How to Find Restaurants While Studying Abroad

Asking the locals where to eat is always fun, but sometimes a language barrier can make directions difficult to follow. Plus, you never know how local tastes differ from your own. Restaurant review sites help travelers find new restaurants, literally, by providing a map and directions. For the global foodie, review sites also serve as a platform to chime in with your own opinion.

TripAdvisor: This travel site helps travelers find hotels, flights, activities and restaurants for many different countries. The content is user-generated (which means honest and candid reviews) and can be accessed through either the site or an iPhone app.

The easiest way to find restaurants in your area via the Website is to type the country into the search bar. Click on the link to the country. In the menu you will see the country, select restaurants from the drop down menu. This will lead you to a page categorized by major cities and regions.

Using TripAdvisor via your mobile is even easier. The app will find restaurants near your location, and you can then filter results by price range.

Restaurants in all countries can be found here.

Lonely Planet: This site offers the same range of services as TripAdvisor, but the restaurants are mostly reviewed by Lonely Planet staffers, making it less of a community-driven environment and more of a travel guide service. You can, however, leave your own review or vote to move a restaurant up (or down) the list.

Restaurants in all countries can be found here.

Yelp: In addition to finding new restaurants and seeing what your friends are up to, Yelp users can review all types of businesses and places in a neighborhood. Currently, Yelp is supported only in certain areas, but restaurant search results can be filtered by distance, accepted payments, price and category – making it easy for you to find exactly what you want, when you want it. (There’s even a search filter for vegans and vegetarians!)

Users can access Yelp through the site or through a smartphone app (Android, iPhone).

Only the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Austria are currently supported.

Zagat: The critics at Zagat are serious about food. This site is for those who are willing to drop a little more cash for high quality food, atmosphere and service. Search results can be filtered by neighborhood, special features (outdoor seating, private room, etc.), price, cuisine type and operating hours. Zagat should be used to plan meals in advance. Also, the information on Zagat can be dated, so it’s always best to double check the information you find.

Countries supported: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Sweden Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

For Vegetarians and Vegans

Happy Cow: This is the best international resource for vegans and vegetarians who are traveling. Happy Cow helps you find restaurants and grocery stores (and even gelaterias in Italy!) that satisfy vegan/vegetarian needs.

Most countries are supported by Happy Cow. Click here to find your area.

Happy travels and bon appétit!

This post was shared by Lauren Bailey who is a freelance blogger. She loves writing about education, writing, and health. She welcomes comments and questions via email at blauren99@gmail.com.

How to Protect your Identity while Traveling Abroad

Traveling to another country can be an enlightening and sometimes life changing experience. You can learn about an entirely different culture and meet people who live speak a different language, enjoy a different array of cuisine and take in all of the new sites. Along with all of this fun, comes the danger of having your identity stolen. By the time you get back home and check on your finances, the damage may already have been done. In order to protect yourself from becoming the next victim you should know what to look for and how to guard yourself from identity theft.

How Can I avoid Scams and Criminals?

The best way to avoid a scam is to be aware of your environment. There are some simple things that you can do in order to keep yourself from becoming a victim of Identity theft.

• Never use your credit card on a publicly used computer or in a free Wi-Fi area on your laptop or smartphone.
• Set up an account with a protection agency, such as Lifelock. They can monitor your accounts and personal information. If they see something that looks suspicious they will contact you. If a thief is trying to open an account in your name, they will be stopped before the damage can be done.
• Follow a set identity theft protection plan designed around your household. It should include methods for keeping your information safe and a plan for removing documents securely from the home that are considered trash.
• Think about opening up a mail box at the post office. This way no one can steal your mail from your mailbox while you are on vacation.

What Kind of Setups Should I Be Looking For?

One popular approach that thieves like to impose on tourists is called the, “Front Desk Credit Card Scam.” This ploy involves you getting a call in the middle of the night asking for you to give you information over the phone since your card did not scan right. The agent claims that they need to scan your information again to charge you for the room. So in the morning you go down to check out and find out that the front desk did not call you, but rather a stranger has run off with your information.

Another ploy to watch out for involves you being at a bank machine. The thief watches you as you begin the process and will approach you just as the money comes out of the machine. They will ask you a question designed to distract you long enough for them to grab the money and run.

Finally, watch out for the stolen wallet routine. Here the thief places the wallet on the ground just waiting for an honest person to pick it up. Keep in mind that at the same time there might be an accomplice watching and waiting for the right time to pick your pocket.

Do not let your future be destroyed because of someone stealing your identity. Take the steps today to protect your life, finances and good name.

Improving Your Employability By Volunteering Whilst Abroad

Employers are throwing the term ‘employability’ around a lot, which basically means that a candidate is suitable for work in their sector and has valuable soft skills for work. Employability is harder to obtain than employers think, as you often need to get employed to earn it.

Outstanding grades, industry relevant internships and a combination of the two don’t seem to be enough to give that edge when approaching a potential employer anymore.

Why Volunteer?
Being part of the Erasmus exchange and gaining experience abroad is a very good way to gain employer’s attention, but there’s still more you can do whilst abroad to help you stand out from the crowd. Volunteering is becoming ever more popular and important within sectors, and there’s a big industry of it in many European countries, including the UK. Furthermore, volunteer work also gives you a great chance to prolong your stay abroad after an Erasmus exchange. In case you’re looking for housing options during a volunteer program, take a look at Erasmate’s browse housing list for current housing offers.

There are many preconceptions about volunteering. Some of them being that a volunteer would be bored or that there won’t a connection to your chosen industry. Having industry specific experience is good, but employers also want to see examples of dedication and passion.

If you can’t find industry related volunteer work, then look out for opportunities with causes that you are passionate about. If you wish to raise money for a cause funding research for a disease a family member has, then this not only shows dedication to your family, but also involves organization, budgeting and planning skills. Remember not to volunteer because you’ve heard it’s a good idea to do it, but because you want to, as employers will see right through you if you’re not passionate about the cause.

Regarding the first point of volunteering being boring, this won’t be the case if you volunteer for a cause that’s important to you, and there’s a growing trend of volunteering at summer and adventure camps in the UK.

Stand Out
Summer camps are a common sector in America, but are still growing within the UK meaning that volunteer work in such a different sector will help you stand out when looking for work in the UK or back home.

Volunteer work at a children’s camp is especially useful for those studying to become teachers, as you can gain valuable experience of interacting with the children in a very different environment compared to the classroom while still having to distribute the same authority and discipline. The challenge is creating the right balance between comradery and discipline. Conquering this challenge will impress potential employers, as many experienced teachers still struggle with this balance.

Similarly, if you’re planning to become a trainer or instructor within the sports or activities offered at summer camps, then you can gain valuable experience by volunteering as well as stand out with knowledge of more unusual sports such as weaselling (which is climbing, sliding and squeezing through tunnels and rocky obstacles to reach the top of a hillside).

Just like having hobbies is a credit to your versatility, so too is volunteer work in a different environment than what is expected. If you can show volunteering experience in a sector or industry which can stop the employer to take a closer look at your CV, then you have better chances of being noticed at the early stages of recruitment.

Find out more about UK summer camps. This article was written by Sarah Oxley on behalf of Doit4real, a charitable organization who provide adventure and summer camps for children aged 10-16.

The Advantages of Video Conferencing for International Students

The internet has made the lives of everyone on the planet so much easier. With the click of a button one can buy any product they desire and have it delivered to their home address just as quickly. Not only this, but staying in touch has never been easier to do. With the introduction of chat websites that include a microphone and webcam enabling function, meeting new people has never been easier. Not only this, but businesses and classrooms have incorporated the use of video conferencing by LifeSize to keep in touch with clients/students who are out of the country. I have highlighted the main advantages of video conferencing for international students and hope you find these useful and interesting.

Interaction
Have you ever typed to someone on the internet or on a mobile phone? Sending a message with only characters on a computer screen is much more difficult than it is to do face to face. It is far more time-consuming to type out a wall of text concerning the information you are trying to send than it is to just tell the person the same details. And if you are a native English speaker who only knows one language typing to someone who is from a non-English speaking country who is learning English, a lot can be lost in translation.

Sometimes native English speakers can get so used to using slang and figurative speech that it doesn’t come across in text to someone who is unfamiliar with those same mannerisms. Video conferencing removes this language barrier, allowing sentences to be exchanged without the otherwise unavoidable mincing of words. This is why video conferencing would help to assist in preventing misunderstandings which is why it would also be an effective tool to use when participating in student to student housing. For example, if you are a German student offering your room as you will be studying temporarily in the UK, then you may want to speak to the person you are sub-letting your room to. This is especially the case whereby you leave your furniture and other belongings at home. Video conferencing would help getting to know each other in a more personal manner, as opposed to simply writing each other e-mails or chatting with each other.

Learning a new language
I believe this is an advantage of video conferencing that is much overlooked. There is something about learning a language that is made much easier by actually hearing the language. This would explain why someone spending a year in France will pick up the language much faster than someone who spends that same amount of time in the classroom learning it. This is because learning the language is easier when it is relevant. Talking to native speakers of English would make learning the language a little easier to learn. This is because languages are much easier to learn when they are being used in context and with the quirks that only an accent can provide. Video conferencing allows this pronunciation to shine through in a way missed if the message is merely typed out.

Considering student to student housing is a great service mostly offered to international students, international students can already start learning the language when meeting the person who is sub-letting their room to you, in a video call.

Improve your job prospects by studying abroad

Many students are worried about how they will find a job in this gloomy economic climate. There’s no need to be despondent though. There are many jobs available for graduates and others, but it is a challenging job market. If you’re about to start studying, you need to think about how to give yourself a strong competitive edge. Something that’s worth considering is studying abroad, or at least participating in a foreign exchange programme. This may sound a strange way to go about improving your future career prospects, but there are a number of compelling reasons why you should consider this approach.

International knowledge
By choosing to study abroad, you will increase your international knowledge. You will learn about another country’s history, economy and social structure. And perhaps most importantly of all, you will have the opportunity either to learn a new language or improve on the language skills you already have. Employers are very keen to recruit multilingual staff, so this will stand you in good stead when job hunting.

Learning about new cultures
Every country has its own customs and ways of doing things. Learning about these customs can be very interesting and it can also equip you for future interviews. Not only does it give you something interesting to discuss in interview, it also reassures the recruitment team that you are flexible and adaptable which are key skills in today’s job market.

International teamwork
Many businesses are multi-national and have staff employed all around the world, as well as clients from many different continents. Even smaller companies are likely to employ people from all walks of life and their customers are equally likely to come from varied backgrounds. The fact that you have immersed yourself in another country’s culture will demonstrate that you are someone who will work well with all different kinds of people from different cultures.

Being open-minded
Everyone says that travel broadens the mind and it’s true. By studying abroad, you will be exposed to new ideas and new ways of thinking and doing things. Sometimes, you might be exposed to quite challenging experiences which require you to examine your own patterns of thinking. A foreign exchange can provide you with the opportunity to become more independent and worldly wise. Employers will find your independence refreshing and reassuring.

So, before you finally decide where to study, give some serious thought to studying abroad or participating in the student exchange programme from Erasmus. In order to be eligible, you have to do a Bachelor and apply for a grant. You’ll not only get an excellent education, but you’ll be helping to kick-start your career.

This post was written by Susanna Cha on behalf of Guardian Jobs, including graduate jobs, marketing jobs and more.

Important: Black List

Dear reader!

Since the launch of Erasmate we have helped many people finding and renting rooms, unfortunately, we also received few emails reporting scammers on our platform. Although we have warned several times to be cautious when it comes to transferring money, some people became victim of scams.

Therefore we’d like to share a black list of users identified as potential scammers:

- Alex Guzman
- Daniela Andress Esser
- Dario Robles / Robles Liro
- Hooper Jane
- Jordan Cowell
- Juanita Gaviria Arroyave
- Julia Torrado
- Lea Ginette / Lea Gen / Lea Genetti
- Laureen Mourus
- Malleville Adrien
- Martina Spolini
- Mery Sankara
- Michael Cheng / Michael Ruben
- Roberto Lara / Roberto Lar
- Sonia Koneh
- Soren Wengerowsky
- Susan Rob / Rob James / James Robinson
- Sven Thorwarth
- Tessa Anouk

Although these users have been blocked from our system, they often re-register under other email accounts. Do you recognize part of their names in usernames or email addresses, stop your conversation!

How can you recognize a potential scammer?
* Invites to communicate via private email accounts (instead of via the Erasmate mailing system)
* Question to transfer X months of rent and deposit
* Telling some story about family members renting out the place
* Question to transfer money via WesternUnion

We recognize that all scammers ask for payments via WesterUnion. We recommend to only make payments to personal bank accounts.

In case you belief to be in touch with a scammer, quite your conversation and report to us!

We’re working hard on preventing scams. Soon our new platform with increased security standards will be launched in order to minimize scam activity.

Do not hesitate to spread this blog post to friends using our platform in order to increase awareness!

Best regards Your Erasmate Team

Reminder – Updates – Discounts for Erasmus students!

Dear all!

June and July are for most students the months in which they get to hear whether they can participate in the upcoming Erasmus exchange semester from September 2011 onwards.

Have you been accepted? Congrats! You’re awaiting one of the most beautiful experiences in your student life!

The Erasmate team notices an enormous increase in number of people visiting the website each day. Via this blog post we’d like to remind you of a few things:

* Please communicate via our mail functionality in order to minimize the risk of being scammed. We’re daily checking on the validity of our users and directly block users who appear to be unreliable lessors. When you communicate via the platform you’ll directly notice when someone is blocked.

* Next to the arrangements of your housing, you can book flights, arrange travel insurances, and buy your travel guides at Erasmate.com.

* Erasmate.com offers a legally binding rental contract in order to increase your security when renting or lessing an apartment. As we’re seeing an enormous increase in traffic the last months, we’d like to celebrate this and offer you our tenancy agreement for a 50% DISCOUNT until the end of August.

* We’d like to thank all of you who gave us input for the new website. We’re working hard in order to meet your wishes…Stay tuned!

Mates, live with passion and enjoy your journey!
Your Erasmate Team

Be cautious: rental contract!

Dear fans, friends, users!

Erasmate is a free platform to use for all of you. This unfortunately means that some people are using the website in order to try to earn a little extra money on the side. We recommend to never pay money in advance in case you’re asked to do so. Deposits can obviously be agreed upon, however, we recommend to only pay deposits after seeing the property.

In order to provide both lessor and lessee with extra security on the validity of agreements made, we offer a legally binding rental contract. As the ‘BuyNow’ button currently doesn’t function well, you can send an email to info@erasmate.com indicating to be interested in a rental contract and we’ll make sure to send you a PDF by email after receiving payment via bank transfer. As we realize it’s a bit more work to arrange the payment via bank transfer, we currently offer our rental contract for a discounted price of €24,95

We hope to have warned you and provided you a solution!

Best, Jorn

Do not become a Money Mule!

Planet Earth is an evil place. It happens everyday, people being asked to provide their bank account details in order for criminals to transfer money to their account. Although the offers might sound great, never provide your details. The police will always track you down and although it can appear as an innocent deal, in case of cooperation you’re an accessory and punishable!

This is how it works:

In case you’ll be approached by email via our system, inform us directly at info@erasmate.com. Stay cautious and be aware with personal details!

BioDeals for German Erasmates

Dear Erasmus friends!

Today we’d like to share a post by Johann Quassowski: an Erasmus student going to Berlin upcoming semester, and employed by Biodeals.

Are you doing your Erasmus in Germany next semester? If yes, and if you’d like to diversify your diet beyond bratwurst and beer, I recommend Biodeals. Biodeals offers different bio, organic or fair-trade products every week against discounted student-friendly prices.

Sign up for our newsletter in order to receive even more discount on your first purchase.

Party hard, but don’t forget your healthy additions to your student-diet!

Additional information: you’ll need to understand/read some German to order and, so far, we are not delivering outside of Germany.

PS: Johann is going to Berlin next semester. Are you still looking for a roommate? Check out his profile here.