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Great advice. I think a smaller scope is great and have been told the best scope is the one you use. I have used my Meade ETX105EC (can only get secondhand when people actually wish to part with one) and Celestron C90MAK on trips and the portability is great. I have a nice 14mm Ultra Wide Meade eyepiece and have some great views of the night sky.
I like either Celestron or Meade and think you would enjoy the 4SE. It is a good balance of size vs weight.
As for Dobsonians, in my fossicking around web sites and gathering information myself I have found dobsonians you get bigger bang for buck, but the space required can be prohibitive. There is one like the Orion SkyQuest XX series that actually can be disassembled into pieces - secondary mirror, trusses and base with primary mirror. Apparently can fit in the boot of a small hatchback (in fact I have seen a dobsonian of 16 inches fit in a small hatchback at a viewing night - something I thought I would not see given their usual size). As a bonus it also comes with GOTO. The 16 inch is a bit pricey, but the 12 inch is not too bad.
Good luck with your choice and hope you have many clear night skies to view.
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