I have been traveling for the last few weeks and the number one problem that I have found is being able to send email while on the road.

Most places including hotels and internet cafes advertise that they have free wifi etc. What they don’t tell you is that they block port 25 which allows you to connect to your mail server (assuming that your local ISP even allows you connect from outside their network). They do this to stop people from using their wifi connection for sending out spam. The problem is that they also stop me from sending my email that is 100% legit.

After lots of looking online and talking to other digital nomads I have found a cheap and effective way to resolve the problem.

The solution is a company called SMTP2GO and they provide a quick and easy way to send email using their mail (smtp) server for as little as $1.99 USD per month and the whole setup takes less than 2 minutes.

The way that they do this is to use noon-standard ports to connect to the mail server. What this means is that instead of using the standard way to connect to the mail server (which many of the free wifi hotspots block), they use another route. This gets around the blocking and allows you to connect and send email just like you were sitting at your desk at home or office. In fact, once you have it configured there is no need to ever change it. It will work from anywhere.

It works with your normal mail program whether that is Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird or Outlook Express for example. They offer a 60 day, 100% money-back guarantee. Service is guaranteed or you get your money back.

Can’t go wrong with that!

Give it a try and you will get rid of one more frustration from the digital nomad lifestyle.

SMTP2Go website.

Apple is now offering a free 30 day trial of the latest version of iWork.

For those that don’t know or aren’t Mac fanatics iWork is Apple’s answer to Microsoft Office with spreadsheets, document creation and Keynote (a powerpoint like application).

Download here.

Happy New Year to all readers! I hope that this year brings you everything that you hope for.

The nice thing about the New Year is it is a good time to drop bad habits and start good ones. Backing up your essential files is one of the good habits to start. The folks at Mozy have made that a little easy by offering 2 GB of backup space totally free! No need for contracts, credit cards, etc. Just follow the link and sign up. Mozy provides automated “set-it and forget-it” functionality and all of your files are encrypted for additional peace of mind.

Still not convincced? The Wall Street Journal, PCWorld, Newsweek and MacLife all have endorsed the product. Read their comments on the site under the News and Press area.