When traveling by air, it's important that all of your gear is up and running. If you're using your laptop to stay connected, for instance, be sure it has Wi-Fi; if you're traveling abroad, bring a world phone.

Top tips to make your gear work on the road

FAQ 1: What is the best, lightest laptop that can handle games such as...

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FAQ 2: Use your cell phone as a modem

FAQ 3: Can you point me to the best MP3 players for audiobook use?

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Use your cell phone as a modem
I will be returning to the United States from Asia soon and want to use my Compaq Presario 2100 with a cell phone to dial up the Internet. Question: what cell phone, service provider, software, and cables should I get to do this? I will be on the West Coast, and I use the Internet several hours each day. Thanks.
Submitted by Mike C., via e-mail

by Kent German, senior associate editor
Most phones have built-in data modems, and most of the major carriers support the feature. To dial up the Internet, all you need is a connection kit--usually a data cable and software available from your carrier--that connects your cell phone to your laptop, a data plan, and your ISP information, the last of which varies from mobile to mobile, so contact your provider for details. (We've collected and reviewed some cell phone syncing packages here.) For the most part, data speeds aren't much faster than a 56Kbps dial-up modem's, but carriers such as Verizon have introduced 3G services with broadband speeds ranging from 144Kbps to a possible 2MB per second.

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