When I was in Bali with a friend, I met up with a three people, each of whom was traveling alone (two of them had the night before at a restaurant in Ubud, the third was just there by himself). Over a number of beers, we agreed to rent a Jeep together the next day and drive to Lovina Beach. My friend and I were nervous the next day to see if any of them would show up at the appointed time/place but they all did. We had an amazing time; stayed right on the beach for a few dollars a night, snorkeled, toured around etc. They were all doing the India/Nepal/Thailand/Indonesia thing, and were totally friendly and adventurous. You will meet people all over SE Asia like that. Otherworldly, and something I still think about when life starts to get a bit mundane! Go for it!

Thailand is awful for a woman traveling alone.
Europe is very expensive but you might be able swing it. How about eastern europe? turkey and greece (not cheap either but may be cheaper now!)

I traveled alot alone in central and south america and loved it.

God so many dream trips so little time away from the kids! Australia, Peruvean Andes-Amazon trek, New Zealand, Africa, Educador-Galapagos...LIAT Airlines had an island hopper ticket that allows you to fly around the Caribbean for one set price, woo-hoo!

Yes, go to Thailand. It's easy to get to meet people, you can hang out at the beach, take a diving or cookery course, get some great massages. The country is easy to get around too. When I went there I signed up for a one week tour to get the feel of the place, and then took a two week trip by myself to one of the islands. Best vacation I've ever had!