You can hook your laptop up to the phone line, but you need Internet service with a number that's local from there. (Some ISPs have an 800 number you can use, but that's expensive.) Most of the national ISPs (AOL, Earthlink, etc.) will have a number you can use that won't be long distance.
We have a cable modem, so obviously we don't have any phone numbers when we travel. Our solution was to get an Internet phone card. It's like a regular phone card, but the minutes are for Internet service. I think we got ours through MCI or Sprint.