Well mine traveling machine is presently my Bernina 215 (red machine) I picked it up as a travel machine although it is a bit heavier than the Gem Gold I had earlier (Janome) which was also very easy to take to class as it came with a carrying satchel. I don't know if they are making the 215 anymore but Bernina does have a 300 series which is also lighter. One of the things I loved about both of these machines is that they have the 5.5 mm feeddogs so it is very easy to just plop on a 1/4 inch foot and get a good quarter inch seam. I did pay more for them them (about $600) as I recall. But they both are sturdy machines and had better motors in them then the less expensive ones. I actually have used both of them as my main piecing machines because of the ease of the 1/4 inch seam. The other machines I now have are my Berina 590 which I have pulled out of the cabinet and am currently using for embroidery and my Bernia 475 which is also a 5.5 mm machine which is now in my cabinet to use for my main piecing machine as I did miss a few of the features that the 215 doesn't have like the knee lift and BSR. Oh, the 475 is a bit heavy but I can still take it to class. The 590 I can lift out of the cabinet and put in the trolling but is a bit of a stuggle for me to take to a class. Oh, I gave my Gem Gold to my nephew as he wanted a mending machine.