You’ve nailed the interview, landed your dream internship, and soon you’ll be setting off for a once in a lifetime adventure. There are the few essentials all world travelers need -- cash, ticket, passport, and of course, a phone. Though we don’t want you staring down at your phone your whole time abroad, there are a few apps to make living in a new country a bit easier. Check out these 10 apps you should download for your internship abroad.
You’ll simply enter the dates of your program and your host city, and the app creates a full list. Packing Pro tells you what you need with a list split into clothing, gadgets, essentials, and more. Pair this app with the things we ask you to pack, and you’ll have everything you need to thrive during your international internship.
Conversions can change day-to-day, and to make your internship a bit easier we suggest downloading the XE Currency app. XE gives you up to date exchange rates and is entirely free to download. It’s also super easy to use - simply put in the currency you’re used to using back home, and XE will quickly convert the value to up to ten other currencies at once.
Our favorite navigation app is Google Maps. Google Maps is straightforward and gives you a map, street, satellite, and 3D views. You also get public transportation directions which can be a lifesaver during your time abroad; if you want to save some data, download your map while on Wifi, and it will still be available for up to a month offline. Save yourself from getting lost and wandering around like an oblivious tourist by taking a few seconds to download this crucial app.
By just entering your phone number WhatsApp will search your contacts for others that have the app downloaded, making it easy to stay in touch with friends and family. It’s also one of the easiest ways to set up groups with your fellow interns to message each other while abroad. Do your parents a favor and send them a quick voice message through WhatsApp when you arrive, they’ll appreciate more than you know.
Triposo makes exploring and living in a new city a bit easier. Instead of looking through hundreds of similar and sometimes useless web pages, Triposo crowd-sources information from large sites like Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and several other sites. At the tip of your fingers you’ll have a free guidebook that tells you all about activities, restaurants, ways to get places, and so much more. The guides can even be used offline as long as you download them beforehand. Let Triposo be your guide around your host city, and you’ll easily find the foods you must eat and the sites you must see.
The app that does help ease the pain is Entrain. A team at the University of Michigan developed the app to help travelers all over the world. Entrain uses some basic information about your travels to build a schedule to help you adjust. The app will tell you when you should be sleeping or awake and even what type of light you should be. Save yourself from a few early mornings and get well rested for the first day of your internship by downloading Entrain.
We’ve found that Snapseed is the best app to make an average pic look professional. The app used to cost a few dollars, but Google bought it and made it free. Colors, contrast, straightening, and more all get improved by using Snapseed. Some users find the app difficult to use at first, but the learning curve is absolutely worth it when you see everything you can do.
Make sure to submit your photos to the Global Experiences’ photo contest for a chance to win some great prizes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a selfie, shot of the skyline, or you with your fellow interns we want to see them all!
Living like a local means exploring more than just the touristy areas; its all about finding the places locals flock to. We encourage all of our interns to live this way and find it so important that we’ve written a whole blog series about it. However, if you’re walking around your host city and don’t happen to have one of our helpful blogs readily available, you can always use Spotted by Locals.
The app is available in over 70 cities and cost around $4.00 per city map, but it’s worth it. Locals handpick the locations you're shown and advice you're given. Spotted by Locals is continually being updated with new locations, information, and maps. You can save your favorite places and even use it offline. Use this app, and you’ll be live like a local in no time.
Depending on your locations can affect the rules of Lyft and Uber. For example, in Costa Rica, Uber isn’t legally allowed to pull up to the airport. In other cities, ridesharing apps are relatively new, and you might have to wait a bit longer than usual. Do some research before departing for rules about ridesharing services in your host city, and soon you’ll comfortably be riding through some of the most beautiful streets in the world.
There are a lot of translating apps and software out there, but for your time abroad, Google Translate has everything you need. You can convert text straight from a conversation or type in words/sentences and have them translated. The coolest thing about this app might be the camera translate feature. All you have to do is take a pic or hover your camera over text, and the app will translate it for you.
Don’t let your phone be your main focus when traveling. You don’t want to miss the experiences that will change you as a person, or the opportunities to see things you’ll never forget. But do download these apps to capture incredible moments, get around your host city, and make life just a little bit easier.
Apply today to talk to one of our Admissions Counselors about the places you can go. Our staff get to know you, your background, and future career goals in order to find the perfect internship for you. Then these apps will come in handy!