I've mostly visited countries in my neighbourhood but since that's pretty far from the (American) majority of osters, a few of These may seem exotic to you:
Britain: food is far better than its reputation and I particularly love the English breakfast. Castles galore, beautiful gardens and lovely hiking trails. Lots of good musicians and always someone eager for a jam session, particularly in Scotland and Wales
Austria: not very different from my native Bavaria. We go there at least once a year to buy wine and Marillen (a sort of apricots/peaches with an incredible flavour *drool*) Lots of beautiful old buildings, too.
The Netherlands: far from the stereotype of mile-long greenhouses, flower-fields and windmills in a flatiron countryside it's actually surprisingly hilly, has a very versatile landscape, a wide range of farmgoods and if you happen to have a sweet tooth it's the country to visit.
Belgium: rather different from the Netherlands, even though both are so close. I particularly enjoyed the chestnut forrests. And whatever you heard about the quality of Belgian chocolates is true - they are awesome =)
Italy: a country made of opposites: snow-covered mountains, sandy beaches, arid regions and floodplains. Try to avoid the usual tourist haunts and you'll discover the most interesting archeological sites, excellent restaurants, beautiful hiking trails etc. The inhabitants are terribly nice (the more so the further you get away from the tourist Centers). Try to learn a bit Italian - it'll work miracles with the natives
Czech Republic and Slovakia: First time I went there it was still one country - they split up in the 80s or 90s. Very large contrasts: poverty in the country, rich people in the cities. A difficult language but as always it pays off to learn at least a few phrases. The natives are friendly and helpful. Nevertheless, best go there by train: cars and even buses get stolen. Beautiful old towns and national parks and amazing crafts and arts shops. Quite a fairy tale country if there weren't the hundreds (no kidding!) of hookers lining the roads near the borders.
Hungaria: used to be a friendly, liberal and very western country but in recent years it has undergone a brutal shift to the far right. Frankly, I don't dare going there anymore - my friends there might get into trouble for having contact to Westerners. Apart from the excellent cuisine and the famous landscape (particularly around Lake Balaton), there are a lot of craftspersons and artists. It's mostly an agricultural Country but the range goes from wine to peppers, potatos and tomatos to all sorts of fruit. As a general rule, Hungarians are a very musical people and welcome any chance for a festival or fair.
Namibia: I was there at the outbreak of the civil war but kept an eye on it all the time. On the whole the Country has developed quite well. The interesting nature, particularly around Walfish Bay and the different areas of Namib desert (White Namib, Red Namib, Stone Namib, Coast Namib), are the basis for a moderate tourism. However, there are racist tendencies. Quite understandable as most of the farmland is still held by the kaukasian minority while the native majority is alwas on the verge of starving. Atm I wouldn't rate the situation critical, particularly not for tourists, but in about a decade that might change. If you happen to be fond of penguins: there is a small island off the coast of northern Namibia which is home to the world's most northern colony of penguins. The island is a national park and entering it is strictly forbidden, but you can hire a boat that brings you rather close.
Parts of ex-Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia): haven't been there since the civil war. The thought of mass-rapists still running around free there gives me the creeps (and an urge to puke). The landscape is beautiful, though, and reaches from high mountains to wild coasts with lots of dripstone caves, waterfalls etc. Good trout fishing in the Northwest. As the water is rich in minerals you can often see rivers and streams form little dripstone walls along their edges which are beautifully coloured by mineral deposits. An interesting country for mineralogists and geologists.
The US: so far I've only seen parts of California. A region exemplary for what happens when water gets wasted. The Santa Ana Mountains used to be the home of several tribes that lived on fishing. Now the whole plateau is a desert as LA is leeching every drop of water from the mountains for hundreds of miles around. The same goes for the surroundings of SF. Wikipedia claims that chaparral vegetation is typical for this area. It is nowadays, but that's manmade.
If you happen to be in the vicinity, have a look between both cities: the Big Sur will give you an idea of what the area used to look like, only a century ago. It is one of the most beautiful cloud forests our planets has to offer.
On the plus side: California is perhaps the most environmentally conscious state of the US (but - no offense meant - still several quantum leaps behind Europe)
Britain: food is far better than its reputation and I particularly love the English breakfast. Castles galore, beautiful gardens and lovely hiking trails. Lots of good musicians and always someone eager for a jam session, particularly in Scotland and Wales
Austria: not very different from my native Bavaria. We go there at least once a year to buy wine and Marillen (a sort of apricots/peaches with an incredible flavour *drool*) Lots of beautiful old buildings, too.
The Netherlands: far from the stereotype of mile-long greenhouses, flower-fields and windmills in a flatiron countryside it's actually surprisingly hilly, has a very versatile landscape, a wide range of farmgoods and if you happen to have a sweet tooth it's the country to visit.
Belgium: rather different from the Netherlands, even though both are so close. I particularly enjoyed the chestnut forrests. And whatever you heard about the quality of Belgian chocolates is true - they are awesome =)
Italy: a country made of opposites: snow-covered mountains, sandy beaches, arid regions and floodplains. Try to avoid the usual tourist haunts and you'll discover the most interesting archeological sites, excellent restaurants, beautiful hiking trails etc. The inhabitants are terribly nice (the more so the further you get away from the tourist Centers). Try to learn a bit Italian - it'll work miracles with the natives
Czech Republic and Slovakia: First time I went there it was still one country - they split up in the 80s or 90s. Very large contrasts: poverty in the country, rich people in the cities. A difficult language but as always it pays off to learn at least a few phrases. The natives are friendly and helpful. Nevertheless, best go there by train: cars and even buses get stolen. Beautiful old towns and national parks and amazing crafts and arts shops. Quite a fairy tale country if there weren't the hundreds (no kidding!) of hookers lining the roads near the borders.
Hungaria: used to be a friendly, liberal and very western country but in recent years it has undergone a brutal shift to the far right. Frankly, I don't dare going there anymore - my friends there might get into trouble for having contact to Westerners. Apart from the excellent cuisine and the famous landscape (particularly around Lake Balaton), there are a lot of craftspersons and artists. It's mostly an agricultural Country but the range goes from wine to peppers, potatos and tomatos to all sorts of fruit. As a general rule, Hungarians are a very musical people and welcome any chance for a festival or fair.
Namibia: I was there at the outbreak of the civil war but kept an eye on it all the time. On the whole the Country has developed quite well. The interesting nature, particularly around Walfish Bay and the different areas of Namib desert (White Namib, Red Namib, Stone Namib, Coast Namib), are the basis for a moderate tourism. However, there are racist tendencies. Quite understandable as most of the farmland is still held by the kaukasian minority while the native majority is alwas on the verge of starving. Atm I wouldn't rate the situation critical, particularly not for tourists, but in about a decade that might change. If you happen to be fond of penguins: there is a small island off the coast of northern Namibia which is home to the world's most northern colony of penguins. The island is a national park and entering it is strictly forbidden, but you can hire a boat that brings you rather close.
Parts of ex-Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia): haven't been there since the civil war. The thought of mass-rapists still running around free there gives me the creeps (and an urge to puke). The landscape is beautiful, though, and reaches from high mountains to wild coasts with lots of dripstone caves, waterfalls etc. Good trout fishing in the Northwest. As the water is rich in minerals you can often see rivers and streams form little dripstone walls along their edges which are beautifully coloured by mineral deposits. An interesting country for mineralogists and geologists.
The US: so far I've only seen parts of California. A region exemplary for what happens when water gets wasted. The Santa Ana Mountains used to be the home of several tribes that lived on fishing. Now the whole plateau is a desert as LA is leeching every drop of water from the mountains for hundreds of miles around. The same goes for the surroundings of SF. Wikipedia claims that chaparral vegetation is typical for this area. It is nowadays, but that's manmade.
If you happen to be in the vicinity, have a look between both cities: the Big Sur will give you an idea of what the area used to look like, only a century ago. It is one of the most beautiful cloud forests our planets has to offer.
On the plus side: California is perhaps the most environmentally conscious state of the US (but - no offense meant - still several quantum leaps behind Europe)
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. Coming from Australia and NZ, they're very "new" countries that still are trying to find a cultural and architectural legacy, NZ has nicer architecture than Australia but it still isn't amazing. Get to Europe and the buildings my god. Walking around Westminster or Notre-Dame is like stepping into a Warhammer 40,000 game. 
