How to find free Wi-Fi during your holiday travels

A public Wi-Fi access point is like a public restroom. All kinds of businesses along travel routes offer restrooms to bring in customers. They offer free Wi-Fi for the same reason. The fact is, finding Wi-Fi on the road has become a lot easier over the past ten years. You just have to know where to look for it.

Ronald will hook you up: As you get out into the sparsely populated areas on the way to grandma's house, theMcDonald's at the end of an interstate off-ramp might be your best chance for connecting to the Internet. The chain offers free Wi-Fi in more than 11,500 of its restaurants. In some cases, you need only pull into the parking lot to get in range of the network. In most cases you'll reach a McDonald's splash page, and just have to click through to connect.

It's no surprise to find a McDonald's within the cluster of gas stations, hotels, and truck stops at many interstate off-ramps. But over the past five years, I've noticed a lot moreStarbucks along interstates and freeways. There are now 7,000 Starbucks stores offering free Wi-Fi from Google or AT&T.

Starbucks now has 7,000 stores with free (Google-powered) Wi-Fi.

McDonald's and Starbucks might be your best bet on the road, but there are other choices. You can also find free Wi-Fi at KFC, Taco Bell, Denny's, Dunkin' Donuts and Burger King.

Practice good Wi-Fi karma: Some businesses are getting more sophisticated about doling out free Wi-Fi, asking for a little more in exchange for access. You might be required to fill out a short survey or watch a video in order to connect to the network. Others go so far as to ask you to click through a number of partner websites, or sign up for an account.

Some businesses ask that you buy something in exchange for the Wi-Fi, and you should. It's an age-old unspoken rule that when you use some business's restroom, you buy something. It's just fair play, and a good way to avoid a hateful glare from a store clerk. There's such a thing as good Wi-Fi karma too. If you use somebody's network, you should buy something, even if it's just a cup of coffee.