If you travel a lot and would like to have a computer to take with you for surfing the web, checking email and maybe watching a dvd, then you should check out netbooks at the local computer store or online. They are a great computer for the purpose of traveling and doing all of those types of tasks listed above.They are not designed to store a lot of data and run big software programs, so they are not the right computer if you plan to do a lot of work on them other than replying to email through a web based application. If you need a computer that will do those things, then skip the netbook and you will need a laptop. If you just need a toy to play on while away, a netbook is the right choice.