Oh man ..... soooo many posts on DRM. Posts, debates, arguments.
Unless you are leaving next week it's still possible to get a Kindle before you leave. If you do a search on this forum for "refurbished" (search box in the upper left), you will see that there are reasonably priced factory refurbished Kindles with the same return option and warranty, that are available for next day delivery.
You can purchase from the Amazon store via the internet no matter what OS your netbook is running, and you can transfer the books from your netbook to your Kindle on USB.
Nevermind the search, here's the
link and they have one in stock at the moment.
If you are looking to take (and purchase) as many books as possible while you are on your trip, as long as you have an internet connection, a Kindle will be a great choice.