Look at Brother mechanicals in Walmart. I have one that I keep in my NJ home for when I'm visiting there, and it works like a champ. It's a pretty basic machine, but the straight stitch is true and it's easy to use. It doesn't weigh too much either. The other benefit is that if you should drop it or, as we used to say, "it picks up feet and walks away", you're out less than $100.
A lot of people will suggest that you stay clear of the Walmart Brothers, but this is my 4th Brother. Three of the machines are still in service after about 3 years. The other one was used for about 6 years before it fell to it's untimely end while we were traveling. I had used and truly abused that machine for 6 years before it fell, and, before it fell, it was still working like new. Please note that when I bought it I didn't even know that it had to be cleaned, that's how abused it was!
I also invested in an inexpensive wheeled sewing machine/crafter bag from Walmart. Works very well for my needs, and makes it really easy to transport any one of my machines.
Having said that, I don't usually cart my sewing machine to guild because I found that I yak so much that I don't get much sewing done! In fact, the last time I did bring it with me, I sewed only 4 stitches (Yes, "4"!) and then it was time to leave. I guess I'm easily distracted...