What about taking a cruise? You get seated with people at a table for dinner, so you’re meeting people and socializing, and there are tons of activities all day and night designed to get people meeting each other and interacting.
If you do end up going (or even just looking into it), please share! I’d love to hear about what you find.
If not a cruise, take the train across the country (you’re in the US, hm?). Or take the train across Canada. Or both. Stop off in different places. At meals on the train, you’ll probably be seated with other people, same as on a cruise. No, not many of them will be dateable, but more the point just now is to remind yourself that you’re worthwhile as a separate person, not just as part of a couple. Generally, meeting people on a train is easy, because you’re all automatic travel mates, not just temporarily going the same place.
Getting out may help you some, and may also remind you that you are the one person you can really depend upon and can’t get away from.
Or visit friends and family instead, because the holidays strike me as an especially stinky time to feel lonely.
If you’re going to travel, take the weather into account.
When come back, volunteer for stuff.
October? I could blow almost every night at a seasonal haunt. Its also a good time for bikes, motorized or not.
Also, when the sun goes down and all the couples around you on deck are gazing at the stars and holding each other tight, you can easily just throw yourself overboard.
Sorry for your break up.
What part of the states are you in?
What is your budget?
Do you have a passport?
Air Bed and Breakfast might be an affordable option for you.
New York City or San Francisco. Perfect places for vacations, especially if you want to break up the vacation for three or four days.
I live in NY - hour from NYC
Not really sure - couple of thousand is fine, don’t really want to go much beyond that right now.
Yes, have a valid passport.
The link isn’t working - though that could be a work laptop thing. I’ll take a look at your suggestion later, though - thanks!
Did some looking around last night and found a few interesting ideas
- Habitat for Humanity international programs. Thailand, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central America. Program costs are 1200-1500 which includes lodging, meals, local transportatoin for 1-2 weeks (depending on the program). Unfortunately airfare is very pricy to many of those places. However, there is a week long program in El Salvador that is 1200 for the program and flights for me look to be around 600, so thats not really bad.
The idea of manual labor, working hard, sweating, etc. sounds real good right now. Many programs are working with children, teaching, etc, which doesn’t sound like something I’m in the mood for right now. I want to get outside and work, not be intellectual and thoughful.
Con for me - trip isn’t until mid November, and I was hoping to do something a bit sooner (Oct).
- Found some local options as well - like building and working with people in West Virginia for a week. Cost is $900 (room/food), but I could drive there or fly real cheap, so its a lower cost option and the timing is good at the first week of October.
I am thinking of trying to do 2 different week trips right now also, if I can afford to do it. Perhaps one of these volunteer vacations for a week, and then perhaps another week off where I do someting different, perhaps another of these suggestions that sounds fun.
I did this last year after my husband died. Going to work was just easier than trying to find a way to spend vacation time, but not having a vacation might catch up to you later.
I’d look into either a hobby vacation or a working vacation.
I found this link that might be a resource for you: http://charityguide.org/volunteer/vacations.htm
Getting outside of yourself and feeling connected to the world will help you retain a sense of worth and a sense of self. Life can seem purposeless when we face a loss, and grief is incredibly isolating.
I’m sorry you’re going through this.
Thanks for the link, and the kind words. And I am so very sorry for your loss, and hope that life is looking brighter for you these days.
Knoebels and their Phoenix Phall Phunfest/Covered Bridge Festival. The park has a campground as well which you can use to roam the Poconos and Endless Mountains. Be sure to visit French Azilum and Bills Old Bike Barn Museum. And have a few meals at Heaters in Danville as well as Tony’s in Kingston. Grotto Pizza in Edwardsville is good but avoid Victory Pig in Wyoming - the pizza sucks and the service blows; the only good part of the place is the t-shirts.
Life is great, thanks.
Do let us know what you end up doing. I’m fascinated by the idea of a volunteer vacation. I had considered it but was honestly just too tired to try to make that sort of decision last year, and this year I keep using up my vacation time faster than I earn it! 
Try a Green Tortoise trip. They basically take school busses, convert them to hold beds, and do adventure trips across the US and Mexico. It is quite popular with European backpackers, many of them travelling on their own. Conditions are camping-style and (delicious) meals are prepared as a group, which is a lot of fun. There is a bit of an outdoor focus- lots of hiking and swimming in rivers and the like. But they also do lots of ruins in Mexico and trips out to the bars. It’s not exactly organized touring, though. On the days you are pretty much on your own, free to lounge or wander or do whatever. Anyway, it’s a cheap and easy way to do some somewhat adventurous travel, and its great for solo travel since you can choose to stick with the group or strike out on your own.
Or with that kind of money you could easily take a backpacker-style trip in Asia even with airfare- India, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal, Mongolia…all of these are in your reach. It will be lonely and uncomfortable, but you can probably frame it as a transitional experience. In any case, it’d be an adventure.
I did the volunteer vacation thing this past May. Spent 10 days with Habitat for Humanity rehabiliating houses in rural Egypt.
It was a FANTASTIC experience. I’m an avid traveler and have lived abroad before and this was one of the most memorable vacations I ever have done. The work was incredibly rewarding and it was an eye-opening experience to see how your average, rural Egyptian lives and being able to interact with them. On top of that, I spent one week in Egypt just doing touristy vacation stuff, so I got both the relaxing vacation and the volunteer vacation all in one! Going with H4H is kind of pricey, but the lump sum you pay includes all your lodging, transportation and meals. Also, you can create a link for people to make a tax-deductible donation to your trip so in lieu of bday/Christmas presents, I asked for everyone to donate to my trip instead and got most of it paid for except for my airfare. Also, it will be good for solo travelers because you’re lumped with about 15 other Americans so you are socializing with everyone and will have people to share memories/photos with after!
Here’s a link for all the trips they have scheduled http://www.habitat.org/cd/gv/schedule.aspx
If you can’t afford to move, then use the time to compeltely re-arrange your living space. Make the space your own. Paint if you can, take some furniture to a second-hand shop and trade it for something you like better. That sort of thing. . .
Thats a good idea. She’s pretty much agreed that she will move out, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how hard its going to be living there by myself. And no, I really can’t afford to move. Owe more than the house is worth at this point. Not by much, and I think I’ll probably move in a couple years perhaps, but for now I’ll have to stay put.
I love doing this! This is my suggestion. You’re not far away, it’s not to expensive (do a hostel or a cheap motel) and you’re not “alone with your thoughts”, like you’d be with backpacking.
Start looking for a housemate; screen them well, so it’s someone you won’t mind. Sounds like you have a decent sized house, so there’s no harm in bringing someone in to pay the bills. Put them in the bedroom furthest from your room. Sometimes, having another person around keeps you stabilized, and moving forward, rather than wallowing.
Good luck!
I think I just heard something about Jet Blue offering a deal where you pay something like $500 and can fly as much as you want for a month starting in September. With two week of vacation time, you could easily do 3 or 4 long weekends to different locations around the country and where ever Jet Blue might fly internationally.