You don't have to be heartbroken to get it.

I love, love, love this recommendation from contributor and travel junkie Kelly Westhoff…

Sooner or later, every woman who goes through a painful break up partakes in a little bit of retail therapy.

Maybe it’s a trendy, spendy purse. Maybe it’s a countertop full of cosmetics. Maybe it’s a new pair of jeans that hug your curves just so. Or maybe those flirty, peep-toe pumps call your name.

While the pretty new things might make you feel better right now, can they actually heal your broken heart? Can retail therapy transform your life?

Probably not. But there’s a good chance travel can. Maybe you should redirect those shopping dollars into a solo, travel adventure.

If the thought appeals to you but you’re not sure how to proceed, seek out Tara Russell. She’s a life coach with a twist. She’s a “Travel Coach”.

Tara is the founder of Three Month Visa Coaching and Consulting. She helps her clients change their lives through meaningful international travel experiences. “I will get you off the couch and on the plane!” she said.

“I’m getting more and more women coming to me after a breakup or divorce who are saying, ‘I’m not going to hang my head and cry.’ They realize there are other ways of dealing with a separation and are looking for a healthy, empowering way to navigate a difficult period,” Tara said.

Some of Tara’s clients want to lounge on a beach in Fiji. Others want to volunteer or teach abroad. Some want to be a backpacking nomad for 10 months. The commonality is that they all want to do something for themselves.

Tara acknowledged package travel deals are tempting, but she doesn’t recommend pre-planned trips. “After a breakup,” she explained, “you need to unbraid your life in a way, to separate and let go of what you wanted with your ex and re-discover what you want for yourself. You need to figure out what you need and a planned itinerary doesn’t leave room for you to strike out on your own. If you’re traveling to help yourself over a breakup, it’s important to ask yourself, ‘What do I want from this time away?’”

Many of her clients have big travel dreams, but are uncertain how to finance their trips. “I help women analyze their spending patterns to see where they can adjust in order to make travel savings effortless,” Tara said.

“I always ask my clients, ‘Do you want a lifestyle or do you want a life?’ The important thing is to keep your eyes on the prize and to remember that when you’re watching the sunset over the beach in Ipanema, you’re not going to miss those cute shoes you never bought,” she said.

Besides, chances are that once you’ve conquered the world on your own, you won’t need some silly sandals to make your heart feel whole. “When you’re away from your routine and everyone you know,” Tara said, “you have the chance to ask yourself whether you really even want your old life back. What if there is something better?”

Tara’s parting advice to many of her lovelorn clients as they take off for parts unknown is this: “Don’t hold yourself to who you were before you left. If you come home wanting something new, that’s a good thing. The more you travel, the more you realize what you are capable of. You will bring home a new horizon and belief in yourself. Your life will expand to be spacious enough to hold who you are becoming.”

Check out Three Month Visa for yourself!