Top 10 iPhone Apps for the Student Abroad

1. Google Maps (Free) You will inevitably get lost while abroad in a foreign city. Use Google Maps on your iPhone to get where you're going. Enough said. Also, browse the app store for metro maps of your host city, like the London Tube or Metro Paris apps (both $1).

2. XE Currency (Free) This free currency converter has up-to-the-minute exchange rates for 180+ currencies and allows you to select 10 favorites for easy access. To reset the application, simply shake your iPhone with a flick of your wrist a la Harry Potter. And if, God forbid, you should ever enter a dead zone, XE Currency saves the latest figures for offline use.

3. Babelingo ($3.99) This phrasebook offers the best linguistic value: 300 entries in 11 languages for under four dollars. As an added feature, Babelingo will also display any translated phrase in large, easy-to-read type. So if you're too timid to tell that Czech cab driver that you urgently need to visit the nearest pharmacy for some Immodium, just flash him your iPhone. Alternatively, for a more comprehensive translator, download one of Lonely Planet's language specific phrasebooks for $9.99. This phrasebook speaks translated phrases aloud.

4. Skype (Free)
Download this free Skype app to keep in touch with friends and family while abroad. With free Skype-to-Skype calls and reasonably priced Skype-to-cell rates, you'll spend less money calling your hometown sweetheart and have a few extra pesos to take that foreign hottie out to dinner.

5. Tweetie ($2.99) With this easy-to-use mobile Twitter app, you can continue to bother your buddies with pithy remarks and witty observations, no matter where you are in the world. You can also upload travel photos, so your great aunt Melba and your pet goldfish can keep tabs on your adventures.

6. Flight Status ($3.99) Never miss a flight again with this clean and simple flight tracker app. Just enter an airline and flight number and you'll get the latest info on departures, arrivals, and delays.

7. TripIt (Free) Email your itineraries to TripIt and they'll be automaticall synced and saved to your iPhone. You can access your reservations and flight information even if you're offline.

8. Mobile Fotos - Flickr Browser and Uploader ($2.99) This is the most versatile Flickr app for the iPhone. While it's not free, it does allow you to upload high-res photos tagged with GPS locations, browse video, and create an upload queue so you can upload on the go. You can also integrate this app with your Twitter account.

9. SitOrSquat (Free) Yes, this app does exactly what its title implies; it's essentially a global toilet database for the traveling germaphobe. Modern technology has now rendered Delhi Belly a benign foe: just click to find the nearest porcelain throne.

10. Wide Email ($.99) Writing home while traveling abroad is a pain. And since the iPhone keyboard wasn't created with your chubby fingers in mind, you're tempted to find the nearest toilet on SitOrSquat and flush the damn thing. But fear not: the Wide Email app allows you to turn your iPhone sideways and type in landscape mode on a larger keyboard.