Thursday, March 31, 2011

Online Colleges and Universities' Top Online Budget Tools


These top 50 online travel budget tools were provided to us by Online Colleges and Universities.  This is a great resource as the different sites can help our students in preparing, or while on their study abroad program. We thought this was a great guide to consider as it narrows down and categorizes some of the essential travel related websites that can help you save money. 

We are all for our customers saving money on their trip. In conjunction with offering this list of budget sites we would like to extend a 5% discount to all readers who attend a Spanish Abroad program. Simply enter the code shown in the image here when you first register for your program, and you will receive the discount on your total program cost. 
Budgeting & Money
Make plans and budget your travel money using these tools.
  1. Quid Universal Currency Converter: Convert daily exchange rates for more than 180 world currencies on Quid.
  2. Mint.com: Mint offers a vacation budgeting tool that estimates how much your trip will cost, and create a savings plan to have enough.
  3. Budget Your Trip: Estimate and plan your travel expenses based on your traveling area with Budget Your Trip.
  4. Prepaid travel cards: Safeguard your personal accounts and stick to your budget by using prepaid travel cards abroad.
  5. Travel Calculator: Plan your travel spending with this travel calculator.
  6. GoPlanit: GoPlanit makes it easy to plan your trip, alone with with friends.
  7. delicious: Build your own guidebook with this bookmarking site.
  8. Trip Little: Trip Little offers complete travel planning and organization on one site.
  9. Google Earth: See any place in the world, including buildings and imagery, to plan your trip.
  10. Tripwolf: Tripwolf offers a travel guide, tips, deals, and planner for worldwide travel.
  11. Dopplr: Share your travel plans and tips socially on Dopplr.
  12. TripWiser: Discover things to do in this travel community.
  13. TripIt: Organize your travel itinerary using this trip planner.


    Flights
    Check flight status, find deals, and more using these tools.
    1. FlightChecker: Use the FlightChecker to find out when to get super cheap prices on budget airlines.
    2. GateGuru: Turn foreign airports into a fun place using this app that can help you discover food, gift shops, and more.
    3. Airfare Watchdog: Airfare Watchdog will alert you to the top fares available.
    4. Fare Alert: Expedia's Fare Alert will alert you when the best fares come available, right on your desktop.
    5. SeatGuru: SeatGuru offers diagrams and notes on the best airplane seats by airline.
    6. FareWatch: FareWatch shares a fair, unbiased view of average airfare rates direct from the Department of Transportation.
    7. Yapta: Yapta tracks flight prices before and after you buy.


      Hotels & Accommodations
      Stay at a hostel, house-sit, or even couch surf through these travel tools.
      1. The Caretaker Gazette: Find caretaking and house sitting jobs easily on this site.
      2. Hostelling International USA: Stay the night for super cheap and find great locations for a good price using this nonprofit site.
      3. AirBnB: Find accommodations including sublets and private rooms on AirBnB.
      4. WWOOF: Volunteer in exchange for food and accommodation around the world through WWOOF hosts.
      5. Roomorama: Roomorama offers a peer to peer short term rental marketplace for world travelers and more.
      6. HouseCarers: Become a housesitter anywhere in the world through HouseCarers.
      7. CouchSurfing: Open up your spare room or couch to a couch surfer, and enjoy sharing someone's couch in a foreign country later.
      8. ConcertHotels: ConcertHotels offers a great way to find a hotel near the concert or event you're attending.
      9. Growfood: Get connected with farmers who can provide you with room and board in exchange for work on Growfood.
      10. Home Exchange: Exchange your home with someone else to enjoy living in a comfortable house on your international stay.
      11. GlobalFreeloaders: GlobalFreeloaders will connect you with people all over the world that can offer you free accommodation.


        Food & Drink
        Save cash while you dine in a foreign country using these tools.
        1. Cor.kz: Find out about the best wines available to you from Cor.kz.
        2. OpenTable: Make reservations at restaurants around the world through OpenTable's site.
        3. Urbanspoon: Find good eats for cheap by checking out Urbanspoon's site.


          Getting Connected
          Talk and stay connected on the cheap using these tools.
          1. Google Translate: Google Translate offers automatic translation in over 50 language.
          2. Skype: Even if you're halfway around the world, you can make free or cheap calls to family and friends with the help of Skype.
          3. HazelMail: Hazel sends your photos as a printed and stamped postcard so you don't have to.
          4. Loopt: Use Loopt to find out if your traveling buddies are close by.
          5. Yahoo! Babel Fish: Translate blocks of text and web pages using Yahoo! Babel Fish.


            Experiences & Reviews
            Use these tools to find the best experiences without spending a ton of cash.
            1. IgoUgo: Explore hotels and things to do with other world travelers using IgoUgo.
            2. Viator: Plan your days on Viator, booking tours, planning trips, and more.
            3. Howcast Using Howcast, you can learn about local customs, trip planning, and more.
            4. WikiTravel: WikiTravel is a traveler-written guide to destination cities, helping you get the inside scoop on the area you'll be studying in.
            5. Yelp: Find things to do and read reviews on Yelp, which offers information for a few European cities in addition to its stateside offerings.
            6. The Backpacker: The Backpacker shares the best places to visit, nightlife, and more.
            7. 1000 Ultimate Experiences App: Use Lonely Planet's app (or book) to learn about the best things you can do in any given location.
            8. Virtual Tourist: Get the inside scoop on nearly 60,000 places around the world from the Virtual Tourist community.
            9. TripAdvisor: Get trip ideas, reviews, and plan your trip using TripAdvisor's tools.
            10. Time Out: Time Out will help you find out about what's happening in the world's most exciting cities.
            11. SitOrSquat: SitOrSquat will help you find a bathroom anywhere in the world.

            View their full article with this information at: Online Colleges and Universities
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