If you like history, fresh veggies and amazing landscape, I would highly recommend Turkey. We lived there for 3 years and would go back in a heartbeat. It is a secular country, the only restriction on people is that you cover up if you are visiting a mosque. The food is fabulous, the people are wonderful and the ancient history that you find everywhere is amazing! If you want more details PM me and I'll answer all questions. You can also easily visit the Greek islands from Turkey.
I would also recommend going on a safari in Africa - there are great companies that cater to individuals and their itineraries, rather than big groups. We went to the Serengeti and Ngoro Ngoro crater and Zanzibar and had a great time there.
Or for something completely different, you could go to any number of countries in Asia and learn about their cultures and history. (As what we learn in the US and Europe is usually not based on Eastern philosophy or history.