Photo by Big Ben

In many countries, you simply don’t have access to all the websites you use on a daily basis.

Sites like the BBC, Lonely Planet,YouTube, popular blogging platforms, and many social networks are blocked by pervasive censorship programs in China, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of the Middle East and Asia.

In addition to the large scale blocking campaigns present in these countries, smaller, more targeted forms of internet censorship exist in most places in the world.

Fortunately, there are a few things travelers can do to access the internet anywhere, regardless of restrictions.

1. Assess your access

The first step to circumventing internet censorship is to plan ahead. By conducting a little research in advance, you can find out if the internet is restricted in the areas you will be traveling.

More importantly, you can figure out what types of site, or even if one specific site, is banned. This is important because, if at all possible, it is best to avoid bypassing restrictions. A great source for information on internet censorship in the world is the OpenNet Initiative.

2. Bring a few tools

The easiest way to ensure your anonymity is to carry your own browser, like portable Firefox, on a portable USB flash drive.

When you step into an internet cafe, simply plug in the USB drive and open your browser from the portable drive. This is also an important step to ensuring your online security as well.

The next thing you need is the PortableTor client. Simply download the client and install it to your USB drive just like you did with Firefox. Then add the TorButton and User Agent Switcher add-ons to Firefox.

Now, whenever you open Firefox, open PortableTor along with it. You will be able to enable the Tor network with a button located at the bottom of the browser, which allows you to connect to the internet anonymously.

3. Use an online proxy

Photo by Zela

If you don’t have a USB drive, there are some internet sites that accomplish the same thing. A quick internet search for “proxy” or “anonymizer” will turn up many options, all equally suitable and insecure.

Instead of trusting an unknown site, I like to use one of the more popular online translation services like Google Translate or AltaVista Babel Fish. Simply enter your URL in the “translate site” dialog and select an option that translates into English.

4. Take An In-Direct Route

This system enables what is called “proxy browsing.” If you imagine the internet as a subway network, proxy browsing would be like taking an indirect route, changing train lines at several different stations, rather than taking the direct line.

In this analogy each station represents a different remote computer connected to the internet. It works because internet censors have trouble blocking your route once you connect through another computer.

5. Prepare To Go Slow

Just like taking the indirect route on the subway, browsing the internet in this way will be slower. Because you are connecting through several different computers, you are at the mercy of each one’s connection speed.

Another reason to be careful when proxy browsing is that the connection is not secure. Every time you connect through another computer there is a chance that the information you are transmitting could be intercepted. For this reason, proxy browsing is not for very sensitive private information like banking.

Finally, you must ask yourself if it is ethical or safe for you to access something that is baned in the country you are visiting.

While your intentions may be innocent, they may not be interpreted as such by those around you.

Anonymous internet browsing can be slow, insecure, and not totally ethical but there may be times you have no other choice. In these cases, the techniques outlined above can help you access your important data anywhere in the world.

What are your thoughts on bypassing internet censorship? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Mark Shandro

Whether sending email, uploading photos, booking flights and hotels, paying the bills back home, and checking the status of a bank account, travelers use the internet for a huge variety of tasks.

The ubiquity of internet cafes around the world has made this convenience possible.

Sitting down at an internet cafe has become so common in the life of travelers that few stop to consider the security of these very public computers.

But if we do stop to think about it, internet cafe computers (and any information you send or access from them) are clearly vulnerable. Fortunately, protecting yourself is not very difficult.

Here are some things you can do to keep your data safe:

1. Get Portable Firefox

The first step to securing your internet connection, is securing your browser. The best way to do this is to install Portable Firefox on a USB thumb drive.

When you sit down at the computer, plug in the thumb drive and start your own version of Firefox from there. As you will see, this small piece of gear is really a necessity for any traveler planning to use public computers.

2. Connect Securely

Once you have your own version of Firefox up and running on the cafe’s computer, it is time to connect to the internet. To ensure your online safety, it is imperative that you use a secure connection when accessing sensitive sites.

In most cases, when Firefox makes a secure connection a closed padlock appears in the right hand side of the address bar.

If you don’t see this icon, try retyping the address using “https” instead of “http.” In this case “s” means that you are using a special, secure, encrypted connection to the site.

If you always forget to include the “s” try bookmarking the secure site and using that link instead of typing in an address. If you are using a USB drive with your own Firefox browser, these bookmarks will be available anywhere you go.

Alternately, try using this special script with Firefox, which automatically inserts the “s” into preselected site addresses.

3. Confuse the Keyloggers

Once you have established a secure connection, it is time to log in. Thanks to the use of “https” it is significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for people ‘looking in’ on the connection from other computers to steal your data.

Photo by KingJeng.net

That said, the secure connection does not prevent a program on the computer you are using from recording everything you type. These programs, called “keyloggers” are especially dangerous when typing things like login names, passwords, and passport and credit card numbers.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do.

First, by using bookmarks saved in your portable Firefox browser to connect to sensitive sites, instead of manually typing in the addresses, you eliminate the common method keyloggers use to index data. This makes it much more difficult to assign, for example, a password with a specific email site.

A simple trick that will fool most keyloggers is to disguise your password in a sea of “dummy characters.”

To do this click the password box and type the first character of your password. Next click anywhere else on the page to deselect the password box, and type some random characters before reselecting the password box and entering the second character.

Repeat this process for each character of your password.

This works because most keylogging programs cannot distinguish random typing from typing in a specific field on a web page. For a more complete explanation of this technique, read the short PDF report of a study testing it conducted by Microsoft, and this discussion that followed.

If you frequent some really questionable internet cafes and you want the best defense against keyloggers, than PasswordMaker is the answer. This program produces passwords that are very difficult to crack and is available as a add-on for your Firefox browser.

4. Use Encryption

No matter how well you have planned your trip, sometimes there is business that cannot be done remotely. When this happens, travelers are often forced to send sensitive private information to a trusted friend or family member.

If you are in a situation where you must email credit card, pin, social security, or passport numbers, using encrypted email is a very good idea.

Email encryption codes your message so that it is indecipherable. A special key is created that can be used to unlock the coded message. The easiest way to send encrypted email is via Gmail Encryption a script that is, obviously, specific to Google’s free email service.

If you don’t like Gmail, the Encrypt This! add-on for Firefox will easily encrypt any text in your browser.

5. Don’t Get Caught by a Phisher

Phishing scams involve decoy websites or emails that mimic an official one. When you enter your information into the fraudulent site, it is sent to a third party. Carefully checking the address of websites you visit is the best defense against these scams.

Firefox also comes with some built in protection. To enable it, go to the Tools menu and select Options. Under the Security tab, check the box next to “Tell me if the site I’m visiting is a suspected forgery” and select the option to “ask Google.”

For a little extra protection, there are several add-ons for Firefox that will make you even safer against phishers.

The Internet, especially when accessed from a public computer or internet cafe, is a dangerous place for your private data.

Fortunately, with a little preparation and care we can surf along without a problem. With precautions in place, you can worry less about your time online, and focus on enjoying your travels.

What tips do you have for traveler’s internet security? Share your own tips in the comments!

Many of my best travel experiences have been shared with local people who have invited me into their lives.

• Singing Russian drinking songs with my cabin-mates in Siberia.
• Playing cards until dawn on an overnight train across China.
• Relaxing on an isolated beach with a fisherman in Panama.

These moments, when you actually step off the tourist trail and enter into the reality of the place you are visiting, are the much talked about, yet ever elusive goals of many travelers.

At times, when you are alone in a new place, nothing seems more impenetrable then the strange culture that surrounds you. If you are feeling lonely, there is always the opportunity to make friends with your fellow travelers.

However, when you are feeling adventurous and willing to delve deeper into the world around you, there are six things to have in your bag that can help break the ice and make an introduction.

1. A Ticket On The Slow Bus

The faster, air conditioned, express bus is always tempting on a hot day, but it will not help you meet the locals.

The easiest way to meet local people when traveling is to surround yourself with them. There is no better way to do this than taking the absolute cheapest transportation option available.

When you board the overstuffed train or bus, likely you will be seated next to dozens of people eager to have a conversation. Squat down on a bag of rice, stack of rope, or anywhere you can lean, and keep a smile about the whole ordeal.

The people around you will be watching to see how you react to the situation. Staying relaxed and smiling will go a long way towards warming up your new travel companions.

2. Cassette Tapes

Bringing your own music in an MP3 player or portable CD player is a great way to block out the screeching noise of foreign cities, smooth the ride on trying bus or jeep journeys, or pass the time during long transit periods. On the other hand, there is nothing more isolating than a pair of headphones.

Instead, try traveling with one or two classic cassette mix-tapes. When you tire of the cab’s selection of “the coolest American music,” or a jeep driver’s library of Mongolian throat singing tapes, offer the driver one of your own.

You’re not the only one who may be interested in hearing something new.

3. A Deck Of Playing Cards

Every country in the world seems to have at least one game that uses playing cards. Once you claim your spot on the train or in the bus station, instead of hiding behind a book, start to lazily play a game of solitaire. Before you know it there will be a crowd of people eager to join you.

4. Pictures Of Home, Your Friends And Family

Besides being a great reminder of your friends and family when you are feeling homesick, a few pictures of home are a great way to build a connection with people you meet on the road.

When choosing pictures try to focus on images that capture the relationship you have with the people in the photograph.

Pictures of houses, apartments, cars, and other possessions can appear opulent and ostentatious in other parts of the world, regardless of their status in your hometown or city.

5. A Reservation Through The Hospitality Club.

Organizations like the Hospitality Club, CouchSurfing, the WWOOF program, and forums like the Digihitch Rideboard, are more than just places to find free lodging or a free ride.

These resources are a great way to escape the typical traveler’s circuit and spend an evening, a few days, or even a few weeks with a local, hanging out, sharing an apartment, or even working.

Remember that, in addition to rooms for lodging, the Hospitality Club and CouchSurfing have listings of local people who just want to grab a beer, do some sightseeing, or share their favorite restaurant.

6. A Phrasebook

The most useful tool for building relationships abroad is language – and if you sincerely hope to make friends the few pages at the end of your guidebook will not be enough.

A dedicated phrasebook, with two-way dictionaries and liberal use of native script, can be passed back and forth and be surprisingly useful for conveying meaning.

As a fun challenge, leave the guidebook in the hostel and spend a day navigating with only your phrasebook, or for the dedicated, try to learn a new language in only a few weeks.

Having these six things with you will not magically open a world of friendships, but they are small and light and can make a huge difference when you are trying to break into a foreign social group.

What are your favourite items to pack to share with locals? Share in the comments!

David DeFranza has studied in China, worked in Japan, and wandered all over Asia, Europe and North America. When not traveling he spends his time in New York, or the seacoast of New Hampshire, or where ever his friends offer a couch.

It can open up a startling range of opportunities, ease the strain of logistics and planning, and allow you to develop a deeper connection with the place and, more importantly, the people you are visiting.

With a little advanced planning, and an introduction to the basics, it can be surprisingly easy to pick up a language on the road.

A good phrasebook, and the dedication to use it, are the first steps to mastering a new tongue. Beyond that, an organized set of study materials can make all the difference between stumbling though a few disjointed commonalities and articulately expressing your ideas and opinions.

While most travelers understand this, who wants to buy and carry around a pile of language books? Fortunately, there are a number of excellent internet sites devoted to language study, most of them providing their services for free.

1. BBC Languages

The BBC offers comprehensive online courses in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Greek, with slightly briefer introductions to several other languages.

This incredible, totally free, service is the best option for starting a new language from the beginning as the curricula are well designed, very complete, and easy to follow; all important features of a self-study program.

2. MIT OpenCourseWare

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made a great effort to supply all of its course materials online for the free use of MIT students and the global internet community.

The Languages and Literatures department features courses in languages such as Chinese, Japanese, French, German and Spanish in addition to many interesting literature and culture topics.

While the usefulness of the materials provided varies depending on the course, they all include a detailed study plan to aid the self-learner in structuring a home course.

3. Internet Polyglot

The Internet Polyglot provides study materials for twenty-one languages. The unit-based materials available are ideal for a student already familiar with the basics of the language and interested in practicing specific areas and applications.

4. The Open University LeaningSpace

Similar to the Internet Polyglot, the LearingSpace provides unit-based study materials with a primary emphasis in French and Spanish.

5. Language Learning Podcasts

In the last few years, there has been an explosion of podcasts devoted to learning a language. These resources provide important sound cues and practical pronunciation guides, and are an invaluable tool for a self-study program.

To find podcasts, iTunes users can navigate to the “education” category of the iTunes Music Store. Other listeners can browse popular podcast databases like Odeo or The Podcast Directory.

A highlight of some of the more popular language podcasts includes Learn Greek, The French Podcast, ChinesePod, A Taste of Russian, and the Cherokee Language Podcast.

6. Madinah Arabic Language Course

For those interested in learning Arabic, the Madinah Course is the best online course available for free. Focusing on both spoken and written Arabic, this course takes the student from the first introductions through the advanced beginner level.

7. Livemocha

Livemocha is a social networking community focused on learning foreign languages. It provides free online courses in German, Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Hindi with plans to expand to other languages in the future.

In addition to the online courses, available from introductory to intermediate levels, Livemocha provides an active community of language learners and native speakers willing to work with you and give help when needed.

This community based approach makes Livemocha one of the most useful tools for the self-study of language.

8. Something Completely Different

Travelers interested in learning a more obscure, or even endangered language, should begin their research at the Ethnologue, an online database of all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages.

For more specific study, check out the Sanskrit Self Study program, an introductory course for learning Tibetan, Yucatec Maya language study materials, the great book Introduction to Zulu, or the Comparative Bantu Languages Dictionary.

Learning a new language requires time and dedication and can be a challenge no matter how good the tools available.

Still, these online resources are accessible anywhere you can find an internet connection and will make all the difference when trying to tame that new tongue, at home or abroad.

What are some your favourite online resources for learning a new language? Please share in the comments!