If you want to send sunny emails from your favorite resort, you have several options, and there are some things you should remember.
Know Your Account Details
The first thing you should do is write down the settings you need to access your email account. Don't trust your memory. I do not trust mine either. Trust me.
Go into your email client's account settings and write down the following essentials:
- POP3 server name (probably something like "pop.yourisp.com" or "pop3.yourisp.com")
- POP port (usually this will be "110", but write it down just to be sure)
- Your user name
- Your password (but write down a hint that will help you — and you alone — remember the password instead of the password itself)
Many ISPs have anti-spam measures in place that allow only users logged in through their network to send mail to their email servers. This may mean that you cannot send your mail through your ISP's server when you are on the road.
But your ISP may also use SMTP authentication, so write down
- the SMTP server name (probably something like "smtp.yourisp.com" or "mail.yourisp.com") and
- the SMTP port (usually "25" or "586")
on the sheet of paper together with the other essential data. The user name and password will be the same as for the POP access.
Now put the paper in your purse.
Web-based Email Accounts
Chances are you already have an account with a free Web-based email service like Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail.
These email accounts can be accessed from any computer connected to the web, such as the computer in your friend's villa on Aruba, the Internet Café in Dar-Es-Salaam or the hotel room in Bad Gastein.
There, you can not only receive and send messages from your account with these free email services, but many services also let you access any POP account. If you have all the account details at hand (they are in your purse), this is easy to do with Hotmail or with Yahoo! Mail.
You cannot only read new messages with a web-based email service, you can also send messages and replies. There is just one problem: the messages you send usually have your web-based email address (like jimmy43@hotmail.com) in the From: field.
Unfortunately, both Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail require you to be a paying subscriber to access POP accounts through their email services. Bummer.
Fortunately, there are other ways to get to your mail, for free. Yay!
No matter how you get to your mail on the road, keep privacy and pecurity in mind.
