Looking for lightweight laptop for travel?

Depending on how much power you want, and whether you want a CD rom drive, netbooks are popular.

We have a netbook that travels back and forth to Florida with us and it is just dandy.

I have an HP mini, it fits in my purse, I love it.

Yeah, I agree, look at netbooks. After lots of research, we got my wife a Toshiba NB305, and she loves it (with the blue lid, which is relevant because I think the different colors have different keyboards, so go to a Best Buy and try them out). It came with Windows 7 Starter, but in my opinion, Windows XP SP3 ain’t broke, so I purchased an external DVD writer, burned Windows 7 Starter recovery disks, then installed XP Professional from a CD. To get speed, get more RAM (it comes with 1GB, I think it’s worth it to take that stick out and put in a 2GB stick), then look on the internet for Windows XP speed tweaks such as disabling windows and menu animation. We read a lot about people complaining that netbooks are low-performance machines, but my wife has not experienced any waiting yet. And the thing is light and cute and the battery lasts forever in between charges.

I think you should consider an iPad. I’ve found it to be the best device for travel. It’s more like a phone or an iPod than like a Mac and will sync with your existing Windows PC.

I have a Toshiba T135 with the SU4100 CPU. While the models with the AMD Turion Neo X2 and the SU2700 are fairly anemic, the SU4100 is actually a Core 2 CU despite the name, so it’s pretty decent; about three times the power of a netbook. It also is expandable, though with it’s 320GB drive (double that of a netbook) and 3GB RAM (triple that of a netbook). You would not be ashamed to use it as an everyday system,
It weighs under 4 pounds and the 13.3” screen has enough resolution that it won’t cut the bottom off of the windows of certain apps or cause you to scroll a lot like the 1024×600 screen of most netbooks will.
I get over five hours out of mine, and I tend to do things that draw a little more power than average, so you could easily go over six.

The MSRP on this model is $650, but I got mine for $500. That actually makes it comparable in price to many netbooks.

If you want to save a pound and a little money, and you can deal with a much slower machine with a smaller, lower resolution screen then I would go for the Acer Aspire One. They are quicker than most other netbooks, less expensive, and pretty well-built. Mine has seen some use and a bit of abuse, yet it’s still ticking just like new.

You should change your ways and get an iPad! Or if you prefer a… different solution, i think Dell makes some pretty good netbooks. but if i had to choose i would get an iPad

I love my MacBook. I have Microsoft Office for Mac on it and have zero compatibility issues with files from my PC at the office. It’s easy to travel with and far lighter than a conventional PC. The keyboard has a nice touch to it, and it’s far easier to type on than my Dell laptop from work. You turn it on, it goes. I’m on my second MacBook since 2004, and have yet to have any problems with viruses or malware, and haven’t done a thing to it.

I would imagine that I would love an iPad just as much.

@PandoraBoxx My T135 is about the same size/weight as your Macbook, I have run into zero compatibility issues with MS Office even though I do not even have that program I use OpenOffice and I paid considerably less; my laptop plus my car cost less than your Macbook.
More importantly, the OP stated that they were not a Mac person. The iPad isn’t a Mac, so I will let that part slide… but what I say below applies to you too.

@Jeremycw1 The iPad isn’t a laptop; it’s a multimedia toy with internet access. Maybe that is all the OP needs, but I doubt that they would’ve made a point about being a PC person if that were all they needed.
BTW, can the iPad run Foxit, XnView, OpenOffice, GURPS Character Assistant, and access Flash game sites? I know that there are at least two “No“s in that list, so I assume that it may be best to figure out why the OP wants a PC. Or maybe it’s just a budget thing.