Apps are key to have when you’re studying abroad.

I trust most of you are going to use a smart phone when you’re studying abroad so here are two apps that are key no matter where you choose to go! I should note that this blog post is completely unbiased and we are not affiliated with any of these corporations.

1. Viber & WhatsApp (sort of)

If you have Viber you can call anyone on the go, that includes people in a different country–the same as you would on a regular phone call. While Viber has texting capabilities as well, I personally found that WhatsApp had far less glitches on that front. That said, if you’re one of those people who strives to have as few apps as possible then I would stick with Viber.

2. City Maps 2 Go

This app was HUGE for me when I was traveling. You can download maps of cities from around the world and best of all it works without data! In fact it was so good, that one of my friends prefers it to Google Maps and uses it even when she’s in NYC! On top of that, you can download Wikipedia articles with the maps so if you’re in Rome and want to see the Wikipedia article for the Colosseum it’s right at your fingertips. AND you can pin places you want to go and come up with the most efficient route for the day so you can hit all your favorite spots. I could not possible give this app enough praise, it is without a doubt a must-have.

These three apps are important regardless of where you go, but in future blog posts we’ll tell you useful apps for each particular country!