re: What was the best out of the country vacation that you enoyed

Pretty tough to beat Ireland - especially for those new to international travel.

Easy flight from multiple US locations. Not expensive. Country is small enough that you can see everything in 10 days. Great balance of beautiful scenery, history, culture, food, etc. and great nightlife with booze and plenty of 'craic'. Plus Irish people are some of the friendliest in the world and they (mostly) speak English.