While we metnioned that VPNs and SSH tunnels can be helpful just above this, we want to emphasize that it’s just pushing the problem to that VPN or SSH endpoint. Your traffic will then leave that server just as it would when it was leaving your laptop, so anyone running Firesheep or other tools could access your data in the same way. These are solutions that require at least some understanding of networking and risks at hand. A blind suggestion of “Use a VPN” doesn’t really solve the problem and may just provide a false sense of security.
Another problem with VPNs is that they don’t work all the time. Sometimes they just disconnect, and your traffic is all routed over your normal interface without any notice. The built in VPN clients on OSX, the iPhone, and iPad are particularly bad at this.