I think I want to get my hair highlighted...
 

buy highlights in a box..much cheaper

find a friend that has mucho experience with highlights in a box and it should be all good. PLUS highlights in a box yields a lot of stuff so I think its all good for lengthy hair.

Go to a salon and get it done. Pick a salon that is known for coloring. Price varies from salon to salon and colorist to colorist. It also depends on the length of your hair and whether you get a full head or half a head. I would just go with half a head of highlights. You can pick whatever color you want. And it looks best when you do 2-3 colors...i.e. a pale blond, a honey blond, and an amber blond. If you get red, know that all reds fade really quickly...which can be nice if you want to avoid the growing out thing, since the red will just fade and fade and fade over a few months until it is completely gone.

I think your hair would look good with lighter blond highlights or some darker red/auburn highlights. Don't worry about knowing the colors you want in advance. If you go to the right salon, the colorist will be able to tell you what will look best on you. And they will also have a color wheel of hair samples where you can pick shades you want.

Go to a salon. When I got my hair highlighted, I payed about 75 USD. She did an EXCELLENT job, which is why I didn't mind paying that much. The colours lasted a long time, too. I really like aveda salons, because those are my favourite products, and what I had done in March is still just as vibrant in colour as it was when I got it done. That's a long fucking time.
Since you have long hair (and it looks pretty thick), you might want to bet on paying a fair amount for highlights.

I reccomment lighter (but natural looking) shades of blonde for your hair. warm blonde tones tend to be good on your hair colour.

oh yeah, i usually get mine cut when i get it highlighted, so it probably won't be that expensive. but i have pretty thin hair and keep it only a little past my shoulders, so it doesn't take long :-/

just go for it if you have the money and you really want it. highlights are a nice change and if they're done right, are worth the money.

good luck :D

When I got my hair highlighted in Omaha (and I had really really long hair at the time), I paid about $60 (including a cut) for a half a head of highlights. In Chicago, I paid about $130 for a full head of highlights (including a cut) (also when I had really really long hair). When you call to make an appointment, be sure and tell the person that you have long, thick hair so they know to schedule enough time.