Last year, I bought a Janome Jem Gold for the same reasons you mention - classes/retreats. Love my Bernina, but that thing is heavy, and it's a pain to have to pack it all up, then put it back.
Anyhow, I do NOT recommend the Gold. It's not a computerized machine and honestly, after using the Bernina, the Gold stitches were awful. As it isn't computerized, you can't adjust stitch length much, and the stitches built in were either too long or to short for my liking.
This fall, I joined a yahoo group called SewItsForSale, where you can buy or sell sewing items - fabric, notions, books, machines. I bought a Janome Jem Platinum and LOVE it. It had been lightly used by somebody who was upgrading.
It is a lot smaller than the Bernina - no way will I be quilting on this - and not as powerful. Where my Bernina will go over/through anything, this definitely balks at super thickness (tote bags/purses are fine - layers of denim not so much). For piecing, it is perfect.
Long story short, I'd look for a Janome, but not the Gold. While mine is a 760, they also have Platinum 720. If the new price is higher than you want, look around for a good used one. The yahoo group seems to have them advertised a couple of times a month.