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• The Ideal Electronic Travel Journal by Max Lent

• Skype and The Traveler by Max Lent

WiFi Hot Spot Directories

The directories below are all incomplete.  New WiFi hot spots are sprouting up faster than international directories can keep up.  For now, you will have to look up your location in several or all of the directories to find the hot spots near your location. 

Some of these directories provide downloadable directories that you can install on your notebook computer or your PDA.  Before you go on a trip and before you download a directory compare several to see which one has the best selection for your destination.

Take along an electrical extension cord for your notebook computer when you are visiting an indoor WiFi hot spot.  Many coffee shops and restaurants will not have electrical sockets near tables.  Even libraries often lack convenient electrical outlets.

If you use a free commercial WiFi hot spot, take a minute and express your gratitude to the manager of the business offering the service.

• HotSpotting.org.  A directory of WiFi Hot Spots.  Comment:  This directory is organized in a way that makes it hard to use.

• The Hot Spot Directory. An international directory of WiFi Hot Spots.

• Hot Spot Haven. "A global Wi-Fi hot spot directory.

• Hot Spot Locations.  "The Wireless Directory."  Also billed as "Europe's Number 1."

• JiWire.com.  An excellent source for international fee-based and free WiFi hot spot locations.

• MacDonald's Restaurant Hot Spot Locations.

• PublicHotSpotsUK.  A directory of WiFi hot spots in the United Kingdom.

• Riverwalk Mobile.  "The WiFi HotSpot Directory is the best way to find internet access when you are offline trying to go online. Includes formats for PCs, PDAs, even iPods."

• Swiss-hotspots.ch. A directory of WiFi hot spots in Switzerland.  

• WiFi 411.  "WiFi411® is one of the fastest growing directories on the net and our goal is simple... to provide the most comprehensive searchable database of both 802.11 Wi-Fi HotSpots and Network Providers worldwide and to do it all within one easy-to-use site. Our layout allows for ease in searching for Wi-Fi HotSpot locations, finding information on Network Service Providers, comparing Wi-Fi service plans, reading up on Wi-Fi tutorials, and shopping for Wi-Fi related products." 

• Wi-Fi-FreeSpot.  "The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot™ Directory is a State by State listing of Wi-Fi locations that offer Free Wireless Internet Access. Other regions of the World are listed below as well."

  • Hotels that offer free WiFi hot spots. 

• WiFiMaps.com.  "Locate Free Wi-Fi, commercial hotspots, community wireless networks, and wardriving data with our web based map. Upload your wardriving data to render maps, display statistics of your finds, and those of other users. Our application displays stunningly detailed interactive street-level maps of the US and of the World, with triangulated access-points from wardriving data. We provide searching for MAC, station name, US state, or by geographic region."   

• Wifinder.com.  Directory of WiFi hot spots.

• Wireless Librarian. A directory of U.S. libraries that have WiFi networks.  Many of these are not yet open to the public. 

Recreational Vehicle (RV) Specific Directories

• Directory of  RV campgrounds with WiFi Hot Spots from WiFi FreeSpot.

Satellite Phones

• The SatPhoneStore.