Recently, a friend told me she was about to embark on a business trip and needed some computer advice. She expected to spend the majority of her days away in a conference, listening to presentations, but didn't want to be out of touch. How could she do it without breaking the bank?

After a few nanoseconds of thought, I gave her my ideas -- most of which are based on sensibility as much as technology.

"First," I suggested, "Call the hotel to see if they have Wi-Fi wireless communications set up." These days, many hotels do -- some for a few dollars a day -- and more often than ever, as a free service. "But," I continued, "make sure that the Wi-Fi network is accessible in the conference area." As hotels start to include Wi-Fi, it doesn't always cover the entire hotel. Sometimes it's only the guest rooms; sometimes only the conference rooms; and in many cases, the signal fades in various parts of the hotel as you move around with your Wi-Fi enabled laptop. So your connection could be good in one spot, and bad a few feet away.

If the hotel doesn't have it as standard, I suggested calling the conference organizers to see whether they plan to supply it in the conference rooms. I suspect this is still a fairly unusual practice for conference organizers, but I have seen it a number of times in the past six years -- most often spurred by presenters who need access to the Internet to make their presentations.

The third alternative is to use a cellular-based or satellite-based Internet connectivity, such as those provided by Verizon, Sprint or RIM (Blackberry). With these types of services, you're not limited to being within yards of a Wi-Fi hot spot. As long as you are within range of an empowered cell tower or can be located by the satellite, you're connected.

I suggested borrowing the appropriate hardware -- either a card to insert into her laptop for cell connectivity or a Blackberry PDA. But she knew nobody who had a contract for high speed cell-Internet service; and anybody with a Blackberry device for work is unlikely to give it up for several days. Blackberry users are typically in the group of executives who can't be out of touch for even short periods of time.

Of course, there was nothing stopping her from signing up for high-speed Internet connectivity from a cell service -- or from buying a Blackberry -- except that little item I mentioned at the beginning: She didn't want to break her budget. It would be silly for her to sign up for an expensive service or buy a pricey device if she would use it for only a couple of days.

So the best advice would be to use common sense. Instead of worrying about constant connectivity while you should be listening to the presenters, pay attention while they're speaking; then check your e-mail during breaks. Most big city hotels have some kind of Internet access -- wireless or wired -- and it usually costs no more than a couple of dollars a day. If not, look for a service that delivers your e-mail to your telephone, so you can pick it up as a text message or a voice mail message. There are hundreds of them.

In reality, though, most of us really don't need 24/7 connectivity. It just seems like we do. Take a breather; then call your office once in a while, instead of waiting for ever-present e-mail. It will do wonders for your psyche.