You’ve scraped, saved and scrounged and finally you have enough money for that long awaited holiday. Dreams of white sands, warm seas and sunny skies seem ever closer and more attainable. In these difficult times a holiday is even more of a treat; for a few days all your stresses and cares melt away and you’re free to relax and enjoy yourself. And then you get home. And you find the bills. All those sneaky little charges you weren’t aware of, charges which bring you crashing back down to earth and leave the memory of your holiday a fleeting dream of peace. However, these costs can be avoided; here is a guide to avoiding one of the biggest hidden holiday charges- that of using your mobile phone.

Despite the escapist pleasure of a holiday it’s still nice to keep contact with home; even if it’s just a quick call to friends to crow over the gorgeous weather. But the real cost of a quick call home can be a hideous surprise. You open the phone bill; you can’t believe your eyes; you can’t comprehend what the statement is saying. £15 for a ten minute chat with the neighbour about feeding the cat? Paying up to 60p just for receiving a text from the kids reassuring you they haven’t burnt the house down? Surely that can’t be right.

But unfortunately it is. Most phone companies charge what is called a “roaming charge”: an extra fee which is added to every phone call and text you make, or even in some cases receive, from abroad. Rate vary from country to country and across networks, but on average pay-as-you-go customers can expect to pay about £1/min for every phone call from Europe and up to £1.50/min from outside of the continent. Even text message don’t avoid the roaming charge, it costs between 30p - 50p to send a text and that’s ignoring the fact some networks charge people even to receive text messages. When making a phone call costs as much as a meal out, or even a night in a hotel, a holiday’s potential for relaxation seems ever less likely or attainable.

Now however a mobile phone company has finally addressed this issue. Over the period 1st June to the 31st of August 2009 Vodafone have abolished their “roaming charge”, so if you want to call home it’ll cost exactly the same as it would if you were calling from within the country. Bearing in mind that Vodafone used to charge an extra 75p/min this can make a massive difference- after the abolition that’s £7.50 saved on every ten minute call. The same policy applies to text messages; you’ll only be charged the normal rate of 10p per text.

If you’re not already with Vodafone then pick up one of their mobile phones to take advantage of this offer.  So that’s one money problem solved this summer. Send that text, make that call; then pick up that ice cold cocktail, sit back and relax by the pool. You’ve earned it.