13 great free apps for studying abroad
Getting ready to study abroad? INTO’s Kate Standing has found 13 handy apps that will help you at every stage, from planning and packing, to exploring your new location, to sharing your adventure with your friends back home…
Preparing to study abroad
Pack the Bag (iPhone, iPad), INTO app (iPhone, iPad, Android)
Pack the Bag helps you plan what’s going into your suitcase in advance, making study abroad prep much less of a headache (plus no more arriving at the airport and realising you’ve forgotten to bring your lucky teddy bear!). And of course, the INTO app is packed with loads of handy pre-departure stuff including checklists, travel advice and centre info.
Planning your journey
Tripit (iPhone, iPad, Android), Google Maps (iPhone, iPad, Android), City Mapper (iPhone and Android)
For big trips, Tripit stores all of your travel details and creates a schedule so you never miss a train or a flight. Google Maps is an absolute must to for figuring out the best way to walk, drive or use public transport around town. If you’re studying in London, the City Planner app is great for finding the best routes to your destination, including info on Tube line closures and routes for Boris Bikes.
Exploring your new location
Viator (iPhone, iPad, Android), Field Trip (iPhone, iPad, Android)
“Where can I go?”, “How should I get there?”, “Oh no – I’m lost!” – these are all scenarios you might find yourself in when exploring your new study destination. Luckily, there are loads of apps that can help you plan where to go and what to do. Viator helps you to find tours and day trips in your new destination, while Field Trip will send you notification alerts when you’re near local landmarks and activities.
Sharing your experiences
Instagram (iPhone, iPad, Android) Snapseed (iPhone, iPad, Android); Postagram (iPhone and Android) and Stannp (iPhone, iPad, Android)
Photos are a great way of keeping a record of the places you’ve visited, and with awesome photo editing apps like Instagram and Snapseed, even the most amateur photographer can create great images! But don’t stop at sharing your pictures online – apps like Postagram and Stannp you can turn your beautiful photos into postcards that you can send to friends and family around the world. It does charge a small fee for postage, but this is usually cheaper than the price of an international stamp so it’s definitely worth the pennies!
Speaking the local lingo
iTranslate (iPhone, iPad, Android), Trip Lingo (iPhone, iPad)
Don’t get caught out by your language skills when on an adventure! There are plenty of apps that can help you find the right phrase for any situation. iTranslate will teach you the words you need to know in over 60 languages, but Trip Lingo goes one step further and covers local phrases on a sliding scale from ‘formal’ to ‘crazy’. So if you want to ask someone “How are you?” in French, you can choose from the formal “Comment allez-vous?” (“How are you?”) to the crazy “Comment va tu-yau de poêle?” (“How are you heater pipe?”). You might not want to – but it’s nice to have the option!
You might also like: 10 of the best free apps for students and 10 ways to have fun for free.
Find out more about studying abroad in the UK, US or China with INTO Higher or join our international student community on Facebook.
