Get a thin, rollable mousepad for travel.

A thick gaming mousepad or a hard plastic slab is dead weight in your bag. For on-the-go, you want something that folds or rolls flat, doesn’t slide around on café tables, and takes up zero space.

Look for a neoprene or thin cloth pad with a rubberized bottom. The rubber keeps it from skating across the table when your laptop is wobbling on a train tray. The thinness means it fits in a sleeve pocket or next to a charger cable.

Avoid anything rigid or oversized. A 9x7 inch is plenty. If you’re serious about portability, some companies make “mousepads” that are just a sticky silicone sheet you can lay flat on any surface. Those work fine too.

Your laptop bag has room for one.