Postage costs vary
between different countries. It might take only a few
days for letters to arrive at their destination from
the UK and slightly longer from mainland European. It
could take a few weeks when they are sent from regions
with less efficient postal services. Although mobile
communication using portable phones is widespread, national
and international telephone calls can be made from some
public phone boxes using credit or debit cards. You
might also be able to make reverse-charge (collect)
calls, where your home long-distance carrier service
will be billed. Email is a popular way to keep in touch
with family and friends when travelling abroad and there
are a number of free Web based services available. Most
towns and cities have Internet cafes where you can log
into your free email accounts and surf the Internet.
You can usually find newspapers in various languages
at airports and larger railway stations, if you want
to read current news. Online you can find good sources
of information, including timetables and
currency
exchange rates.
