It will be very difficult to find anything new with xp on it. Xp end of life is April 2014 so it is extremely rare to find anyone wanting an operating system that will no longer be supported in a few months. Can't you get updated versions of your software that works on 7 at least? If not you really need to search for something more current.
As to the USB situation the best thing to do is simply get a USB hub that plugs into one port of the laptop and has several open ports on the hub so you can plug in multiple items in at the same time. They are very inexpensive I pick them up at big lots for under $5. Walmart has them too.

My suggestion for the laptop is find a local computer builder and see if he can build one new or used. I don't know of any stores that can still sell them with xp at this late date.

What kind of software is it you are using?

Google USB hub for examples

the hub is a great idea....also, check at pawn shops for older laptops with XP

I know that Windows 7, at least, allows you to create a virtual XP machine, so that you can run older software. I suppose that Windows 8 does the same, too.

I'm enclosing a link to how to do that.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to create a virtual XP machine

Ang, I can't help you beyond the excellent advice you have gotten here. Just wanted to tell you to have a wonderful trip, and I hope you won't have to do much work while you are away.

A comment: Ang posted asking for help -- in one hour, our computer savior (ravencajun) provided great advice. Where else can you get such wonderful technical advice and assistance...in the middle of the night...so quickly? We are truly blessed to have the KT in our lives!

What about an external hard drive? Download everything to that, and then upload it to the laptop. Keep it for use in backing everything up and so that you can do this again sometime should the need ever arise again.

Here is a link that might be useful: external hard drive comparisons

That's what I told hubby last night. "I bet ravencajun will have an idea" LOL
I still use WordPerfect (I received 28 applications for this part time clerical position, and not ONE of them knew/knows WordPerfect ~ I felt like a dinosaur!) And Quicken 2003 - our accountant has been trying to convert me to Quickbooks for 10 years. I've downloaded it a dozen times, but keep going back to what I *know*. I also need Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.
Going to look at a rebuilt laptop that's "only 2 gigs and slower than molasses, but will do what you need it to" I don't even know what 2 gigs is! Is that even enough to install those three programs? I'm storing my files on flash drives, so they won't be on the hard drive.

It's not a vacation if you have to work while you are in Hawaii. Call a temp agency and tell them what you need. They can send someone out and you can relax and enjoy your trip. Besides maybe if you don't do what you do for a while you will be appreciated more when you come back.

It's not much of a vacation if you have to work, are you sure it won't wait until you return? Everyone's entitled to some time away from work.

Are you the person who was having trouble finding part-time help? The position might be more appealing if you were using modern software. Now's not the time, but take the plunge when you get back and update your tools.

Good luck

I bought a laptop in August with Windows 8 after using my desktop with XP for years. I have found that all my old programs will work on the new computer, even MS Office 2003. I was told in the store that only the 2010 and 2013 office versions work with Windows 8. My old microsoft works program also works on the new computer. Some of the programs required a driver and it did take time to get everything set up and working. This computer is an HP and it has one USB port (and dvd) on the right side and three ports on the left. Some of my thumb drives will not work in the USB 3 ports, so I have to make sure I use the correct port. I've never had Adobe Acrobat Pro, so I can't say if that works.

Using the virtual machine for running older xp programs is a very good idea, however you have to understand how to set it up and you might want to have someone help you with that if you choose to get a newer version of windows.
The 2 gigs is the amount of RAM memory it has and for xp that should be workable. As to why it is so slow, lots of things can contribute to that from infection, malware, number of programs, and possibly it needs a defrag and disc cleanup. If you are buying it from a business ask for them to do the cleanups before you buy it.

Check out the websites for the software you are using they often times offer an updated driver etc to have the program work on the newer version of windows.

For a business I would really recommend moving to at least windows 7 for security reasons since very soon Microsoft will not be providing any type of updates including security related ones. I also just read an article about some of the antivirus companies moving away from supporting xp. It really is going to be fairly obsolete after the end of life date. So for the safety of your files etc you will want to be looking to move forward.