Originally Posted by Andym037

In the past 18 months I have gone to:

Germany (Cologne and the Ahr Valley)
Ecuador (Guayaquil)
Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Malawi, Africa (Lilongwe, Salima, and Lake Malawi)

Future trips for 2009 will possibly be:

Peru, Uruguay, Shanghai PRC, Hong Kong, London, and perhaps Vietnam.

I'd say the best bet for a neophyte traveler of the places I've been would be Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lots to do, excellent food, even better wines, all in a beautiful setting. In addition, the city is very pedestrian freindly (i.e. you will not need a car), and the "SubTe" (BA's subway) will take you within a few blocks of just about anywhere in town for USD$0.30, and taxis are ubiquitous and cheap. Best of all: Its an inexpensive place to stay and dine. One of the few truly affordable places left. A glorious repast can be had for less than USD$20. Amazing place. Germany (as mentioned above) is incredible as well, just quite a bit more expensive.