Iphone - how do I make sure I dont bankrupt myself taking it abroad?

[oranges]

If I switch off data roaming, will it still cost me a small fortune if I take it on holiday to Italy? I will need a mobile out there but can probably lie without checking my emails. And if I let ds play games on it, does it ratchet up costs in any way?

I think if you switch off data roaming you will be OK. I actually got a prompt from 02 last time I went away warning me about the costs and telling me to switch off. I don't think you'll be stung with games though as they are downloaded onto the phone and not using mobile whilst playing. Unless they are the type of games where you can play against other people, but I don't have any of those!