I was out on a work assignment a couple of weeks ago to review local delicacies, hit up beaches and plain out relax while I craft out listicles that help people pass the day easier. Traveling is part of work and it may sound like an envious job to most, which it is, but with the lack of infrastructure around, I found it most difficult to get any work done, (while I down an ice cold one. Oops.)



I stayed in many resorts, all of which, the requirement for me choosing it was the fact that they advertised "WiFi" available. Great! That means, every time inspiration comes to me, I would be able to shoot out an article, or if I found something interesting, I would be able to spin it in a way that it became more interesting.

But here's the thing: I've learned that if you want to travel and work at the same time, you've got to go prepared.

1. The WiFi at hotels are limited because...

You're probably out of range. If you don't see a router anywhere near you, or something that looks like antennas boosting a signal, chances of even sending an email out will be close to impossible.

2. Security

Let's say, you're able to connect. But what then? Are you equipped enough to withstand a security breach? While that's a real worry, you can probably be at ease, since antenna signals might be weak to begin with, making stealing-your-information not a hacker's priority.

3. But what if you were connected with a LAN cable

Things can go from, "it's okay, shouldn't be that bad" to "okay, do I really want a LAN cable in my laptop now?" in an instant. Security becomes a real issue you need to consider if you're connecting to any other network but your own.

4. It may be really slow because of…

Like you, the rest of the guests probably need WiFi just as bad, as most hotels don't use wifi booster for cell phone. This results in what we call a congestion. Imagine everyone trying to connect to it to upload an Instagram of the beach, all at the same time! Your best bet is to use the network in the wee hours of the morning when everyone is asleep. 

5. Nobody is going to "turn the router off and" for you

The staff may be friendly, but you can expect that none will respond to your suspicions of a network lag that requires a modem and router reboot seriously.

So I've learned well. I'm packed with tons of gear. The essentials include, a few scenarios. 1. If I'm tethering, I'll need another cable for charging. But since that doesn't last long, and I'd like to save some bits of data for when I'm extremely bored and lonely in the toilet, for example. 2. My own Internet dongle. 3. An extension power cable because power points are sometimes made to be too far from where you actually need them.

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