Something to Declare: Roaming free; France by sea; southern Africa

Bargain of the week: Roaming free

The cost of telephony has tumbled over the past few years. Two exceptions: using a hotel phone (for which often-exorbitant charges should be clearly displayed), or a UK mobile abroad, in which case you are subject to some very high charges from your service provider.

The EU caps charges for making or receiving calls within Europe, but even at these levels – 38p a minute outgoing, 19p a minute incoming – an hour of each adds £35 to the cost of a trip, often more than the air fare. Some providers have different policies; for example the Vodafone Passport tariff imposes a 75p connection fee plus normal UK call charges. Vodafone is abandoning its connection fee for the three main holiday months of June, July and August. Visit tiny.cc/KSi6A for details of how to sign up – or to order a free pay-as-you-go SIM card if you subscribe to a different network.

From 1 September onwards, normal charges apply once again. To reduce roaming charges permanently, sign up with a service such as Sim4Travel.com or 0044.co.uk.

Destination of the week: France by sea and rail

New train services across northern France offer intriguing summer journey possibilities for travellers who prefer to use ferries on the western Channel: direct links that bypass Paris.

From 5 July, a new TGV high-speed train will connect the French ports of Cherbourg and Caen with Marne-la-Vallée, the station for Disneyland Paris. The train continues to Dijon and Besançon.

Another service begins at Le Havre and calls at Rouen (easily accessible from Dieppe) before continuing around the north of Paris, via Charles de Gaulle airport to Strasbourg (pictured), with connections to Germany and Switzerland. Details are contained in the new June edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable (£13.99).

Buying tickets for complex train trips in Europe and beyond should become easier from next month, from London St Pancras at least. A new Trainseurope office is due to open at the gateway to Eurostar services. The company has been assigned Desk 1 in the East Midlands Trains ticket office, and will sell travel to destinations way beyond the present Eurostar range.

Warning of the week: Southern Africa

Travellers face a wide range of threats in the countries of Southern Africa. The latest Foreign Office advice for Botswana warns: "Violent crime is increasing, particularly in the major towns of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun. If you are attacked, do not resist." In addition, "taking photographs near military and government installations is prohibited".

Mozambique carries a similar warning: "Robbery, often using knives and firearms, is prevalent on the streets of Maputo and increasing in other towns. Avoid using ATM machines on the street. Avoid walking anywhere at night alone."

In Namibia: "Robberies targeting foreign tourists have increased significantly in 2009, particularly in Windhoek. Attacks can take place even in busy city centre locations in broad daylight."

In Zambia, "tourists are occasionally attacked in remote locations. You should be particularly careful when overlooking the abseiling point on Victoria Bridge from the road which leads to Songwe Village".

Finally, in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg (pictured), the Foreign Office warns about luggage pilfering at the city's airport: where possible, vacuum-wrap hold luggage. In addition: "Passport theft increasingly occurs at airports on arrival or departure."

Compare Travel Insurance - 5 day Euro cover from £4.33 and Annual worldwide policies from just £43.08