Best laptop solutions for travelling hillbillies?

We are leaving the UK to travel Europefor 6 months, then migrating permanently to Australia (via a couple of Nth American stops). We would like to be able to email, send and store lots of photos too. What's the best solution in terms of laptops? Will it be a problem to have bought one in the UK for use elsewhere (aside from warranty issues)? What are Macbooks like? Any ideas on any of the above - thanks.