The 21st-Century Traveler

Travelers have any number of ways to check their e-mail and access the Internet on the road. Of course, using your own laptop -- or even a PDA (personal digital assistant) or electronic organizer with a modem -- gives you the most flexibility. But even if you don't have a computer, you can still access your e-mail and even your office computer from cybercafes.

Traveling Without Your Own Computer

It's hard nowadays to find a city that doesn't have a few cybercafes. Although there's no definitive directory for cybercafes -- these are independent businesses, after all -- three places to start looking are at www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com.

Aside from formal cybercafes, most youth hostels have at least one computer with Internet access. And many public libraries in Canada offer access free or for a small charge. Avoid hotel business centers unless you're willing to pay exorbitant rates or have no other choice.

Most airports now have Internet kiosks scattered throughout their gates. These kiosks, which you'll also see in shopping malls, hotel lobbies, and tourist information offices around the world, give you basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices. The kiosks' clunkiness and high price, however, mean you should avoid them whenever 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 anywhere -- even a cybercafe -- provided your "target" PC is on and has an always-on connection to the Internet (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 cybercafe computer to access the GoToMyPC system.

Traveling With Your Own Computer

More and more hotels, cafes, and retailers are signing on as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) "hotspots," from where you can get high-speed connection without cable wires, networking hardware, or a phone line . You can get Wi-Fi connection one of several ways. Many laptops sold in the last year have built-in Wi-Fi capability (an 802.11b wireless Ethernet connection). Mac owners have their own networking technology, Apple AirPort. For those with older computers, you can plug in an 802.11b/Wi-Fi card (around $50). You sign up for wireless access service much as you do for cellphone service, through a plan offered by one of several commercial companies that have made wireless service available in many airports, hotel lobbies, and coffee shops, including some locations in Canada. Telus (www.telusmobility.com), a Canadian cellular phone provider, is also slowly spreading its hotspots into eastern Canada, for example. iPass providers also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups. (Pricing policies can be byzantine, but in general you pay around $30 a month for unlimited access, and prices are dropping as Wi-Fi access becomes more common.) To locate other hotspots that provide free wireless networks in cities around the world, go to www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessCommunities.

For dial-up access, most business-class hotels in Canada offer dataports for laptop modems, and some even offer free high-speed Internet access using an Ethernet network cable. You can bring your own cables, but most hotels rent them for around $10. Still, call your hotel in advance to see what your options are if this is important to you.

In addition, major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by 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.

The iPass network also has dial-up numbers around the world. You'll have to sign up with an iPass provider, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www.ipass.com and click on "Individuals Buy Now." One solid provider is i2roam (www.i2roam.com; tel. 866/811-6209 or 920/235-0475).

Wherever you go, bring a connection 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 in Eastern Canada

U.S. cell phones work in Canada, though you'll pay roaming and long-distance charges that can push call costs above the $1 per minute level. Fortunately, most U.S. carriers offer Canadian calling plans that may cut into your roaming and long-distance charges while making calls from within Canada. Check with your carrier about switching to one for the duration of your trip.

If your cellphone from another country is on a GSM system, and you have a world-capable multiband phone such as many Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung models, you can make and receive calls across civilized areas in some parts of Canada. Just call your wireless operator and ask for "international roaming" to be activated on your account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high.

Renting a Canadian phone is another option. While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting one before you leave home. That way you can give loved ones and business associates your new number, make sure the phone works, and take the phone wherever you go.

Phone rental isn't cheap. You'll usually pay $40 to $50 per week, plus airtime fees of at least a dollar a minute.

Two good wireless rental companies are InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) and RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1606 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). Give them your itinerary, and they'll tell you what wireless products you need.

Finding a B&B via the WWW

One of the surprising joys of booking travel to Canada via the Internet is the surprisingly good online organization of bed-and-breakfasts. You can research and book a nice B&B from the comfort of your own home. Visit www.bbonline.com/canada.html for very complete listings of Eastern Canadian B&B's. Visit www.canadaselect.com for a listing and rating of most Canadian hotels and inns.