The summer break is already upon us, and many people have either taken off for sunny climes or are just beginning to pack their bags. And while we are all aware that traveling abroad can be costly after we have paid for our airfare, lodging, and set aside some spending money, it is unfortunate that our phone bills might also go up.

Due to this, travelers are currently being advised of certain fees they may not be aware of, which could result in them paying a too much money while on vacation in particular locations. The British are currently facing this problem the most becouse after the Brexit they lost some of the roaming benefits.

Roaming fees for EU countries usually amount to no more than £14 for a week’s holiday and are, at present, free for O2 and Virgin Media customers. However charges can quickly rise for popular destinations such as Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The news comes after a study by UK comparison website Uswitch, showed that some providers such as Vodafone let customers use their domestic monthly allowance of calls, texts and data while on holiday outside the EU for £6 a day, meaning a week’s break will cost no more than £42 in the 156 destinations it covers. However some places are excluded from overseas data, call or text bundles. For example, consumers travelling to Egypt face charges of up to £7.20 a MB for data, calls costing £5 a minute, and texts billed at 60p each. This means that a holidaymaker using 1GB of data, making 20 minutes of calls and sending 10 texts a day could end up with a £787 bill. Read more here.

These are the tips how to avoid roaming charges

Download at home, not away: Download any maps, shows, films and music before travelling to avoid data costs abroad. If using your mobile on holiday, focus on low-data activities and apps. An hour of Google Maps will only eat up 5MB, while streaming an HD movie for the same time will use about 2GB – 400 times as much.

Check the cap fits: Even if you are paying for a bundle to roam abroad, you may not have the same data allowances as do in the UK. Check your provider’s fair usage policy, which will govern how much data you can use before you incur extra charges. You can also set up a spend cap with your provider to avoid any surprise bills when you return.

Switch off voicemail: When overseas, you can expect to pay the same per-minute rate for checking your messages as you do for making calls. Yet sometimes even receiving a voicemail on holiday can cost you. If your provider includes this charge, call them before you travel and get it switched off.

Wi-Fi wins: To save your data allowance, use hotel and café Wi-Fi connections whenever possible. You can also enable Wi-Fi calling or use services such as Whatsapp to make audio calls without using your minutes. Make sure access points are safe and secure before logging on and avoid activities like online banking on public networks.

If in doubt, engage flight mode: Flight mode is not just for when you’re up in the air – although it will stop any chance of connecting to other networks while flying across the countries. Activating it on holiday, particularly in destinations with high fees on calls, texts and data, can remind you to watch your usage and save you from unexpected costs. how to avoid roaming charges

Get International SIM card: If you’re with a provider that has roaming charges it’s worth considering buying a one-month SIM-only deal that will cover you for your time away. Choose your SIM card here and get it before departure.