Better Than Google

By Sydney Scheiter

Where can I buy a hair straightener?  What’s the most hipster restaurant in Berlin?  How can I make sure I don’t buy alcohol-free beer at the supermarket?

These are all valid questions, but who do you ask if you don’t know who to ask?  My first instinct is of course to Google it.  But who knows what kind of returns you’ll get when you type in “Why is there so much dog poop in the streets of Rome?”  Sometimes, it’s better to know where to look.

Of course we here at Bus2alps like to think we know the answer to every study abroad question.  Realistically, though, sometimes we just can’t remember the exact name of the neighborhood in Florence where we bought the leather boots that changed our lives.

Luckily, I developed a bad habit this summer.  I spent way too much time looking at travel websites and blogs.  And in those hundreds (or so) of hours, I came up with a few of the best resources for study abroad students.  Here’s the list:

UBumm (http://ubumm.com/) My new found go to for all questions study abroad.  They’re like your own personal search engine.  Ask them what you want to know and they’ll get back to you with the answer.  Pretty easy, and way more precise than random Googles.  Plus, this site is full of interviews and advice from everyone involved in the “get out and go abroad” world.  Win!

Goabroad.com (http://www.goabroad.com/)  Simple concept: travel advice for students, by students.  Students only.  GO.

Twenty-Something Travel (http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/)  A home for all the blogs that you should be reading.  People like us, who travel all the time, and write good stuff, all in one place.  Here are just a few titles to pique your interest: “Don’t Be a Jerk: How to Maintain Friendships While You Travel,” “Ibiza, More than Just One Big Fiesta,” and “Dublin When It’s Sunny.”

Travels of Adam (http://travelsofadam.com/) Can’t stop reading this one.  Adam is a self-proclaimed hipster who therefore blogs about the most hipster things to do in each city.  He’s refreshingly candid and totally over all the touristy things.  Plus, he’s funny.

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