Weblogging from Various Ends of the Earth?

J. Lawless asks: "My friend and I will both be travelling to remote portions of the globe next fall -- he in a pan-Australasian motorcycle trip and I on a trip into Italy. We both have the same problem: how to get content (text and photos) onto the Internet given that our only lifeline to it will be through random Internet Cafes? It would seem that some sort of PDA to be able to do text entry and image integration would be best, but then what? Most, if not all, cybercafes take a dim view of dropping software on their box for access. For added difficulty points, Dave will be spending much of his trip without reliable electricity hookup, so how to keep the mess running?"

umm, none of the above

[Anonymous Coward]

Who can live without reading your blog while you are on vacation?!!

Your ego and blogshare can barely stand it!

Why don't you spend your time there learning, enjoying, experiencing. Leave the updates until you get home. I mean really, are people voting on what you do next during your trip?!

simplest

[cheezus]

A lot of blog software will let you post via email. Get a palm with a modem and email in your updates.

Re:umm, none of the above

[cjpez]

Absolutely. Just get out there and unplug yourself for $deity's sake! The world will not end without internet access!

How about....

[Tom7]

You could try, you know, not using the internet for the time that you're on vacation.

Re:Americans....

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow-- I guess I can understand that many Slashdotters don't read the linked articles, but how can you possibly have skipped reading the story itself? In your rush to American-bash, maybe you missed this:

...how to get content (text and photos) onto the Internet given that our only lifeline to it will be through random Internet Cafes? (emphasis mine) .... Most, if not all, cybercafes take a dim view of dropping software on their box for access.

Shocker: he knows that internet cafes exist! Maybe you didn't know that most digital cameras require proprietary software to retrive pictures. Also:

For added difficulty points, Dave will be spending much of his trip without reliable electricity hookup, so how to keep the mess running?

I grew up in the Philippines, have spent six weeks in the Australian outback, and have traveled throughout Thailand, Vietnam, and Nepal. There are lots of places in Australasia without electricity or with an inconsistent supply.

Frankly, by photographing the people and places and writing about his experiences, he is broadening his worldview (and those of the people he meets). Maybe we should, instead, talk about why you hate Americans. Or, why you're a troll.

In conclusion: Go shit in your hat.

Don't worry about real time updates

[xanthan]

Don't worry about real time updates. Really, it's just not that important. If your family wants to hear from you to know that you're alive, get a cheap calling card and give'm a ring.

For the purpose of keeping a journal (which is a very respectable thing to do on a trip like that), take your laptop and your digital camera and use it for dumping pictures and taking notes. No internet access. No email. No games. Do nothing on your laptop that you can do at home.

I recently took a trip through California. The laptop rules were simple: dump pictures onto it and jot down notes. That's all. And you know what -- I loved it. My wrists felt better, my head was less congested, and I spent enough time checking out things that I normally don't get to see. You know... a vacation... ;-)

Thanks for the helpful and :P to the haters

[Charlie Bill]

Thanks for all who answered the question asked. The information is useful. Dave and I have generally ruled out laptops on a portability basis, but good ideas there as well.

As to the haters -- what question did I ask? What question did you answer? I generally detest the Internet and blogging for the same reasons you do. What can I do about it? Whine?

No. Make it better. I write, its what I do. Relax. Go find something you do well and do that, 'cause clearly lifestyle advice ain't your bag.

For the record, yes -- I do know how to enjoy myself quite well offline and have taken enough photos and jotted notes to suffer the inadequacy of those later: "WHERE is this now?" For my previous trips, I've enjoyed a leather journalette, but where's the challenge in that? Nowhere.

Vis noodlenose's suggestions that "COMPUTERS ARE EVERYWHERE" -- clearly you ain't been where I been, brother, and I'm glad I won't find you there next time I go.

Virtual mod point to you

[GCP]

Nice conclusion. The poster you're responding to is a condescending jackass. Someone asks for help and he turns it into an opportunity to insult Americans. "USians"? What an idiot.

Keeping a travel journal is a long tradition among travelers from many cultures. Some of the greatest travelers of the 19th century mailed copies of journal entries back to correspondents at home. Making that journal available to ones family and friends in real time is something they would have appreciated. I can tell you from personal experience that parents definitely appreciate it.

I've used a mailing list instead of a website to keep family and friends up to date as I traveled. Even in places like Tibet, you'll occasionally come across machines with a Net connection and a browser that you can use to reach a web-based mail system. And, as someone else pointed out, these days you could post to a blog via email instead of using a mailing list. Getting your photos up there might need to wait until you get home, though. Lower tech is more reliable when traveling, even domestically.