If you want to use your mobile phone, you'll need to check with your phone provider whether it will work in France, and what the call charges are. In the UK, for all but the very top-of-the-range packages, you'll have to inform your phone provider before going abroad to get international access switched on. You may get charged extra for this depending on your existing package and where you are travelling to. You're also likely to be charged extra for incoming calls when abroad, as the people calling you will be paying the usual rate. If you want to retrieve messages while you're away, you'll have to ask your provider for a new access code, as your home one is unlikely to work. For further information about using your phone abroad, check out www.telecomsadvice.org.uk/features/using_your_mobile_abroad.htm.Unless you have a tri-band phone, it's unlikely that a cellphone bought for use inside the US will work abroad. Those that do tend to be very expensive as users are billed for both incoming and outgoing calls. For details of which phones will work outside the US, contact your service provider. Most mobiles in Australia and New Zealand use GSM, which works well in Europe.
| 