Mobile Mail

We all like to keep in touch when we’re on the go whether the occasion is business travel or pleasure. While text messaging is a great convenience, when what we need to communicate requires more explanation or includes attachments and links, email is the preferred method. To ensure that your mobile communication goes smoothly while you’re on- the- go, the insightful folks at MSN have offered these suggestions.

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 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.

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 and wireless connectivity. You can also plan in advance and Look up Internet café locations before you go. This can be important if you will be traveling in areas where Internet access is less likely to be available. Several Web sites offer lists of Internet cafés around the world.

If at all possible, Stay at hotels that offer Internet access. This is becoming less of an issue as more hotels and motels offer Internet access. But if you really want to be able to do e‑mail from your room, you might want to skip that charming bed-and-breakfast or quaint country inn, where guest Internet access is probably not on the list of amenities. Most hotels or motels that have wireless Internet access include it in the price of a room or offer it for a modest fee. Business-class hotels usually offer the speediest Internet access. Ask about Internet access when you check in or make room reservations.

E‑mail important documents to yourself before you leave. E‑mail is for more than just communicating with people. If you're not bringing a laptop with you, you can use e‑mail to send important documents to yourself that you want to read or work on while traveling. Then you can access them from an Internet café or Internet kiosk. Another option is to put files on a Web-based storage service, although this will require you to find a service you like and sign up for an account there.

Communicating via email can be a lifesaver in many situations and I hope these helpful hints come in handy. While I am a big fan of electronic communication, I must admit that in some instances it's always best to pick up the phone. E-mail smart and stay connected.