I’m a firm believer that it shouldn’t cost a person anything to access his or her own money, which lands ATM fees near the top of my list of annoyances. For people who travel a lot, these fees can really add up as you hop from airport to airport, city to city, searching frantically for the nearest ATM to grab cash for a cab ride or to tip a bellman.

This morning, I left Atlanta and headed to Virginia Beach, only to open my wallet and see that, of course, I have no cash. I’m one of those folks who lives and dies by the credit card. As I scrolled through the news on my iPhone on the metro train to the airport, though, I came across this story about a new app from Allpoint that allows a person to search for the nearest fee-free ATM. Score!

I downloaded the app as soon as I arrived at my Hilton hotel. I searched for the nearest ATM that won’t charge me money to get my money (it automatically searches based on your GPS location). The story noted that most of the locations that pop up are in convenience stores or retail centers, and that’s true. The one nearest my hotel is in a 7-Eleven store; the app also offered to give me directions there, but I should have no trouble finding this one (it’s two-tenths of a mile away).

I used to hate leaving home without my phone because I thought, “What if there’s an emergency? What if I need to call someone for help?” But it’s moved well beyond that now. If I leave home without my phone, I leave home without my e-mail, GPS system, boarding pass, access to free ATMS … you get the point. Oh, and of course, it’s still a phone if I need it.