“Roam if you want to, Roam around the world. Roam if you want to.....,” The B-52s’ lyrics from their song, ‘Roam’ on their 1989 record, ‘Cosmic Thing’.Anyone remember The B-52s? Yeah, even I remember them. They were so innocent.“Roam if you want to?”Sure I’ll roam and then...well then I’ll return from my trip and I will be “paying even if I don’t want to”.I know I’m being silly. I know I am taking the word roam in the song out of context, but that’s the point.Roaming used to be linked with a type of travel rather than something to fear. Now? Well now we worry about roaming charges!!!And you should. The charges that can apply for you to use your own cellphone, BlackBerry, android device, etc in another country can be exorbitant (or so I am told) if you are not smart about it.In the past I have tried to travel without a phone to ensure I avoided these costs.Yes when I travelled for a year around the world I travelled without a phone. Gasp.However, recently I started using a BlackBerry and I figured I might as well figure out how to take it with me when I travel rather than leave it at home!So I turned to Rob McNabb, who is the director of marketing for CellOne here in Bermuda, for some tips. To be honest, I’m sure he wondered if I had ever used a phone. Why? Maybe it was my first question for him:Can you explain to me what is roaming, exactly? And why does it exist? (see I told you it was a simple question for some).Mr McNabb: Roaming is the ability for a cellular customer to make and receive calls and send and receive data when outside the geographical coverage of their home network. For CellOne customers it exists as a convenience so that they can use the same device at all times no matter where they are in the world.How do roaming rates apply? Do they differ for different areas of the world? Are there roaming rates for data?Mr McNabb: Roaming rates differ depending on the country you travel to. Roaming agreements are set up between the different wireless carriers all over the world and each one differs CellOne is always negotiating to get the best roaming rates for its customers. There are roaming rates with sending and receiving data. This is where most people get in trouble as they do not understand how much data they are using!Here’s where the tips come in! Even if you do know how to use your phone and roaming, it’s always helpful to find out more! So how can people best avoid getting charged for roaming on their phones?Mr McNabb: If you plan on using your phone when abroad then you will get charged, but there are ways of minimising your costs. The data affects both sending and receiving (of e-mails, internet searches, Google, etc).1) Turn off the data on your smartphone. On most phones, there is a ‘settings’ section where you can choose to turn off sending and receiving data. Doing so will not allow you to surf the web, get e-mail, etc, but it will minimise your costs and you can still use your phone for calling and texting to keep in touch.2) If you need to stay in touch over the web, Wi-Fi hotspots are everywhere and make internet surfing on smartphones easier than ever.How do you use Wi-Fi instead of the cellphone tower?Mr McNabb: “Turning on the Wi-Fi usually takes place in the area that you turn off the data roaming. Each device is different but, for example, on the android devices you simply follow these steps:Go to ‘settings’ then select ‘wireless and network’;The menu should give you the option for ‘Wi-Fi settings’, select this;The next menu should give you the option to turn Wi-Fi on or off.3) Do not open large e-mail attachments or stream music and video when abroad. These are the biggest data consumers and can get people in trouble quickly with large bills.4) Minimise your call time. Each minute you talk on the phone outside your home country costs much more than it does when you are back at home so make sure to watch how much time you are using.My own suggestion on how to save? Purchase a local SIM card! Do you know how many SIM cards I had when I lived in Europe ten years ago? A lot. The SIM cards, though, are cheap and will mean you attach to the country’s phone system rather than bouncing back to Bermuda! Of course, call your own customer service for more information before you go.Finally, it sounds like there are a lot of problems with data and it costing money. Are there advantages to having a BlackBerry, say, or an android for travelling versus a simple phone?Mr McNabb: One of the great advantages of the smartphone is that you can always stay connected no matter where you are. So they are great if you need to stay in touch with your business or personal life while out of your home country. The disadvantage is that these phones are usually data-intensive, which could mean bigger roaming bills while travelling. BlackBerrys are traditionally less data-intensive than iPhones and androids though.Feel free to travel boldly with your BlackBerry, cellphone, android or iPhone and make sure you know how to.Next we’re taking our trip for July and it’s going to be in.....Atlanta! Remember to visit www.robynswanderings.com and leave your comments.