Staying Connected

Telephones

To call Bermuda:

1. Dial the international access code: 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia. From North America, no international access code is necessary; just dial 1.

2. Dial the country code 441.

3. Dial the local number.

To make international calls: To make international calls from Bermuda to North America, simply dial 1. For countries besides the U.S. and Canada, first dial 00 and then the country code (U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next, dial the city or area code and local number.

For directory assistance: Dial 411 if you're looking for a number inside Bermuda, and dial 0 for numbers to all other countries.

For operator assistance: If you need operator assistance in making a call, dial 0.

Toll-free numbers: There are no toll-free numbers in Bermuda. Calling an 800 or 888 number in North America from Bermuda is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Cellphones

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobiles), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use in dozens of other countries worldwide.

For many, renting a phone is a good idea. Even worldphone owners will have to rent new phones if they're traveling to non-GSM regions. While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting the phone before you leave home. North Americans can rent one before leaving home from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626 or 703/222-7161; www.intouchglobal.com) or RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1616 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work overseas.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in many countries incoming calls are free.

Internet & E-Mail

With Your Own Computer -- More and more hotels, cafes, and retailers are signing on as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) "hot spots." Boingo (www.boingo.com) and Wayport (www.wayport.com) have set up networks in airports and high-class hotel lobbies. iPass providers also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups.

For dial-up access, most business-class hotels offer dataports for laptop modems, and a few thousand hotels now offer free high-speed Internet access. In addition, major Internet service providers (ISPs) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by placing a local call. The iPass network also has dial-up numbers around the world. You'll have to sign up with an iPass provider, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www.ipass.com and click on "Individuals Buy Now." One solid provider is i2roam (tel. 866/811-6209 or 920/233-5863; www.i2roam.com).

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.

Without Your Own Computer -- Aside from formal cybercafes, most public libraries have Internet access. Avoid hotel business centers unless you're willing to pay exorbitant rates.

Most major airports now have Internet kiosks scattered throughout their gates. These give you basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices.