Whether you're on the road for business or pleasure—provided you're not traveling by canoe in the Amazon jungle or dog sled in the arctic—there’s probably a way to stay in touch by e‑mail. With a little knowledge and advance planning, it’s easy to check your e‑mail from the road. Here are some tips to help you remain in contact with friends, family, and colleagues while you're on the go.
1. Use web mail and travel light
If you use a web-based e‑mail service such as Windows Live Hotmail, you can send and receive e‑mail using someone else’s computer, without the need to carry around your own mobile PC while you travel. All you need is a Hotmail account and a computer with a web browser and an Internet connection. You can even access Hotmail from some web-enabled mobile phones.
2. Carry a laptop and use your own e‑mail program
If you’re traveling on business, chances are you'll have your own mobile PC with you. In this case, you can use a more full-featured e‑mail program such as Windows Live Mail or Windows Mail. These programs enable you to store all your messages locally on your PC, so you can read messages you’ve already downloaded and compose new messages even when you can’t get an Internet connection. Windows Mail is included in Windows Vista. To download Windows Live Mail, go to the Windows Live Mail website.
Bringing a mobile PC with you on a trip gives you more options for checking e‑mail
When you have your own computer with you, you also get the added bonus of being able to check e‑mail in the privacy and comfort of your hotel room (assuming your hotel offers Internet access). Also, if you're really on the go and don’t want to stop and open your laptop, you can check e‑mail from many mobile phones, including many Windows Mobile devices.
3. Try doing e‑mail offline
Write messages when you're inspired, not when you're connected. If you have a laptop with you, take advantage of offline time to read messages you have already downloaded and compose replies and other new messages. Unlike web-based e‑mail, programs such as Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail save your messages locally (on your hard disk), rather than on the web. The next time you connect to the Internet or your company network, you can download new e‑mail and send any messages you have ready to go, sitting in your Outbox.
Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail enable you to write messages offline and store them temporarily in your Outbox
4. Hone your skills at finding Internet cafés
If you're traveling without a mobile PC, train yourself to watch for Internet cafés and other places where you can rent a computer for a short period of time to check your e‑mail. Don’t wait until you absolutely have to check e‑mail and then expect to find a place on the nearest street corner. Depending on where you're traveling, there might not be very many Internet cafés. Learn what kinds of places offer computers with Internet access. Many places may offer wireless Internet access but have no computers you can use. Ask around for locations. Hotel clerks, waiters, airline staff, and other service people can often tell you where to go.
“Internet café” is a generic term that many people use to refer to almost any public place with a computer you can use to access the Internet. An Internet café may or may not refer to an actual café. Also look for Internet kiosks, public libraries, and other locations that let you use their computers. Many rent computer time by the minute or hour.
You can access Windows Live Hotmail from any computer with a web browser and an Internet connection
5. Look up Internet café locations before you go
If you want to be sure you can check your e‑mail from the road, make a list in advance of Internet cafés where you will be traveling. This can be important if you will be traveling in areas where Internet access is less likely to be available.
Several websites offer lists of Internet cafés around the world. You can go to online resources such as The Cybercafe Search Engine website or the Cybercafes website where you'll find thousands of Internet cafés, public Internet kiosks, and even cruise ships with Internet cafés. Of course, not every café is listed, so ask around if you can't find one on the web.
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