Having to write less has definitely made my handwriting worse, but typing has greatly improved my spelling ability because the letters are easier to visualize, particularly in color. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else with some form Synesthesia agrees.

Why don't you extract something like TrueCrypt to a flash drive and use that to encrypt your files? If you've already purchased plane tickets, grabbing a $10 flash drive at your destination isn't a big deal. Just leave it behind when you head home. That way you won't have any "suspicious" software while you're actually traveling.