I will be taking a solo vacation this summer just to relax and have some alone time. I've never done this before and am not sure where to go. I'd like to go for 3 - 5 nights and the budget is $1,000 - $1,500 including everything (food, airfare, etc). I will leave from Atlanta. I either need to go somewhere where I stay at a resort that has everything I need so I don't need to leave, or go to a destination that is both safe and easy to navigate.
I thought about Miami, but I've been there quite a few times. I also considered Asheville, as I'm very familiar with the city and I would feel comfortable wandering around alone. It would be nice to go somewhere new, though. An all inclusive somewhere like Cancun is another possibility.
I like the beach and/or a nice pool, good food, and I enjoy browsing shops - especially artsy and boutique shops. Oh, I also love spas.
Ideas?
Re: Where to go on solo trip?
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
Mark Twain
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Find a spa in a cute town. That way you can indulge with a massage or private yoga class and then spend the afternoons browsing in shops.
You might want to look in the Southwest (Arizona or New Mexico).
Woof! Forgot to add: http://www.spafinder.com/
Summer... how about the Colorado Rockies? If you go some place like Vail, you can get a shuttle from the airport, the town is walkable and has shuttles (I think they still run in the summer). Great food, great hiking, and of course they have spas. Summer has really good deals. I've stayed at manor vail for $80/night when it's over 200 in the summer. Breckenridge would be a similar style trip, but I when I needed a weekend getaway I preferred the food in Vail. If you're escaping summer in Atlanta, you might really like the coolness of the mountains.
Traveling solo shouldn't be scary. You should go to a place you're not familiar with just to get over that initial fear. I was always a bit nervous to take a big trip on my own, but when I did my first real big solo trip, I went to Italy for 16 days and was hooked. Break out of your comfort zone!
I went to Jamaica solo and don't rec. it if you like to leave the resort. If you are fine staying there and taking a group trip somewhere to shop, it's within your budget.