Hi all,
life made me do it finally. Looks like I found a very simple solution to the problem "again I didn't take that writing tablet with me". At least for me this IS a problem, with many trips and my stylus getting lost now and then :)
So, I just tryed writing characters on my HP laptop touchpad with the pointing finger of the right hand, and press or let loose the button with the left thumb (LEFT hand). After 20 min practice it felt quite natural. Like doing some manual job with both hands.

Yeah, the two-handed approach is the way to go with touchpads. Makes a big difference being able to do it like you describe vs. trying to do it with one hand. The times still aren't as great as with a tablet or even a mouse, but at least the stress isn't bad. (We measured these guys here recently, for anyone who hasn't seen: http://www.skritter.com/input-review)

Both hands or one doesn't seem to make much difference to me just now for 20 mins. I brought the wacom with me this time but I checked it in and I'm waiting to board now...
Using this method long term I would have to add 重复性压迫损伤 - which is now in skritter, to my vocab list :)

It can depend a lot on the trackpad, too: some of them are much less stressful to use than others.