Does anyone have any thoughts on the ergonomics of travelling and programming? I've come to rely on a very specific setup to avoid the symptoms of RSI. I find that coffee shops and the like tend to encourage the worst kind of posture for this.
I suppose one compromise could be to deck out your own vehicle with an ideal setup and travel in that; but then you're more limited in where you can go.
Rather than doing one around the world trip, setup one "home base" and focus on seeing that region. For example, I live in the Philippines and I can get tickets to anywhere in SE Asia are very cheap. I can work hard for a period to bust out some projects and then take time off to travel to another area in the region for a week or longer. Then go back to "home base" and repeat the process.
The author seemed to be working on his own projects during his trip. Doing contract work on the road is far more difficult, so the "home base" strategy also works better if you have to continue contract work while abroad.
I have the same interests and concerns. The older I get, the more injuries and problems I develop. Currently, I need my Kinesis Classic keyboard, my Logitech mouse, my eye-level monitor, and my excellent Steelcase chair.
I believe that I could get by with a less ergonomic system if I limited myself to part-time work (say, four to six hours per day) and had ample time to walk around. I've found nothing better for back/neck problems than a good 15 - 30 minute walk, focusing on posture. Also, I would find something like a more powerful iPad, on a stand, with a nice Bluetooth keyboard to be much, much more valuable than a laptop, and it should still be very space efficient.
I suppose one compromise could be to deck out your own vehicle with an ideal setup and travel in that; but then you're more limited in where you can go.