Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
one computer you can get to the
Internet on. In Chicago, the
public
libraries
offer Internet access free of
charge. Most
hotel business centers
have computers with Internet access as
well, but the prices can be high.
Most major airports now have
Internet kiosks
scattered throughout
their gates. These kiosks, which you'll
also see in shopping malls, hotel lob-
bies, and tourist information offices
around the world, give you basic Web
access for a per-minute fee that's usu-
ally higher than cybercafe prices. The
kiosks' clunkiness and high price
means they should be avoided when-
ever possible.
To retrieve your e-mail, ask your
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
if it
has a Web-based interface tied to your
existing e-mail account. If your ISP
doesn't have such an interface, you can
use the free
mail2web
service (www.
mail2web.com) to view and reply to
your home e-mail. For more flexibility,
you may want to open a free, Web-
based e-mail account with
Yahoo! Mail
(http://mail.yahoo.com). (Microsoft's
Hotmail is another popular option, but
Hotmail has severe spam problems.)
Your home ISP may be able to forward
your e-mail to the Web-based account
automatically.
If you need to access files on your
office computer, look into a service
called
GoToMyPC
(www.gotomypc.
com). The service provides a Web-
based interface for you to access and
manipulate a distant PC from any-
where—even a cybercafe—provided
your “target” PC is on and has an
always-on connection to the Internet
(such as with Road Runner cable). The
service offers top-quality security, but
if you're worried about hackers, use
your own laptop rather than a cyber-
cafe to access the GoToMyPC system.
WITH YOUR OWN
COMPUTER
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is the buzz-
word in computer access, and more
and more hotels, cafes, and retailers
are signing on as wireless “hotspots”
from where you can get high-speed
connection without cable wires, net-
working hardware, or a phone line.
You sign up for wireless access serv-
ice much as you do cellphone service,
through a plan offered by one of sev-
eral commercial companies.
T-Mobile
Hotspot
(www.t-mobile.com/hotspot)
serves up wireless connections at more
than 1,000 Starbucks coffee shops
nationwide.
Boingo
(www.boingo.
com) and
Wayport
(www.wayport.
com) have set up networks in airports
and high-class hotel lobbies. The com-
panies' pricing policies can be confus-
ing, but in general you pay around $30
a month for limited access—but as
more companies jump on the wireless
bandwagon, prices are likely to get
even more competitive.
If Wi-Fi is not available at your des-
tination, most business-class hotels in
Chicago offer dataports for laptop
modems, and many also offer free
high-speed Internet access using an
Ethernet network cable.
Call your
hotel
in advance to see what your
options are.
In addition, major Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) have
local access
numbers
around the world, allowing
you to go online by simply placing a
local call. Check your ISP's website or
call its toll-free number and ask how
you can use your current account
away from home, and how much it
will cost.
Wherever you go, bring a
connec-
tion kit
of the right power and phone
adapters, a spare phone cord, and a
spare Ethernet network cable—or find
out whether your hotel supplies them
to guests.
USING A CELLPHONE
ACROSS THE U.S.
Just because your cellphone works at
home doesn't mean it'll work else-
where in the country (thanks to our
