Wherever you decide to go, I would urge you to start looking at ticket availability right now whether it's with miles or with dollars. My own trips to both Asia & Latin America have mostly been after mid-January when demand and therefore prices drop significantly, and when seats open up for frequent flyer tickets. I realize that as a teacher, you're restricted to school vacation periods, however. If availability and/or cost turn out to be impediments, remember that Southwest Airlines now flies to Mexico & Costa Rica.