travel crib for co-sleeping families?

[mrsnarbonne]

Now that LO is becoming more mobile (8m) I am considering getting a play yard so that there is a safe place I can put him in (that doesn't involve me strapping him into something) when I need to do something and it's not handy for me to wear him while doing it. I thought about getting a used play yard for cheap, but then I also realized that we (DH & I) travel (mostly international) a fair bit and we might be in need of a similar solution while traveling - a safe place while in a hotel, vacation rental, etc. After doing some research, it seems like the lightest and easiest to set up travel crib is the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Lite - but its $245!!!

Would it be worth forking out that much money for what would be an occasional play yard? Right now I can't see LO actually sleeping in it - I nurse him to sleep and then slip away, and have just purchased the Bed Bug Bumpers to use as bed rails for when he is sleeping alone (before we join him at night).

More info:
Sometimes, like when I am getting his bath ready, I will put him in his Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper (the mini bassinet, it doesn't have the play yard option) for just a few minutes, which is really helpful. But lately I've noticed that as soon as I put him in it (it's attached to our bed), he has one leg up trying to scale in and get back onto the bed...so I can't use it as a safe spot for that much longer.

[Bokonon]

I haven't traveled internationally with the kids, but have used a Graco Pack n' Play for hotel stays. It worked great last month when we stayed in a hotel, because it was tall enough to act as a rail next to the hotel bed, so DD couldn't roll off the bed (she was old enough that I felt comfortable putting a pillow between her and the crib). She's never actually slept in it, LOL, but DS slept in it many times when we traveled.