How to work when you're on the road Being able to do your job anywhere - in coffee shops or waiting rooms, on trains or aeroplanes - requires a mix of the right technology and the right mindset. What technology do I need? For laptops, the big considerations are weight (less), battery life (more), and a solid state drive (faster, more reliable). Ultrabooks and smaller MacBooks score highly in these areas. Cloud storage is useful to have, even if you are only using Google Drive or DropBox. Anywhere Working is a useful guide to remote working, and can be marshalled as evidence if doubts are expressed by a boss or employer. What if I'm not used to working on the go? For many people, says Chris Ward, author of Out of Office, it's a question of mindset. If you are used to a traditional office, you may struggle. But just give it a go, and remember that younger people think nothing of working from places like coffee shops. The noise around you is white noise. It's not something you listen to, but it's often quite pleasant - a bit like doing homework with the radio on," he says, adding that the noise in the office is often more distracting. Is privacy an issue? Free public WiFi access points, such as found in airports, can be insecure. The risks can be mitigated by using either a virtual private network (VPN) or the secure (https) versions of sites such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail. Watch out for access points that look even potentially fake, as they may have been set up by hackers. Take care that sensitive material displayed on your screen is not readily available to anyone nearby to read. However, Mr Ward points out: "The risk of being overheard when speaking on your mobile is far greater."