We're going on vacation to Orlando, Florida in a few weeks, and I thought it might be a good idea to take our laptop computer with us. We're renting a time-share, and I've confirmed that they don't have internet access. So, if we want to access the internet, we'll have to find it.

I'm generally computer savvy, but this is a gap in my knowledge. Currently, we only use the computer's wireless feature at home. My lone experience with attempting to connect at a WiFi hot spot was at a local McDonalds that advertised free WiFi. The only thing that was free was access to their web page. If I wanted anything else, I had to subscribe to a service.

Are there really "free" WiFi access points, or will we need to subscribe to a service? If we need to subscribe, are there any "pay as you go" services, or do I have to subscribe to one? How do we find access points? There are oh so many questions.

Any information or advice on this subject would be appreciated.

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"That's Not Blight. It's New Jersey" - The Wall Street Journal

XKCD on the road.

http://xkcd.com/440/

Some of your ability to access hotspots depends on the service you subscribe with at home. For example - here is an offer from AT&T for DSL subscribers.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9739181-7.html

I get free WiFi at my local public library.

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Life is like a box of chocolates. All of your choices are bad for you.

I found lots of free Wi-Fi hotspots along the West Coast recently---bakeries, (non-Starbuck) coffeeshops, libraries; one town (Windsor CA) provided it in the downtown area.
One possibility:

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http://www.wififreespot.com/fl.html
http://www.superpages.com/cities/mtg/wifi/fl/orlando/