In similar fashion as the rest of your travel kit, which should embody a sturdy, lightweight design, so should your laptop.

Photo: Justin Gural / JAG::PHOTO / Canon 60D
Testing new travel-centric PCs with the Microsoft
Windows team. St. John, USVI.

It may be your only option for managing travel logistics, checking in on business, or uploading videos for your friends and followers stuck back home.

The ASUS U36 is a savvy option for travelers who need full PC support away from the comforts of home or the office. The U36 runs on a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 with 4GB of memory and a battery listed to 10 hours. It is also lighter (3.7lbs., 19mm thin) and built tougher (spill-proof keyboard) than similarly-stocked PCs –for hundreds of dollars less, too. $895

Photo: ASUS
The ASUS U36 made for a lightweight, productive PC
--operating on Microsoft Windows 7.

The ASUS U36 runs on the polished Windows 7 operating system which features two very utilitarian features: Windows Live and SkyDrive. Creating photo galleries and videos is a snap through Windows Live, which also offers email, social media, blogging and file syncing features.

Making the most of cloud-based file storage and management, SkydDrive is a portal between your computer and the interwebs.

It’s equally handy in the office and on the road, offering either a private or public external drive for files to be stored, organized and revised in real-time –without transferring the file back-and-forth via USB drive, email or FTP.

 

Read about more gear from this trip, here: "Island Adventure: Gear Checklist"

 

Justin Gural is a contributor and editor at VentureThere.com, a member of USA TODAY’s Travel Alliance which covers adventure sports, active travel and the outdoor lifestyle.