Reddit mentions of HP Stream 13-c291nr Signature Edition Laptop - 13.3" HD Display, Intel Celeron N3050, 2GB RAM, 32GB SSD, Windows 10, Office 365 Personal - Blue

Hopping trains or hitchhiking with a computer? I got this!
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When it comes to a laptop, and you're looking for cheap, portable, and light, I highly, highly recommend you get a NETBOOKS, not a LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK, and here's 3 reasons why:

SSD: Most netbooks come with SSD (Solid State Drives), which are CRITICAL when it comes to living on the road. Solid State Drives can take a bump or a drop without losing all of your data, whereas regular laptops with standard hard-drives will NOT survive in a backpack. Don't even try, you'll be wasting you time and it likely won't survive the first 30 days.

Size/Weight: Netbooks are usually HALF as light as normal laptops, and half the size. Great for slipping into a backpack, yet much better than a smartphone for browsing the web, typing long messages, watching movies, etc.

Battery Life: Most netbooks use less resources than traditional laptops, which means they often have nearly twice the battery life. This is certainly helpful for a traveler that doesn't have steady access to electricity on a daily basis.

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Just to get you started in shopping around, I'd recommend checking out this model: https://www.amazon.com/HP-Stream-13-c291nr-Signature-Laptop/dp/B01D93UHZW/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478211853&sr=1-14&keywords=hp+netbook+ssd

That netbook should suit most of your purposes: 13 inches is slightly bigger than most other netbooks, but much smaller than most traditional laptops. This makes it a great balance between the netbook and laptop worlds, while still maintaining all the pros of other netbooks: Cheap, light, and great battery life.

It's also 3 lb's, which is slightly heavier than most smaller netbooks, but HALF as light as traditional laptops. Perfect size for sliding into a backpack, and light enough for a hard hike.

It also comes with a 2gb processor and 2gb ram, which is plenty fast enough for 99.9999% of travelers need.

Also checkout some of the netbooks made by Acer and Asus, you might like them as well. Most are under $300, and you can even get lighter models such as an 8-inch or 10-inch. Acer Inspire is a great model, but I honestly find the HP models to be more durable for surviving in a backpack.
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IMPORTANT Sidenotes/Warning:

1. When searching for netbooks, do NOT get the "Chromebook" editions. Most of your data will be going to an online "cloud" service, and you often have to pay for it. Trust me, avoid the Chromebooks.
   
   
2. Back-up your netbook with an Ubuntu operating system. Ubuntu is EXCELLENT for netbooks, it's completely free, and it uses way less resources than Windows. For you, this means two things: Faster laptop performance, and LONGER battery life! It's a win/win. Unless you're a hard-core gamer or a microsoft developer that requires certain Windows software, Ubuntu is perfect for the Vagabond lifestyle and all your computing needs.