"If you travel, nothing makes you more angry...

...than to have to pay $6, $9 or $12 for an Internet connection that you only need for an hour."

Says this BP gas station owner as he opens free Wi-Fi at his stores.

So send in a nice thank you letter to him, and to airports like Tampa and Las Vegas which offer free Wi-Fi (not just in the airline lounges which cost $ 250+ a year) and to trains which do the same.

Are there security issues with free Wi-Fi? Sure

But even when you pay for a hotspot, you typically do not do much better

T-Mobile's site says

"Our T-Mobile HotSpot network is based on wireless local area networks ("WLANs") that use evolving technology based on the IEEE 802.11b/g standards. WLANs, which enable "over-the-air" communications, may be subject to unauthorized interception and are not inherently secure. Additionally, a laptop computer, personal digital assistant ("PDA") or other device using wireless connections may be more vulnerable to unauthorized attempts to access data and software stored on the device. We therefore cannot guarantee the privacy of your data and communications while using the T-Mobile HotSpot service."