Good questions to ask up front, Judy. While I have traveled far and wide in the past to take classes, more recently, I have begun to limit myself to classes that if not closer to my home, at least are close to the homes of friends and or family. Too many times I have paid more for travel/lodging than the class. I also look for classes that are 5 days or more. I find, for me, a 2-4 day weekend class just barely scratches the surface in terms of learning new information and new techniques. The longer you are in a field, your workshop learning resembles a bell shaped curve. Initially, you may not absorb very much. Then you reach a stage in your development when your learning peaks. Later in your development your new learning begins to lessen and there are diminishing returns with workshop attendance.