TotallyClueless

I am here hanging my head in shame and hoping someone here can help me. I am so very clueless about all things technology related. I have gotten by for so long with a simple desktop computer. I don't use it for much other than checking email, using iTunes, facebook, etc.

So I'm going to Europe for a month, leaving the last week of August. I am trying to figure out how I am going to have email access and phone access while I am away... this is where you come in! I have fallen in LOVE with the adorable mini laptops and really would love to get one before the trip. And it looks like Skype is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends while I am away. But here are my questions and concerns:

If I buy a mini, what will it take to have internet? Will it be equipped so that when I walk into a wifi hot spot it has internet? I will be staying at a farm (I'm going to England with a horse for a big international competition) so I'm not sure how good internet access will be. So will skype be useless w/o good internet??? Is there a specific internet service that I should get (**inexpensively**) that would work well in England and be functional at the farm? I just don't know enough about this stuff to make decisions about what I need! Someone please help me?! Thanks!