I don't know where else to post this so I'll post this right here..

1) What are the most "secure" places for using a laptop?

2) Also, would it be possible for someone to hack into a personal laptop if the owner was using it some place else other than their own home?

Hayabusa's right on the money.  There really is no "secure" place to use your laptop other than anyplace you turn off wifi and unplug your network cable.    I would have to say that it's more common to have your wireless devices "hacked" or the traffic sniffed outside of the home.  That's just what I've personally noticed though.

what is your laptop os?
if you have windows on your laptop you msut have an updated antivirus (Total security version of antiviruses are batter) and you must update your windows to patch all known security bugs

and about where is safe for laptop?
whenever you connect to any network with your laptop ( no matter there ishas internet or not) it maybe dangerous

There is always risk involved when connecting your computer to any network.  I keep shields up at all times (firewall active and AV actively running).  When I am traveling I tend to VPN into my home network before I do anything.  I have more control of that network than hotels, Panera's or Starbucks.  You Web application tester will probably have some skills with helping you secure your personal laptop but honestly, keeping AV updated, local firewall running and updating ALL software regularly will keep you about as secure as you can get. 

If you are worried about data, you can always utilize software like Truecrypt and create encrypted containers on your local/network storage drives.  Windows 7 also utilizes Bitlocker in the Business/Ultimate editions. 

Also if you are using something other than Windows (Mac or Linux) do not assume you are immune to attacks.  Mac OS exploits and viruses have been coming out much more frequently than in the past and Linux is also vulnerable to attacks.  Granted they are much less than Windows and even Mac but they are still out there.  Besides what you have that a blackhat might want is not necessarily on your local systems.  They may want access to your email, your web hosting information and credentials, bank information and all that is out on the web.

Education is your best friend and common sense goes a long way.  Don't hinder your business by being too paranoid, but use the paranoia to better secure your business.

Also as far as securing your home office, I would recommend investing in a SOHO style firewall (Small Office Home Office) such as a Sonicwall or Watchguard device.  They are fairly easy to manage once they are setup and they have a low reoccuring cost for service and support.  The bonus to these devices is that they will include other services besides simple port forwarding.  The Sonicwalls (I am most familiar with) provide IDS/IPS as well as gateway antivirus.  So that ends up filtering much of the garbage before it hits your internal network.  Something to think about.

Also as you are building this business, don't get frustrated if some new security software/hardware makes something not work.  Rather than turning off the security feature, make sure it is properly configured with the correct exceptions to keep your apps running properly.

Good luck!

I truly appreciate your input.

When you say, "you must update your windows to patch all known security bugs," are you referring to upgrading to a more recent and better brand of Windows or are you saying to simply upgrade the version of Windows that I have right now?

Also, what's the best version of Windows that I can own right now?

Thanks again.

No worries about taking the time to respond. 

We're here to help one another learn.  Sometimes, folks take posts the wrong way (aka - another of my responses, today, drew fire.)  They're rarely intended negatively, but they're generally brutally honest, so sometimes I (and others) have to double-check wording, to make sure the point is made without offending or scaring someone.

Anyway, if you have further questions, that's what we're all here for.  Learning and info-share.

Have a great day!

If I go to Starbucks or the airport, or really anywhere that has an open network, I'll forward all of my traffic through an SSH tunnel to my home network. That way it just looks like encrypted traffic on the public network, but I still have to rely on the security of my home network to make sure my data is safe.

Thank you very much for the program's you've suggested.

I've done my research on all of them and I'm more than likely going to implement them into my work.

Thanks again for the helpful information.