When Megan Maciejowski was laid off from her job at an investment bank at the end of 2008, she cleaned out her desk, retreated to her Venice Beach, Calif., apartment and started sprucing up her resume. Then the 33-year-old set aside some of her severance package and arranged to spend February in artsy San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Her goals for the trip were simple: to take an immersive Spanish class, do some painting, experience a new culture and generally relax
