If I had a nickel for every hour I've spent desperately trying—and failing—to get online while traveling, I could buy my own portable satellite terminal. Luckily, I've found simple ways to solve Internet-access problems all over the world without resorting to such bulky fixes. Other frustrated travelers tell me that they're fascinated by the solutions I've stumbled upon, so I figure I ought to share what I've learned.

In most parts of the United States, it's easy: You need only get to the nearest Starbucks, McDonald's, library, or hotel lobby. Affordable chain motels tend to provide in-room Internet access for free, whereas pricey properties charge extra, but the point is that almost all hotels have it. Not so overseas. The off-the-radar spots where I find myself—rural inns, rental villas, cruise ships—frequently lack wireless Internet access, and connecting by cable is excruciatingly slow or problematic. In major cities it's easy to find hotels with Wi-Fi, but often either it costs a fortune ($30 a day at top European properties) or the hotel uses some exotic system that's Greek to your computer. Interestingly, I've found little relation between a hotel room's rate and the presence of user-friendly wireless. In Shanghai, for instance, the new five-star Pudi Boutique Hotel doesn't have in-room Wi-Fi, and the wireless in its club lounge was incompatible with my computer's operating system, whereas the small, old-fashioned three-star Lapis Casa has in-room Wi-Fi that works like a charm. Here's what I have found: The hotels that are most likely to have user-friendly wireless are the large U.S. chains, and yet the properties I want to stay in are the small, locally owned hidden gems. So I asked for tips from the road warriors who read my blog (perrinpost.com). Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, recommended two methods of finding a Wi-Fi signal that proved very helpful: the Web site JiWire's Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder, for reconnaissance before you leave home (jiwire.com), and the GoldLantern WiFinder, which you hang from your key chain; it locates wireless signals within 300 feet (goldlantern.com; $24).

How to bring wireless Internet access to you.
Wondering what's so bad about having to leave your disconnected hotel or villa to find the nearest hotspot? Just try walking around Moscow with your laptop at midnight or searching for a parking space in the one Chianti village with an open Internet café. My life improved big-time when I got a wireless USB modem that works with my Apple MacBook. Now I just plug my Sierra Wireless AirCard 875U with AT&T service into my laptop and I can get online anywhere there's a cell phone signal. This means that when I wanted to rent a house in rural Spain, I didn't need to limit myself to places with Wi-Fi. It also means that I can get Web access from my plane seat when I'm stuck on the tarmac for hours. In the United States, it even means that I can blog during train trips and car rides. The AirCard is pricier and slower than Wi-Fi, though, so I use it only as a backup (sierrawireless.com; $149).

How to get free Internet access in airports.
In many smaller airports the Wi-Fi is free, but in hubs it can easily cost $10 when all you have is 15 minutes before your flight leaves. So I sit outside an airline club lounge and use the Wi-Fi that glides through the lounge's walls. Since I usually need to plug in my laptop to power it up for the flight ahead, and airport outlets are scarce and often already in use, I carry an adapter that turns one outlet into three (another nifty tip from a blog reader).