guide for only the cost of paper and ink.
47. Virtual Tourist: Learn from the experiences of others what sites are worth visiting on this great travel community hub.
48. RealTravel: Want to know what real people though about a hostel or a landmark? You can find out on this site that organizes opinions from people all over to give you a better picture of where you’re going.

Fitting In and Having Fun

Check out these online tools to learn what’s going on where ever you’re staying so you can get out and learn more about the local culture.

49. Cultural Training Resource: Visit this site to learn how to prepare to live in another culture.
50. Zvents: No matter where you are in the world you can use Zvents to keep up-to-date on concerts, movies and more.
51. Time Out Worldwide: This popular guide goes global on this site, allowing you to find the best things to do anywhere.
52. Event Guide: Click anywhere in the world to learn what cool things there are to do from culture to clubbing.
53. Eventful: Here you’ll find listings of concerts, festivals and other community events.
54. Art Museums Worldwide: Learn where the best spots to indulge in culture are in your area from this site.
55. WorldWideArtResource: Find theatres, operas, literary readings and more through this directory.
56. World Heritage Center: Why not try to see some of the greatest sites in the world if you’re nearby? Here you can find a listing of UNESCO’s world heritage sites and how to visit each one.
57. FestivalFinder: In many communities, local festivals are a great way to learn about the culture, meet new people and get a real feel for life abroad. Find out about them from this site.
58. Google Maps: Make sure you don’t get lost no matter where you decide to live with this helpful mapping tool.

Documenting Your Stay

What would a semester abroad be without something to remember it by? These tools will help you organize and share pictures, writing and memories about your stay.

59. WordPress: Get a free blog from WordPress to record your thoughts and post pictures for your family and to act as your own record of your travels.
60. Twitter: Give little updates about what you’re doing each day through this microblogging tool.
61. Picasa: This Google program allows you to upload, store and share all your photos.
62. Flickr: While bigger accounts will cost you, this site is still a great way to share pictures with those back home and ensure they’re backed up just in case.
63. WhirlPad: Check out this site to start your own travel themed blog.
64. BlogAbroad: Join this blogging community to share your experiences overseas.
65. myfamily.com: Set up a family site and you can share your photos and thoughts with your family privately.
66. Scrapblog: With this site, you can create an only scrapbook of your experiences.
67. Scribd: Want to write a lengthy report about what you’ve experienced while away? This site lets you do so and allows you to publish it online so all can see.
68. Travelblog: Whether you’re traveling all over or just traveling to one place for an extended stay, this site offers a great blogging community.

Language Learning Tools

If you’re not already fluent, these tools will help you start learning the native tongue of your host country.

69. BBC Languages: Check out this free site to learn a little bit of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek or a number of other languages.
70. iLoveLanguages: Want to find great resources to help you learn another language? Pay this site visit.
71. soZeity: This is a great resource for those who use Skype and also want to learn an other language.
72. iTunesU: You’ll find a large number of language lessons available for free through this educational iTunes offering.
73. OCW Finder: See if there are any open courseware offerings out there that can help you learn a language or about the culture of your host country with this tool.
74. LiveMocha: Learn to speak the language before or during your stay with this tool that puts you in touch with native speakers.
75. Language Learning Library: From French to Japanese, you’ll find a number of free resources on this site to help you learn the basics.
76. FreeLanguage.org: This site is home to loads of free language learning resources.

Language Translation and Reference

Prevent any misunderstandings and make your stay a little easier with these great resources for translating and looking up any words you might not know.

77. WordReference: Look up words in Spanish, French, German, Russian and Italian on this great reference site.
78. Google Translate: Google offers this simple tool for translating phrases or webpages.
79. BabelFish: Try out Yahoo’s version of translation on this site.
80. WorldLingo: This basic translator should meet most of your translating needs.
81. Translate2: This site offers a wide range of languages and translations to English with everything from Finnish to Hindi listed.
82. Reverso: Check out Reverso to get quick and simple translation services for several major world languages.
83. YourDictionary.com:Looking for a great online dictionary in a foreign language? This site can help with a comprehensive directory of dictionaries.

Financial Tools

These helpful tools will help you manage your budget while you’re away, find funding, and keep your finances in order no matter where you’re at.

84. Oanada: If you need to do some currency converting, check out this great online tool.
85. Xe: No matter what you’re converting you’ll be able to do so here.
86. Wesabe: With this tool you can keep track of your finances at home and try to stick to a budget in your host country.
87. Mint: With services that make it easy to track your accounts, this tool will let you always make sure you have enough to get by.
88. Study Abroad Loans: Visit this site to learn about where and how to get loans to pay for your studies.
89. Study Abroad Funding: Check out this resource to learn more about where you can get the money for foreign study.
90. NAFSA Financial Aid: There may be government programs out there that can help you get cut down your expenses while away. Check out this site to find out more.
91. Fynanz: Through this site you can get private loans to help you fund your education.
92. GreenNote: Tap your family and friends for small contributions to your study abroad fund with this site.

Social Networks and Online Communities

Visit these sites to chat with other students who have already or who are currently going through the experience of studying or traveling abroad.

93. Facebook: If you don’t already have a Facebook account, it may be a good idea to get one. You’ll be able to easily keep in touch with friends at home and with friends in your host country once you return.
94. MobiFriends: The main Mobissimo site offers great deals on travel, but the MobiFriends community lets you ensure you find the best things to do while you’re away.
95. Diversity Abroad Forum: Here you can read questions and posts about everything from keeping in touch with family to staying safe while away.
96. Study Abroad Forum: This site is a good resource for those who are studying in English-speaking countries.
97. BootsnAll: This travel site is a great place to find information about low cost travel in just about anywhere in the world.
98. International Student Forum: Learn more about other students’ experiences and share your own on this study abroad forum.
99. Student.com: Check out this social network that offers communication between students of all kinds.
100. TripSay: Find out more about your location and other places in your host country through this community.

100 Best Free iPhone Apps for College Students

By Tara Miller

College students today are swamped with social calendars, budgeting nightmares, job searching, party planning, sports, study abroad, food shopping, and of course, studying. On top of everything, students need to stay extremely organized if they want to keep up with classes and maintain a little sanity. Our list of 100 best free iPhone apps for college students can help you do it all, including reviewing for tests, storing your notes, sharing grocery lists with roommates, staying healthy, mixing drinks, getting a date and graduating on time.

Study Help

These language tutors, flash card packs, and art history resources will help you with last minute cramming and consistent vocabulary practice wherever you go.

1. Sparky: Sparky lets you browse SparkNotes easily on your iPhone.
2. Mathemagics Lite: Use this tool to figure out squares, complicated multiplication problems and more.
3. Free Spanish Tutor: This tutor features native speaker audio, puzzle games, multiple choice quizzes, and more.
4. USA Presidents: Review names, numbers, dates, political parties and other facts about the U.S. presidents when you have these virtual flash cards.
5. History: Maps of the World: Find detailed maps of Africa, Europe, Asia, the U.S., the Middle East and more.
6. Word of the Day Lite: Expand your vocabulary with this app.
7. Art Lite: Study the histories, works and significance of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh, Cezanne and more.
8. Brain Tutor 3D: Anatomy and pre-med students can study the brain terms and more with this app.
9. planetFacts: Find out mass, diameter, orbiting speed and other information for the planets.
10. Free French Word of the Day: Practice your French with this app.
11. StudySets - Psychology Lite: Psych students will appreciate this bundle of psychology learning resources.
12. Vocabolistic: Look up words or hide the definition to quiz yourself with Vocabolistic.
13. Answers: powered by Yahoo! Answers: This app opens your iPhone to the Yahoo! Answers portal so that you can ask questions about anything.
14. Pocket Lawyer Lite: Law and political science students can use this real-life law reference as a study tool, too.
15. gFlash + Flashcards and Tests: Create your own flashcards and share them with study partners.

Staying Current

Keep up with the news stories that affect your time at school and relate to your classes.

16. NYTimes: Get your news from the New York Times online for free.
17. BBC Reader: Keep up with the top stories in Europe and globally with this app.
18. HuffingtonPost.com: Access the authoritative, but sometimes snarky, stories from the Huffington Post.
19. NPR Addict: Do your homework before class or talking with professors by getting your news from NPR.
20. Variety: Stay current on entertainment news with Variety’s app.

Classifieds

Look up apartments and more with these tools.

21. Apartments by ForRent.com: Look up apartments to rent in your college town here.
22. CraigSearch v1.0: Search Craigslist from your iPhone. Includes standard search options.
23. Apartments: Apartment guide’s app will help you locate properties in your area.

Shopping Deals

Save money when you find coupons and deals on books.

24. Yowza: This app uses GPS to find coupons for stores in your area.
25. Dial Zero: Get connected to customer service lines for credit cards, health insurance companies and more.
26. Book Bargain: Find deals on books from Amazon and other online stores.
27. Flashlight: Turn your iPhone into a flashlight that shines white, red, green or blue light.
28. Relax Alarm Clock Lite: Wake up on time to soothing guitar music, the sound of birds, bamboo flute music, and other options. This app also lulls you to sleep for a quick nap.
29. iHourglass Free: Time practices tests, study breaks and more with this tool.
30. TouchCloset: Keep your closet organized on your phone by cataloging photos and shopping lists and picking out your party clothes ahead of time even when you’re away from home.

Local Guides

Learn more about your college city or the town you’re visiting with these tools.

32. Pizza!: Find the closest, cheapest pizza near you.
33. Free Wi-Fi finder: Use this tool to find places you can bring your laptop to study.
34. FastFood - Top Restaurant Finder: This fast food directory will connect you to cheap, satisfying food quickly.
35. Have2P: Find nearby restrooms and flag businesses that do not have open restrooms.
36. Fandango: Find local movies and tickets here.
37. iRecycle: Find local recycling stations here.
38. WhosAround: Use WhosAround to find friends who are in the same area as you. Supports messaging, profile photos and more.
39. Local Concerts: Find out when and where your favorite bands are going to play with this free app.
40. Local Picks by TripAdvisor: USe this app when traveling or if you live in a popular vacation destination. You can look up restaurants, bars, and other spots that are favorites for the locals.
41. Slifter Local Shopping: Use this app to look up stores that carry whatever it is that you’re searching for.

Partying and Social

This list of free apps has everything you need to be the life of the party at college.

43. Drunk-Dial: Spin the dial on your app to get free drink recipes.
44. Who Called?: If a phone number doesn’t pop up when someone calls you, do a reverse lookup and find out what the caller wanted with you.
45. Love Poem Generator: Prove to your date that college guys can be romantic when you use this tool.
46. Birthday Notification: Rely on this tool to keep track of all of your college friends’ birthdays.
47. Drinking Games Free: Look up drinking games to play at your next party.
48. Spin the Coke: This version of Spin the Bottle involves a Coca-Cola bottle.
49. a.k.a. Your Favorite Name Generator: Come up with fake names for theme parties and more.
50. 5800+ Drink and Cocktail Recipes Free: Never get bored with mixing drinks when you have this directory of cocktail recipes.
51. Beer Brands: Catalog your favorite beer brands and keep up with microbreweries and emerging brands.
52. Hello Vino - Wine Pairing Guide: Impress your guests by making appropriate wine and food pairings.
53. Perfect Date: This guide to the perfect date helps you with conversation and more.

Reference

Keep these reference tools close so that you’re prepared to discuss constellations, the periodic table, or world facts.

54. USA Factbook Free: This reference packet is great for anyone in a civics, history or political science course that covers the U.S. Access key documents, lists of the flags, state capitals and other stats.
55. Stars: Anatomy students can use this tool as a resource when studying constellations.
56. The Chemical Tough: Lite Edition: View the periodic table when you download this free app.
57. Formulas Free: This app brings you free calculus formulas.
58. iQuotations: Look up quotes to use in papers or just as general inspiration.
59. Math Ref Free: Get free reference packs for geometry, algebra, trig, derivatives and more.
60. AllTheCountries: Get facts about literacy rate, economy, population, area and more for every country.
61. Your Rights: Use this app for political science courses or just as backup when you get into trouble at school.
62. iTranslator: Study abroad students and panicked foreign language students can use this tool to connect to Google Translator, Babel Fish or Free Translation.
63. Quickpedia Lite: This app makes it easier and faster to use Wikipedia.

Games and Quizzes

Prepare for the GMAT or your next Xbox championship tournament here.

64. GMAT Practice Quiz: Use your iPhone to study for the GMAT when you use this tool.
65. Xbox Achievement Guide: Become the ultimate Xbox champion on your hall when you have this tool.

GPS

Find your way around town with these valuable GPS apps.

66. GasBag: Find the cheapest gas nearest your location.
67. Take Me Home, I’m Lost!: If you’re too new in town or just too confused, use this app to find your way back home.

Health and Fitness

In college, it’s easy to forget about your health. These free apps will help you eat right and find the time to exercise.

68. Restaurant Nutrition: Make healthier decisions even when your friends want to eat out.
69. Stress Reducer: Listen to the ocean through a virtual shell to relieve stress.
70. Am I Pregnant Quiz: This pregnancy quiz is currently free and could save your sanity.
71. Natural Cures: Try these natural cures if you’re too broke to go to the doctor.
72. iMapMyRun: Track your runs, including pace, location, speed and overall progress.
73. Sleep Diary: This app helps you get back on a normal, healthy sleep schedule.

Organization

Stay organize with these tools, which help you manage task lists, homework, shopping, errands and more.

74. myHomework: View your homework lists, project task sheet, test schedule and more with this organizer.
75. Blackboard Learn<: Access your school’s Blackboard system from your iPhone with this app.
76. Evernote: Take picture, text and audio notes that are searchable with Evernote.
77. AppGmail: Quickly access your Gmail account and view it as a wider display with this app.
78. ShopShop: Keep a running shopping list that tracks your purchases and marks them off.
79. Smart ToDo: Manage a to-do list with notes and due dates with this app.
80. To Do’s: This app lets you customize your to-do list according to priority level, ordering and more.
81. A Personal Assistant: This free organizes your accounts, including online shopping, banking, Netflix and more. It also tracks cell phone minutes, frequent flyer miles, travel itineraries and more.
82. Organizer Lite: View several organizers in a single, streamlined display with this app. You can manage a calendar, birthdays, appointments, contacts and more.
83. mySticky Lite: This iPhone version of Mac’s sticky notes let you tack reminders and lists over a virtual bulletin board.

Search

Let your iPhone guide you in general searches, job hunts and more.

84. Inquisitor: This super fast search tool also makes suggestions for your searches.
85. Last.fm: Search music, artists and more with Last.fm for the iPhone.
86. Repairpal: This app will help you find auto repair shop and support.
87. Job Search: Indeed.com’s search application lets you find jobs by location and job description.

Miscellaneous

This list of free iPhone apps includes laundry guides, an ebook library, recipe guides and plenty more tools to make your life at college more exciting and organized.

88. MyGPA Calculator: Calculate your GPA per semester and cumulatively.
89. BookShelfLT: Check out ebooks for your iPhone.
90. Salsa: Practice for your ballroom dance class or for a night out.
91. Laundry Pro Free: Look up North American and European laundry symbols and figure out how to care for your different garments.
92. wikiHow: How to and DIY Survival Kit: Survive anything, including a hotel fire, long fall and nuclear attack, when you download this pack.
93. Guitar Tuner: Use Guitar Tuner to tweak your guitar and get ready for gigs on campus.
94. Intelliremote: Control your home theater that runs Windows with your iPhone.
95. Free Driver’s Ed: Students practicing for the driving test can review topics and questions here.
96. F-MyLife: This popular tool lets you commiserate with others who’ve had a bad day on F-MyLife.
97. Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner: Get ideas for cheap, healthy and/or comfort food meals.
98. Hairstyle Lite: Instead of paying for an expensive visit to the salon, try out a new hairstyle by using this free app.
99. iWrecked - Auto Accident Assistant: Log details from your car accident, call for help, take photos of the accident, and more.
100. College Football Live!: Keep up with all the stats, scores and more for college football.