I know what you mean Jeff. I am supposed to go to IMAC in June, MACNA in Sept, Hopefully skiing in April.
I think it could take at least 6-8 months to get this going. I am not sure when is the best time to go etc... I would think it is expensive also. I did a quick search on Orbitz. The airfare alone is about $1100 each.
I will keep this going. I am going to find out what I can: budget, time frame etc.