My wife, my mom, and myself all have birthdays Thanksgiving week. Holidays are tough for her since my dad passed, so we thought let's do something different this year, ignore the holiday and offer her a trip instead. We've told her we can go anywhere in the world she chooses. She's excited, perhaps more than I've ever seen her, but overwhelmed with choice. She's never travelled (by which I mean, born in Boston and has never left New England) and claims to have never even thought of it. She's made suggestions as diverse as Athens, Bangkok, and an African safari type trip.

<b>where we've been</b> - My wife and I have only been abroad once, moving through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego with time in both Buenos Aires and Santiago. The trip and the people we met left us both high on South America in general. My mom has obviously never been anywhere.

<b>where we don't want to go</b> - If the only (or main) attraction is the beach it's not for us, none of us are beach people. We're not big on drinking (I don't drink at all, though wife and mom will indulge) or nightlife. The only narrowing my mom's been able to do is to say "I don't want to go to Paris."

<b>length and cost</b> - Looking for 5-8 days but willing to extend a bit more. Not looking for bare-bones type budget, but don't want to break the bank either (mom's idea of African safari is probably a bit much).

<b>Weather</b> - not at all a concern, but shortened daylight hours in November might make some more northern destinations less than desirable.

<b>Interests</b> - Here's where it gets tough, I talk to my mother daily spend the day with her weekly and yet I still have no idea what she's really interested in. When I push her on it, she just says "I don't know, I've never thought about these things. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to travel." If I had to guess, she'd want a destination where we can have a base in a larger city with enough culture and (especially) architecture where we could spend a couple days wandering without having to resort to shopping, while also having some kind of scenic nature type day-trips as a possibility. Mom's not in terrible shape, but she's a 64-year old woman who isn't used to physical exertion, a couple mile hike is fine, but a twenty mile bike ride, or overnight backpacking trip is probably not a great idea.

<b>culture shock</b> - I feel like I should be wary here, but I feel like this is exactly what she wants. In talking about this trip, not only is this her first trip abroad, she thinks it'll probably be her only one. She wants something a bit exotic, something memorable, she wants to come back with a picture album that'll make her friends and family say "wow!"

She's perked up at mentions of Asia - Angkor Wat or the Great Wall are things she's mentioned - but I don't know if those ideas would be too much for her. I've also thought about Malta (lots of ruins, English will work well) or Morocco (decent weather, great food).

So - if this kind of post is even allowed here - considering the above, if you were a 35-year old guy heading on a trip with his wife and mother where would you go? Something that won't kill a middle aged woman who's never travelled, but is still exciting and exotic enough to give her a once-in-a-lifetime experience.