I use a 2015 MacBook Pro all the time--like right now.
I have a 2010 MacBook Air that I still use when traveling.
The battery is completely shot, but it works fine when plugged in. And if I'm on the road, I don't use my computer until I get to the hotel anyway. And even then, it's just fine for e-mail, browsing, and even Photoshop.
I have one of these (it's my only Mac), but it only has 2GB of RAM, so it's kinda rough. I tried Mint on it, but IIRC it might not have the GPU drivers? I just bought it a new SSD which helped a bit.
Linux? Outdated version of macOS?
I think this one had a battery replacement because it was bulging. But it's definitely in the class of devices that, if it gets swiped or lost, is basically in the <ehh> category as opposed to my newer one.
Am probably giving newish iPad and magnetic keyboard a spin on my next trip mostly to see how it goes.