If you want to check e-mail from another computer, you've got a few different options to make it work. However, you can only check e-mail from other computers if you know how to configure your e-mail account, or if you have a Web mail account.

Using Web Mail
Many e-mail providers that offer e-mail through Microsoft Outlook or other software clients also offer Web mail clients for when you’re traveling or don’t have access to your home or office computer. Your e-mail provider can tell you whether or not you have Web mail.

If you do have Web mail, simply go to your Web mail site, enter your username and password and check your e-mail. You'll use the same username and password that you use to access your e-mail account at work or at home. Make sure it's something that's simple to remember, especially if you have your main e-mail account set up to log you in automatically.

When you're using Web mail, you can open, read, send and delete e-mail just as you would on your home computer. You might not be able to send attachments through a Web mail account, so check with your provider if you need this feature. You should also find out if you can access all of your e-mails remotely, or only the new ones. If e-mail is downloaded directly to your computer at home or at work, there's a good chance you won't be able to see older e-mails through the Web mail feature.

Try a Free E-mail Account
You can check e-mail from most free e-mail providers from anywhere. Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail are all web-based services that you can access from any computer with an active Internet connection. If you know you’re going to want webmail so you can check e-mail from anywhere, consider signing up for one of these free e-mail providers to simplify things.

Checking E-mail with a Cell Phone
If you’ve got a cell phone with Web access, you can use it to check your e-mail. The simplest solution is to use a Web-based service, such as Yahoo Mail or Gmail. Newer cell phones can alert you when new messages arrive, and you can read or send e-mail directly from your phone. Blackberry and Palm phones include the ability to send and open some attachments, but most other types of phones won't let you do this.

Web-Based E-mail Clients
If you travel frequently and want to check your e-mail from anywhere, you can also set up a Web-based e-mail client. Web-based clients function as light versions of your regular e-mail software. You’ll need to know your ISP settings to configure a Web-based client, and many clients can save your settings once you set up an account. Web-based e-mail clients aren’t meant to take the place of regular e-mail software, but they can make nice companions if you need to check your e-mail while you travel.

Using a Laptop
The easiest way to check your e-mail from anywhere is to configure your e-mail on your laptop, and take it with you when you travel. If you can’t use a Web-based e-mail client because your ISP doesn’t support it or you require advanced security, your best option may be to simply configure e-mail software on a laptop. With the easy availability of hot spots and WiFi connections, it’s fairly easy to find places to connect your laptop to the Internet.