Under the pool at Hotel de Soleil.   (Photo: Damion Berger)

The Escapee:
Mark Dekki, 21, student
“The stress in my life right now isn’t related to the economy: It is my long-distance relationship. It’s hard to manage. My girlfriend is in Alabama, and the last time I saw her was in January. I want to be with her for spring break. Miami would be nice: the hotels, the clubs, Nikki Beach. I always have a great time there. And I really need a tan.”

The Escape: Miami
The oceanfront party complex Nikki Beach is a great place to ogle other people’s bodies, but for a private sunning experience, book one of the 27 rooftop terrace suites at the Hotel de Soleil (from $429; desoleilsouthbeach.com)—soon to be renamed Z Ocean Hotel South Beach. Each features a spiral staircase leading to a 600-square-foot terrace outfitted with a hot tub and wet bar. Very romantic. After watching the sun set, grab a bite a few blocks down Collins Avenue at the Pan-Asian Setai or at the cramped but Über-hip Bond St Lounge on the lower level of the Townhouse hotel. When the night turns to drinking and dancing, try the Louis, a model-frequented lounge at the Gansevoort South.

A market in Mashad, Iran.   (Photo: Andrew Rowat)

The Escapee:
Francisco Anzola, 39, banker
“I used to do two trips a year, and now I’m only doing one, a modest one—using miles, avoiding big hotels. I’m usually calm, but I am getting up in the middle of the night about this economy. I’ve never been to Iran, and I’m really interested in its history. I’d like to see the architecture, the Blue Mosque, the city of Isfahan.”

The Escape: Iran The best way to travel to Iran is with a reputable tour agency—like New York–based Iran Custom Travel (irancustomtravel.com), run by Farsi-speaking sociologist Norma Lee Nichols-Mahdavi, who will arrange hotels, meals, and transport and help you obtain the appropriate visa. Start in Tehran, where you can stroll through the former shahs’ palaces of Golestan and Sadabad. Next, visit Yazd, a desert city with otherworldly dome dwellings and beehive-shaped cisterns that provide cool water in the summer. Make your last stop Isfahan, described as nesf-e jahan, or “half the world.” It’s a former capital of Persia, and home to the spectacular Blue Mosque.

Interviews by Iavora Daraktchieva, Galen DeKemper, Denise Penny, and Frankie Thomas. Travel reporting by Geraldine Campbell.