Hi-
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I certainly have been in your position many, many times.
Couple of suggestions for future:
1. For XP, purchase Norton Ghost to backup your drive image; make sure to save frequently (the entire drive, not just restore points) since you most likely will not know when the infection occurred
2. As someone mentioned, carry a router with SPI firewall when traveling; also install a freebie software firewall (zone alarm or my favorite, AVG or Commodo). For spyware tools, again, I recommend AVG (FAR at Frys)
3. Use virtual PC image (MS or VMware) when surfing from an unknown/unsecured hotspot; MS product is free, VMWare 6 is $100 for upgraders/education - I recommend VMWare because you can have iterative images
4. I know this sounds crazy, but plan on "fresh" OS install every 3 months or so...
It takes a lot of work, but it's well worth it!
Good Luck!
Kevin