Recommended Links

More Information for Students

Getting Started

Travel Info--U.S. Department of State
This website offers a wide variety of helpful and often necessary resources for international travel. From passport information to travel tips and warnings, to country information and visas, this site is a must for anyone wishing to properly prepare for international travel and studying abroad.

Students Abroad--U.S. Department of State
This website gives specific information to students studying abroad. This site gives information from packing to travelling with disabilities.

Student Abroad Handbook
Center for Global Education
These two websites are simply a gold mine when it comes to offering information for absolutely everything that you need to know for studying abroad. Covering topics from health and safety to packing, housing, money issues, transportation, and conquering the language barrier, these sites also include country specific information, as well as links to an even greater selection of helpful websites.

Travel Safety Abroad
Set yourself up to have the best possible travel experience by preparing to travel safely.  This website includes travel tips as well as additional links and resources.

Youth With A Mission
For those participating in Isaiah Project mission trips, this website will be helpful if you wish to learn more about your upcoming experience. YWAM often works closely with Ashland University mission trips, and can provide more information about the specific area you will visit, as well as offering ideas and opportunities for further involvement in international missions.

Banking & Communication

Everbank
Everbank is an internet bank offering free checking accounts with an excellent interest rate and is accessible in countless countries around the globe. Provided with a check card which can also double as a credit card, Everbank makes foreign ATMs easy. It is recommended that you establish your account 1 month prior to departure in order to receive your ATM card in time.

Currency Conversion
Do you know how much foreign currency your U.S. dollar is worth? Be sure to check out this website to make sure that your international purchases really are a good deal!

Skype
Skype is an internet calling provider that makes staying touch with loved ones back home simple and cheap. Computer-to-computer calling (between Skype users) is free, and calls to cell phones or land lines in the United States are only 2¢/minute.

One Suite
OneSuite provides low-cost prepaid long distance & international calling cards with the best international calling rates. Rates start at about 2 cents a minute.

Cellhire
Cellhire provides low-cost pay as you go rental cellphones to students. For 20 weeks of rental it's a flat $19. Incoming calls and texts are free and outgoing rates are low, but vary country to country. You pay only the $19 plus any calls you make. There is a temporary $225 charge to your credit card but it will be removed after 72 hours. This charge is to verify the credit card being used is valid, not stolen, and has at least a $225 credit limit on it.

Travel

STA Travel
Make the most of countless student discounts! Check out this website for cheap airfare, rail passes, hostels, and other student discounts and packages for international attractions! This site has a wealth of information that will help you make the most of your study abroad experience.

STA Airfare Deposit Program
The STA Airfare Deposit Program is designed for study abroad students who are receiving financial aid. It allows students who have been accepted into a program to put down an initial deposit on their flights with final payment not due until 7 days prior to departure.

Hostelworld
Easily the cheapest and most adventurous accommodations around the world are found in hostels. Check out this website to find the best deals in your chosen destination, plus other helpful travel tips and ideas for worthwhile attractions.

Rick Steves
Offering a huge variety of travel suggestions and tips for numerous destinations in Europe (via guidebooks, podcasts, radio, TV, and online discussion boards from fellow travelers and travel experts), this website also includes an online store for space-saving and useful travel gadgets. Whether needing some background information on a given destination, suggestions for great restaurants, tips on how to pack light or travel safe, or in search of that perfect backpack, Rick Steves is an excellent place to start.

Lonely Planet
A popular source for the young and budget travelers, Lonely Planet is another great website for travel tips and information, and spans not only Europe but also Asia, Africa, North and South America, and the Pacific. In addition, Lonely Planet gives you the opportunity to buy and download chapters of their popular and informative guidebooks, which helps you to cater more specifically to your itinerary and travel needs.

Google Earth
Many students, and parents, have enjoyed using this site to scope out their study abroad location.

Greek Travel
Find an insiders guide to travel in Greece here. Creator Matt Barrett provides links, videos, personal insight and more on everything native to the country.

European Travel
Europetravel.net provides travelers with communication tips, maps, city-specific information, and up-to-date news regarding traveling in Europe.

Transportation

Kayak
This website searches hundreds of airlines for the cheapest airfares to the destination of your choice. Instead of having to compare dozens of different sites, Kayak does it for you.

Skyscanner
Do you have a free weekend and you are not sure where you want to go, except that you want it to be cheap? Or do you have a country you want to visit, but are not sure when airfare will be the cheapest? Then check out this website, where you can type in the dates of your free weekend, or just search by country for the lowest airfares possible. Easily the most flexible airline search engine, Skyscanner can help you discover more on a tight budget/timeline.

Ryanair
Need a quick and cheap way to get from London to Prague? Check out this website for inexpensive airplane tickets to hundreds of destinations in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Morocco.

EasyJet
Much like Ryanair, easyJet offers cheap flights to numerous cities in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Morocco, and Egypt.

SeatGuru
Want to know if you are seated by the window, aisle or middle, which are the best seats on your airplane, or what amenities will be available? Check out this website to get the inside scoop on your flight's airplane, plus tips on flying and travel.

Deutsche Bahn
This extremely user-friendly German Rail website provides wonderfully accurate information on train schedules all across Europe. For trains in Germany, it also provides platform and ticket cost information, and allows you to purchase online tickets at special rates you cannot get at the train station. For anyone looking to travel on the weekends, do not leave home without consulting Deutsche Bahn!

Trenitalia
For those traveling to Italy, Trenitalia is your source for train schedules and tickets.

Paris Shuttle
For those travelling to Paris, this is a shuttle service recommended by Ashland University study abroad alumni.

RAIL PASSES:
Countless websites offer great deals on rail passes for European travel and often a wide variety of options, including single and multiple country passes, consecutive and flexible day passes, single and group, 1st and 2nd class. The selection can be overwhelming, so check out information from Rick Steves for a quick explanation of each option as well as some helpful hints for choosing the best pass for your travel plans. Once you decide which pass will suit you best, type the name into any search engine and shop around for the best deal. This is extremely worthwhile, especially considering that prices can vary drastically between websites!

The Global Education Office holds membership in the following organizations:

• College Consortium for International Studies
• Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators
• Institute of International Education