Can you tell me about your Linux on Mac setup?

Here's my situation:

At home, I develop on a very beefy x86_64 desktop machine running Ubuntu.

When travelling overseas for work, I have an x86_64 laptop which provides me decent performance but only lasts 3 hours or so. All my colleagues are rocking Macbooks which last a whole day and I can't even take a piss without thinking about a power outlet.

What is the battery life for a setup where you only use the outside world Mac as a shell for a Linux VM? Can you run X11 applications remotely with `ssh -X`?

I sincerely HATE the whole Mac OS ecosystem but right now, they are the best in terms of battery life for a mobile device, and I need that.

Thank you for any information you can provide!