Wireless access at home & work is like running water, you almost take its constant life giving flow for granted… 
then when you head out on your travels it ends up being the most important (and perhaps only) thing you look for. Over the last 5 to 6 years I’ve probably spent a few months total in hotels, each with their own unique way having customers pay for internet access or in the best case, give it away. Recently I was wondering if there was a definitive chart that listed exactly what hotels have free/fee Wi-Fi, turns out there is! Here’s a good chart on BookofJoe & Hotelchatter. The chart breaks down which chains have free / fee as well as which ones have free Wi-Fi in the lobby, extremely handy, I saved this image to my “travel” folder and review it before I book my travel.
Sometimes, knowing there is Wi-Fi somewhere doesn’t work out - there’s Wi-Fi, but it’s just far away. One of the things I stick in my laptop bag is a “Wi-Fire” from hField - it’s a USB wireless “booster” it can get you up 1,000 feet away from an access point. When I visited Tokyo the place I was staying didn’t have Wi-Fi, but 3 buildings down the street did, this worked perfect.
Last up, let’s say there isn’t Wi-Fi where you’re heading and you have an EVDO card - EVDO cards are great, but if you’re traveling with others it can be a little unfair. Usually if you’re sporting an EVDO card and your fellow travelers do not have one you’ll end up getting stern looks because of your access or even worse, they’ll ask to borrow your laptop for “just one second to check mail”. But don’t fret, there’s a solution, an EVDO router! With an EVDO router, you can broadcast your wireless so others can use it. This is very handy if you’re on a bus or at a location that doesn’t have Wi-Fi and need to get a few people online , my friend Scott has one and loves it.
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by Dave Yang / August 13, 2008
Hey Phillip, small world, what are you doing here?
Anyway, regarding sharing Wi-Fi on the go, I’m using JoikuSpot Premium with my Nokia N95-3, so Wi-Fi-only devices can also access the 3.5G network through the phone.
Dave Yang
by ptorrone / August 13, 2008
oh wow, excellent tip - thanks!
maybe a good how-to here as well!
by hugh macleod / August 18, 2008
Hey Phil, I too was delightfully surprised to find you here. Small world, indeed.
What’s your e-mail? I tried pinging you at flashenabled but it bounced back. Could you drop me an e-mail?
[Hmmmmmm.... hatching evil plan....]