If you have a cable connection where you are staying and have your laptop in your travel bag then you essentially have all you need. Did you know you can download a client to your computer that will allow you to connect with the cable programming in many countries? It's a great alternative if you can't understand the local lingo.
There are a lot of clients available on the web that can help you in your quest. Even if it's just that you want to watch the news, and see what's happening at home, this is great way to go. It's not often, after all, that you can torrent a news program to your computer.
The great thing is, that, even if you are miles away, you can feel closer to home. There's really no reason to be upset that you're feeling homesick. Traveling bombards you with a lot of new experiences, not only the language, but the customs and little idiosyncrasies of a culture as well. It's natural to want to have something familiar around you. After all, you don't want the only news you get from home being the latest disaster.
That actually happened very recently to my parents when they were traveling in China. They left home on a Friday and not two days later an incredibly intense weather system came over their home town and dumped two months rain on the area. The resulting floods were incredible to see in a drought stricken area. The only news they got was from a German TV channel in China. They didn't know the extent of it until they arrived home three weeks later. There's something really disconcerting about seeing such an event on foreign TV, because they don't know what life is really like in the country they are reporting on, and they don't understand the concerns of the people in that country.
This is where the internet is so great. To be able to watch TV online means you don't need an outsider's view when watching something from home. And you get news updates much, much faster. So, if you are abroad consider getting a client to watch your TV online and it'll bring you closer to home.