A week ago I decided that I needed a little time to myself.  I have an upcoming summertime lull in my work schedule for the first time in almost two years and I have been hard charging for awhile now. Between the daily office grind and a 2 to 3 hour commute in hellish traffic 5 days a week (and only 1 week off since April), I decided that I would request some extra time off and have some “me” time.  Fortunately, I am able to take a nice break with a few periodic check-ins for work over the month of August. And before I say anything else, I realize that I am very lucky to be able to have this time.  It’s not that common in the U.S. to get an extended break and is generally frowned upon. I will of course be checking into the office and working periodically to keep things together but having this break is very meaningful to me.  I’m the type of person that only took off 5 days to get married and go on honeymoon, which says a lot (and is kind of sad).

While I intend to spend quite a bit of the time getting things organized and taken care of around the house that have been neglected over the last few months, I also decided that I should take a few days of solo travel.  I pondered for a week trying to figure out where to go and finally decided on a few days in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

My main goal was that I didn’t want to go anywhere insanely hot and I wanted a place with natural beauty where I could spend a lot of time outside.  We recently did a weekend in Las Vegas where it was 110 degrees everyday and here in Texas it’s hovering around 100 degrees everyday as well but with higher humidity.  I also didn’t want to deal with a really long or expensive flight and my goal was to keep it to less than 3 hours to get anywhere.

After looking around and comparing flight options and costs, I finally settled on the Beaver Creek/Vail area of Colorado.  I’ll be spending four nights on my own at the Ritz Carlton hotel where I was able to use points for a free upgrade to the hotel’s club level (i.e., free food and drinks for this girl!). Temperatures at that elevation (around 8,000 feet above sea level) are around 75 degrees for the high and 55 degrees at night.  Heaven.

My plan is to go hiking, get some fresh air, clear my head, relax at the spa, relax at the pool, read a book (or two) and find a little more balance in my life for a bit.  After those few days I’ll have some more time back at home and then Steve and I are off on a week vacation together for Oregon.  I think having this time will really help me reset, take a breather and get refocused.  When I get work down, I tend to be a cranky person and I really hate being that way.  I haven’t had more than a week off in almost 2 years (to be honest, I don’t think I have had more than a week off in almost 8 or 9 years).

I also haven’t had a trip alone in probably 4 or 5 years when I went to Miraval Spa in Tucson by myself one time, which I can also highly recommend and I would have done this time if it wasn’t a million degrees in Arizona right now. I know a lot of people hate traveling alone but I really don’t mind it.  Sure, I love being with Steve and traveling with friends but sometimes it’s nice to just get away and be alone – to wake up when you want to, eat when you feel like it, do what you want when you want and to just chill out and not worry what anyone else thinks or wants.

Anyone else enjoy solo travel?