This week web reviewer Kate Russell looks at a range of tools and apps to help beat roaming charges when using your phone abroad.

Turning off roaming doesn't mean you need to be cut off. You can still hook up to local wi-fi networks that will let you use all the usual VOIP services, like Skype, Viber and Jajah.

The other useful tool when you're on wi-fi is instant messaging services, like Whatsapp , Pingchat and Meebo.

Google maps lets you search for free wi-fi access points by location. NavFree is a turn-by-turn satnav app for Apple mobile devices, soon to be released on Androids too. OffMaps is another mapping app for iPhones that stores the data on your handset before you depart. For Android users there is AndNav2. and Nokia users are looked after too with Ovi maps.

If you can't resist the urge to browse on the go, Opera Mini is a really nice tool to help slash data costs. Blackberries use a similar technique for data efficiency by compressing all traffic to the handset using an architecture they call datasmart.

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