mrsurrey, if you just want to access email, you could leave your main machine at home, install a product such as logmein and then simply access it from whatever you have handy. I've used a second notebook, random computers, and a Hermes smartphone to send/receive emails remotely via the home computer. If you really want full access wherever you are, then pack a little ethernet cable with you: I've found lots of places where wired access is cheap/free, an wireless is expensive/ludicrously difficult to connect to.