This is the best laptop for travel in my opinion.

Is it the best for you? Do you really need one?

The laptop for travel that I prefer is the Acer brand and the Aspire switch 10 in particular.

If you need it for business I like Acer V series with 11.6-inch screen that I have.

Some of you more serious business travellers may even want to go to with TravelMate.

Before we get to more details about these choices let's discuss the pros and cons of taking a computer on a trip. A laptop is not something everyone needs to take with them.

If it is for business it may be necessary, but if it is leisure travel it may be more trouble than it is worth.

My husband can get by with an ipad to play games, read and listen to music for most trips except business and then he prefers his IBM think pad.

Some people may only need a smart phone or an e-reader.

Your best laptop for travel may not be the same as the one I like. Everyone has different needs.

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

Why do you think you need a laptop for travel?

Is it for business?

Is it just to read books and articles? Maybe you could load them to your e reader before you leave home.

Will you be able to keep it clean and dry?

Will you be in one spot or moving from place to place, hopping on and off the bus or train?

Are you travelling with children? Keeping it clean and away from spills may make everyone nervous.

Are you going with a group to just veg on the beach and party? It might be in the way and get damaged.

Is it to keep in touch with people at home? Maybe an Internet café may work. Maybe you could pick up a cell phone when you get to your destination and get pre paid time. Check and see if your hotel has a computer that you could use. If you use it infrequently that may work.

Do you have a web site or write a travel journal blog or need to write reports. In that case you may find it convenient to take a laptop for travel.

Will you be staying at a luxury resort. I found that they charge quite a lot for wireless. If you think that you will pick up a free signal you may find out that they block all free signals in the area. You cannot pick them up in your room you will have to leave the resort to use your laptop or pay the price.

If you do take a laptop for travel

Remember not to forget your accessories. Items like cords, a power surger and plug adapters for some countries will add weight and takes up space. You will have to become aware of security issues as you do not want it lost or stolen.

Your computer is fragile and you must protect it. You will need a laptop sleeve or maybe even a laptop bag. If you are the type that drops your hand luggage or bangs it around you may need a wheeled brief case. For security reasons you may need to take a flash card also as it is not always safe to upload your work, depending on your Internet connection. I always take a flash card with me.

With all the extras it may seem to be too much trouble and you may end up deciding to leave it behind and use an internet café. Many places in the world like Puerto Vallarta Mexico for instance have them it seems on every street corner. I used a computer for travel many years ago but went without one for quite a few years. I really didn't need one. I only required one to check emails.

I only started taking a computer with me again recently because I started my web business.

My business is, of course, this website so the whole idea is that I can work from anywhere in the world. I really like taking my own travel laptop as it is easier for me. I could use an internet café, however; I would be spending a lot of time there, away from the people I want to be with.

After my website is fully developed and I will just be checking email again or information about the place I am visiting, I may decide to leave it home.

I know a lot of people that have a computer with a larger screen when they travel. I think that if you’re portable is your only computer you would need this. It is more difficult to travel with a larger portable. I have a desktop at home with a larger screen so my portable is mostly for travel.

The Acer computer brand is my choice

Also, many people have Apple but I am sure that they paid a lot more for them. I have an apple I Pad and love it. I am thinking about taking it on some short excursions. I was so lucky to receive this as a gift. The only problem is that I would probably worry about losing such an expensive item.

I had a Toshiba about 10 years ago and I liked it. It was expensive. I have also had other computers, but they didn't last. I purchased a new Acer laptop for travel in 2010 and have taken it on many trips. It is the Acer aspire one D250 notebook P.C. and I love it! I now have an Aspire V5.

If you have decided that you will be taking a laptop with you on your travels, Acer is one I think you should look at.

I liked the size of the Aspire one as it was only 10.17x7.24x1 inches. It weighed less than 3 lbs. It is so small that I can fit it in the outside pocket of my regular carryon bag or it will fit into a large purse at my destination. This is essential for me as I can get back, knee and neck pain and it is so light in weight that it really didn't feel like I added it to my bag.

It came in these fabulous designer colours. I got mine in a cobalt blue. It is gorgeous. (This is important really.)

Acer notebooks and travel computers are very basic with basic software like windows’ PC and usually a trial version of MacAfee security. They have some games and the videos stream well.

The price was certainly good as I paid under $300.00 Canadian at sears for my first Acer and under $500 for the one I have now at future shop. Think twice about taking an expensive laptop for travel as it might hurt a lot more if something happened to it.

It has everything I need on the road for personal and my business. I can do email and skype with the webcam and mic, word processing and surf the Internet and it works great. It has built in WI-Fi, and USB ports, a power jack, memory card slot and long lasting battery.

It works right out of the box, but some things like scrolling and the small keyboard takes some time to get used to it. The mouse can be small on some models. Men with large hands may find it more difficult to use, but my husband got used to it. An external mouse could be purchased, but I don't find it necessary. If you have large hands and need it to do a lot of reports the keyboard may be a problem. The mouse on the V series is larger than the aspire one.

Acer won awards in 2015 for the Travelmate P645, Aspire V 17 Nitro and several others.

Aspire switch

This is my favourite for a laptop for leisure travel this year, 2015.

If you do not use it for a business you may want to look at the Aspire switch. I may get one just for travel.

It can be used in 2 in 1 modes with small screens. It comes with a tough glass made by corning that they call gorilla glass. You can detach it to use as a tablet, flip rotate or detach easily. They come as thin as 8.9 mm and super light at 1.17 kg. Pay the extra and get the 64GB version, it is still inexpensive.

If you use a computer for business I like the Aspire V series that I have now with an 11.6-inch screen is very thin. It still fits into my small carry-on bag. It is a little larger than my previous computer. For me personally I would not go any larger than this for a laptop for travel computer.

It has important features for "people on the move" like a great lasting battery ( up to 7 or 8 hours ), large 500 GB HDD, and the ability to skype. At this time if you purchase one with a larger screen you have an option of TB GB HDD, but I find it hard to be on the road with a larger screen.

For the business traveller that needs more features, the TravelMate is superior. More expensive but competitive with other companies for similar offerings and it's getting excellent reviews.

I am not a computer expert so I am not going discuss all the lovely features of my favourite laptop for travel. I just know what I like. You should go to the Acer website or your retail store that sells computers and see what is included and the latest deals.