connecting from motel

Hello: a friend has a w98se IBM thinkpad 600. She's taking it for first time on a trip. It will only be in another state, and she has a common ISP like MSN or earthlink or something like that, so getting local dialup numbers shouldn't be an issue. But what should she expect as far as actually being able to use a phone jack in a motel? Should we even assume that she would be able to disconnect the phone from the wall jack? And if "yes ", would the motel phone service allow a dialup & connect of the laptop modem, & use of it to check her email? Extra charges? Other issues? Thank you

 

Depends entirely on the motel. Some have the phone cord hard wired to the wall and phone. Others with modular plugs - should be just a matter of changing the cord from phone to modem and even a 2nd cable from modem to phone.

Business oriented facilities can usually even offer high speed (dsl or cable) in addition to dial-up.

Laptop use on the road is common enough that a call to the motel should produce an answer.