ON
THE ROAD E-PRACTICALITIES
Allows me to be uncharacteristically practical. I am currently in the Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, a wonderful place. And the reason I can tell you about it is because over the years, I have had to figure out how to connect to the Internet and file my stories from just about every continent. Along the way, I have devised a few tricks. If my column appears, they work. If what you see in my designated spot is an ad for Florida, they did not.
So, in a fit of unromantic practically, here is my (nearly) Cleo- proof Guide to Getting Online From Nuku 'Alofa (or one of Tonga's other fine towns). It is a bit peculiar, and there are certainly other ways of doing it, but it works for me. Usually.
GETTING STARTED
I run off a Mac and use Eudora (virus-free since I got my first Mac 512). But the principles are the same for those of you who have yet to be converted.
A long time ago, I registered my own domain name, the imaginative cleopaskal.com (I also took cleopascal.com just in case not all my correspondents could spell. And queenofcanada.com, just because). It costs about $12 a year. Mail addressed to me@cleo paskal.com is forwarded to my mailbox at my current service provider. That way, I can change service providers without having to change email addresses. I highly recommend it. That said, picking a domain name is like getting a tattoo, don't choose anything that is going to look stupid when you are 75.
There are many sites that will register domains for you. One popular and cheap one is godaddy.com. A reputable Canadian one is domainsatcost.ca.
GETTING ONLINE WITH YOUR LAPTOP
Most Internet service providers store the email people send you on their server until you come and pick it up. If you have a dial- up service, your computer has to telephone your provider's server to get online and retrieve your email (that crazed banshee sound). If you have some sort of high-speed service you are likely continually connected.
Dial-up is going the way of wide ties, but it has distinct advantages for the traveller. If you want to check your email from Tarawa (the delightful capital of Kiribati), all you have to do is plug a phone line into your computer, get your laptop to call home, and you can have the same (slow) connection you have from your living room. It is very simple, occasionally expensive, but effective.
Alternatively, some service providers work with partners around the world to offer a "roaming service." They give you a list of local dial-up numbers your computer can call when travelling. Often, there is a small surcharge (with the company I use, it is $8 an hour) but you have the same connection as a local user.
As a backup, more and more places sell phone cards that not only give you a discount on long-distance calls, they provide per-minute local Internet access.
You have to reconfigure your Internet connection (using the number, user name and password they provide), but it can be cheap. When I was in New Zealand, I used a card that charged about 4 cents a minute. The ones in the U.K. cost about the same.
The real magic wand is Wi-Fi (wireless connections). You do not have to be physically connected to anything. It is like a radio picking up a station. The connection can be fast or as slow as a dial-up, depending on the provider. It is not always secure, but it is very convenient.
Wi-Fi is becoming more and more common (though it has yet to reach Tonga). VIA Rail offers free Wi-Fi in first class of its Montreal-to-Toronto trains. Fairmont hotels has it. The entire city of Wellington, New Zealand is just about covered. All you need for that is a wireless card installed in your computer (mine cost $120), though some places charge additionally for the service.
CHECKING E-MAIL
I do not use Hotmail or one of the other Web-based providers. I need to be able to read and write my e-mails offline and send the photos that occasionally run with my column. And I do not like their agreements, and want my e-mail stored on my own computer. I am happily paranoid. Anyway, you need to be able to get online to use Hotmail, and if I can get online, I do not need Hotmail.
My service provider, globetrotter.net, not only offers dial-up and roaming service, it also has a Web-based page that allows me, when desperate, to check my e-mail from an Internet cafe.
That said, their dial-up connection is too slow for me at home, so I also have a cable connection in my office. It came with an e- mail address, but I do not use it. I use my cable connection to get Eudora to check my globetrotter.net email. Follow? Told you it was a bit peculiar.
So, to recap: When travelling, first I try to get online using the globetrotter.net local access number. If that does not work, I try to buy a calling card that offers Internet access. If I cannot find one, I get a calling card with cheap long-distance rates and get my computer to call home directly using that. If that does not pan out, I take out a loan and just call home directly. For all of those, none of my Eudora settings has to be changed. Once I am connected, it is as if I am at home.
If none of that works, I go to the French globetrotter.net Web page and check my e-mail there.
If all that fails, I know where you can you can find a good ad for deals in Florida.
• 10 Ways To Piss Off An Editor
• 10 Ways To Annoy A Freelancer
• Random Advice from Professionals
• Self-Syndicating, The Holy Grail
• On The Road E-Practicalities
• All-Purpose Bad Travel Story
