Check Your Usage of iPhone for a Pecific Period

Before using your iPhone in another country, you should also reset your usage statistics so you can track how close you are to your limit. Go to "Settings," then "General" and "Usage." The reset option is at the bottom. Also on the same page, there is a listing for "Cellular Network Data." This can grow at an astounding speed.

I used up a third of my 20 megabytes in an hour by checking e-mail, instant-messaging friends, getting directions from the Mayan Riviera resort area to Cancun's airport, and resetting my fantasy football roster for the week (I would have done better ignoring my team).

If you happen to be staying somewhere with wireless Internet access, you can dodge most of these charges. Establish a connection with the network, use Skype or another Internet phone service for all voice calls and use the wireless network to surf the Web and check e-mail.

With some care, your iPhone can make a wonderful travel companion, but just don't expect it to deliver quite as much as it does at home anywhere close to as cheaply.

No Roaming, No Fetching

There are some steps you can take to maintain some of the functionality of the phone without the monster bill, but it will still cost you extra.

First off, learn how to defang the functions of your iPhone that can whack your wallet: international calling and data. The easiest way to completely shut these off (other than turning off the phone) is to go into flight mode. However, that leaves you with a virtually useless phone that can't make or receive calls, check e-mail or text.

To be more selective, go to "Settings," then "General" and then "Network." Here you can shut off "Data Roaming" so you won't feast on high-priced data but can still make phone calls.

Also, in your e-mail settings, turn off the "Fetch" option so you won't automatically download e-mail. Do so under "Settings," then "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and "Fetch New Data."