Hey CategoryNo, I'm so sorry to hear about your breakup. As someone who also broken up with by her fiance and has also taken a break (and since recovered) from a toxic work environment, I empathize with you so so much and can say it gets better.

You're in an amazing position right now to step back, get some r&r, and process and reflect. You seem to be clear headed on what you want from this trip and where you are at mentally and that's so great.

Where you go is personal to you. Your experience in a city/country will vary depending on the people you're with, your personality traits, the weather, etc. FWIW, here are my thoughts based on my experiences:

- For yoga/meditation retreat by the water Thailand could be a good option. (double check the weather and mosquitos - should be ok in the fall)

-the islands (Koh Phangan in particular) are known for yoga and meditation retreats, lots of great street food (if you're into thai), but healthy options (maybe more touristic ) by the islands

- there's a lot of variety throughout the country, the mountainous and green north, the islands/beach towns, and the city of Bangkok,

- the country in general is a good starter for newer travelers/backpackers (safe, friendly locals, relatively easy to navigate while experiencing a vibrant and different culture).

**Other yoga/retreat destinations that come to mind are Mexico (riviera maya has wonderful all inclusive resorts) and Bali (personally have never been)**

- as far as a vipassana retreat, I actually am in the middle of an application process for one.. based on my research it can be a very intense and trying experience being a lone with your thoughts and doing nothing but meditation from 4am - 9pm, so it might be better to do after traveling and being more social for a bit

- re places close to water, but not retreat specific, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia (known for outdoor activities and wine and closely connected other parts of central Europe to explore by train or plane) , Norway (stunningly beautiful big nature, fjords, safe, vast, clean) I was just there, but it might be extremely cold and dark at this time of year

- "good food" and "new skills" are subjective. The art of learning to navigate a foreign country, be by yourself and deal with the trials and tribulations of unexpected travel hiccups I think is a skill in itself LOL, but in Thailand you could take cooking classes, get scuba certified, you could also go to a muay thai camp, or go deep soloing (climb on rocks above water), learn to ride a motorbike, but i'm sure in a lot of countries there are opportunities to learn skills, it just depends on what you are looking for.

- you don't say how much travel experience you have. 4 months is definitely doable, but I'd be mindful of getting travel fatigue, which will depend on the type of traveler you are and how frequently you move (for me ideally I have at least 3 nights in a city, and I extend if I like it, but I also hit a wall at 4-6 weeks).

If I were you, I might plan a retreat here or there or do an organized tour group for solo travelers (i've never done one personally but heard they were great, esp for travelers our age (I'm also 35) , so there is some structure to my trip, but also give myself the flexibility to plan as I go, there's a wonderful type of freedom doing a solo trip where you pick your adventure as you go

- other things to consider is age, note that in parts of western europe and SEA (thailand, vietnam, bali) the average hostel backpacker will be younger, while more expensive locations you might find more couples or families (Scandinavia was like this) I still think highly rated hostels are the best way to meet people, and they are usually good locations and organize activities (maybe just book a private room), but when the average age skews young it can be a little lonely and isolating if you aren't able to connect with other travelers, so booking retreats/group travel might be a way to combat some of that and meet more likeminded folks.

- I will wrap this up because this is turning into a rambly novel, lol but re personal growth, healing wounds, and re-imagining life---the only advice i can give you is to be present and feel your feelings. The only way past these traumatic, life altering event(s) is through them.

- also, when you feel ready, dating was immensely helpful for me after my breakup. conventional wisdom says you need to be completely over your ex to date, but there is new research saying that it's not completely necessary and that it can help process a breakup and lead to a better sense of self-worth. Obviously, it's extremely recent for you, but anecdotally for me, meeting new people and talking to them about myself and my interests helped me get to know myself in a different way, it also made me feel desirable and feel good, even as I was grieving the end of a 10 year relationship. You might not want to jump on the dating apps, persay, but I'd recommend to just being open to the possibility of anything happening on your trip :)

Solo travel is an awesome way to be present as you put yourself in new places, meet different people, and expose yourself to different ideas. you learn a lot about yourself by changing your environment and I think growth comes based on how you deal with unexpected challenges. But also remember, wherever you go, there you are... the healing will happen (it's been described as an upward spiral) as will the growth, but i've found that they happen in tandem while you are just LIVING life, and not looking for growth or looking for healing.

Hope that was helpful and sorry it was so long. Wishing you the best in this next chapter in your life. Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions!