As someone who just blew about a thousand dollars on a week in Seattle, I'm thinking of a more economic and sustained way of getting what I got out of the trip.
Well, staying in a hostel gives me a good simulation of dorm life -- meaning, if I wanted human companionship, it was downstairs, rather than a bus trip away. Everything was more convenient -- restaurants, shops, ideas for things to do...
Also, I didn't have to go to work. OK, maybe I won't be able to avoid that entirely...
but I think I need to change things up a little in my life, and I won't need to travel as much.
Furthermore, there are event purchases that are cheap enough to be affordable on a regular basis -- local live music comes to mind.