Send your WebWorld queries to pcollins@irishtimes.com or by post to Padraig Collins, The Irish Times New Media, 4th Floor, Ballast House, Aston Quay, Dublin 2

I Travel abroad a lot and would like to still access my e- mail easily. Mobile phone companies have extensive roaming agreements with similar companies abroad, but so far, I have not found an Internet Service Provider that offers similar roaming arrangements. This means that, unless I can find a convenient local cybercafe when abroad, I have to make an international phone call to Ireland before I can access my e-mail - the resulting phone bills are non- trivial! Can you suggest any solutions or work-arounds? - Darius, via e-mail.

A roaming service allows access to the Internet when away from home at the price of a local call or at a charge considerably less than the regular long-distance charges. This is common practice with most US-based ISPs, but not yet common elsewhere.

Dialling an ISP from anywhere in Ireland will cost the same: it is not so from abroad. Finding out how to reduce your roaming bills is not easy. (It couldn't be that the ISPs are putting profit before customer service could it? Surely not.)

In his e-mail Darius mentioned the EUnet Traveller site (www.traveller.eu.net/ html/pops.html), but, like him, I could not understand how it is supposed to work.

Far more promising is Netroamer (www.net-roamer.com) which was set up by a business executive who was fed up having to pay hundreds of dollars a day to hotels around the world just to be able to call into the Internet, send files and receive his e-mail.

Net-roamer promises to provide access to the Internet from anywhere in the world through a local call, without needing to change your ISP, for 25 US cents a minute, through user-friendly, point-and-click software. It seems to be the most professional service offering roaming.

Another option is to take advantage of companies offering free Internet trial offers when you go to a new country. For instance many ISPs offer free access for the first month, or the first 100 hours free. This is a service which can be accessed through CDs which you will find with any computer or Internet magazine in newsagents and airport bookshops worldwide.

However, many of these offers require you to give your credit card details when setting up the trial. This means that you will have to remember to cancel the whole deal when your free month or 100 hours is up, or face being charged after that. Some people will find all of this morally dubious, but it is perfectly legal to take advantage of these offers. If you have less time on your hands Net-roamer might just be the solution.