Trouble connecting to Hotspots

Both my e-book reader and laptop do connect to the internet, but only at home. Elsewhere (and I travel a lot) they do not. What used to happen is that a list would appear showing wi.fi hotspots nearby (hotels and so on). I merely needed to enter the correct password to establish an internet connection. But now, that list does not appear, no matter what I try. The result is that I have been recently in two cities on my travels yet have been unable in both cases to get an internet connection.

Any help appreciated.