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Stay Connected

Listed below are a few different ways for you to stay connected with your Family & Friends while on the road.

1. LAPTOP COMPUTER - here are a few ways to get you rolling using the Internet as your source to stay connected.

Dial up Internet - this is the most basic way for users to access the internet using a regular telephone cable to plug into their computers. Although not the most convenient method for RVers with phone lines not always readily accessible. In order to use dial up services you must already have an internet provider. Listed below are a few of the more well known dial up internet service providers.
AOL
EarthLink
NetZero
PeoplePC

Wireless Internet - Otherwise known as WiFi, which is the most common method for internet access on the road. If you've ever been in an a Hotel, Coffee Shop or Airport and have seen people on a computer surfing the Web, you are in an area considered a HotSpot or WiFi area. Meaning, somewhere in the general vicinity there is a wireless router transmitting information through radio waves allowing a user with a wireless network card the capabilty to access the internet. With that said, you too can access the internet as long as your computer is installed with a wirelss card. In a Macintosh laptop the wireless card is commonly referred to as an Airport Card and is installed internally in the computer. In a PC laptop the wireless card is commonly referred to as a broadband card & is installed simply by plugging it into a port on the side of your computer known as a PCI slot. Most RV Parks & Campgrounds now offer wireless internet access for a small fee. However, there are many public places which act as HotSpots that offer free wireless internet such as Coffee Shops, Libraries & Book Stores. Below is a free HotSpot locator to find a Wireless network where ever your travels take you.

Hotspot Locator

Address
Zip Code / Post Code

State / Province
Country

City

Distance Radius (Miles)

EVDO - (Evolution-Data Optimized) The newest form of internet on the road is a wireless radio broadband signal provided by a mobile phone service. How it works... Unlike Dial up, where you need to be directly plugged into a phone line, EVDO uses the same radio towers that give you cell phone service to provide you with wireless interent. All you need is a broadband card which coinsides with your cellular phone service. To date there are three main EVDO service providers, visit the links below for details on how to aquire service.
Verizon
Sprint
Alltel

*For more in on EVDO & its coverage visit www.evdo-coverage.com.
*Or to see what everyone is talking about visit the EVDO Forum at www.evdoforums.com.

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2. CELL PHONES - Simply an easy way to stay connected and seemingly a necessity for everyday life. We've listed a few cell phone companies below that might help in chosing a plan that best fits your everyday needs.
Alltel
Cingular
Cellular One
Liberty Wireless
MetroPCS
PowerNet Mobil
Qwest
Sprint w/Nextel
T-Mobil
Verizon

*You may also want to consider a Pre-Paid Phone if that would better suit your needs.
*Another option is purchasing a Phone Card when needed which could aslo be used to access the internet via Dial-Up network. There are so many Phone Card providers that we're not quite sure where to start. Just type Phone Cards into your computers search engine or stop at your local WallyWorld.

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3. SNAIL MAIL & POSTCARDS - The easiest way of all, good old fashioned pen & paper. Keep in touch via letters, not to mention, everyone loves to receive mail from freinds & family. We've noticed that sometimes it just easier to joht down a few things on a postcard and drop it in the mail. Don't need to look for a phoneline or a wireless signal, just a mailbox. For business purposes we normally place an order for a bunch of postcards, grab ourselves a roll of stamps and throw them on the RV just so we have them. Listed below are a few compines that we love and have dealt with in the past for ordering Postcards.
4OVER4
Got Print
Jax Prints (Our Favorite)
Modern Postcard

We hope that we've helped a little when it comes to staying connected with the people you love while your out doing what you love to do.