Imagine you've just left for a holiday of your dreams or you're about to depart for an important business deal abroad, but wait, you forgot to pack something besides the tour guide map and your camera...

That's right. It's your faithful friend, the broadband connection, which you've grown so used to having access to that you might have naively believed that your phone will magically stay connected once you pass the border.

Unfortunately, the cold harsh reality of mobile broadband doesn't quite work that way.

What are my options if I want to stay connected when traveling abroad?

Depending on what device you want to use your mobile broadband on, you have a number of options available.

If you want to connect your laptop to the internet while you're traveling, the best thing to do is to get a dongle/modem mobile broadband deal available from a range of providers like 3, O2, Virgin Media, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone.

If you're planning a long visit to another country, it's worthwhile considering buying a short-term mobile broadband deal from a provider at your destination as it will most probably offer cheaper prices, faster speeds and greater quality of connection.

Whether you want to make your current mobile broadband service work abroad or get a brand new deal, it will most probably not allow you great freedom in terms of data allowance or price range.

All mobile broadband offers charge on a megabyte basis, which means you need to be really careful when using your mobile broadband because just for checking your e-mail and browsing a couple of pages every day you may receive quite a shocking bill waiting for you at home.

How can I make sure I don't get overcharged when using my mobile broadband abroad?

According to regulations placed by the EU commission in July 2010, internet providers must disconnect their customers from their mobile broadband if they should reach the €50 (approx. £41) cap on their internet allowance. Providers are also obliged to inform their subscribers via text once they've used 80 per cent of their data limit.

What is the cheapest and most convenient option then?

To save yourself the trouble of finding a good mobile broadband deal at home or of constantly worrying whether you're exceeding your data limit, you can try and connect your mobile device via multiple Wi-Fi hotspots, available at a range of hotel chains, cafes and petrol stations around the world. Being a frequent traveler myself, I have found that it is the safest and cheapest bet when it comes to staying connected abroad as most hotels offer their clients the use of a wireless connection in their lobbies or in the rooms themselves either for free or for a reasonable hourly fee.

How about using your phone for connecting to the internet?

Mobile broadband on your phone/smartphone or roaming is another alternative, which can be just as costly as getting a dongle.

To connect to the internet via your mobile handset, you should call customer services at your current provider and make sure that your phone has been set up for use abroad. Be aware that any minutes or services you've enjoyed at home will not apply when you're in another country and that you will be charged for your calls, texts and data usage at a much higher rate.

On the bright side, future costs of mobile roaming among EU countries are set to look better and better according to Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Digital Agenda:

"We will not be proposing another barrier, and nor will we propose endless tweaking of the current price capping arrangement without adding anything new."

"I want the gap between roaming and domestic prices to approach zero", she commented.

Frequent travelers can only wait and hope for such a mobile broadband utopia.

Most important thing to remember

If you should go away remembering one thing from this article, let it be this:

Don't download, stream, upload or partake in any data-hungry activity while you're abroad because more often than not, you will end up paying incredible sums for the small luxury.

Just stick to checking your e-mails and browsing web pages and you should be fine.