u/Brian_Rawlinson

I'm a 28M from Italy planning a solo trip from mid-October to mid-November, and I'm really torn between two completely different options.
Last year I spent 100+ days travelling around Latin America, including the Galápagos, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
I usually travel solo and stay in hostels. What I enjoy most is meeting people, going out, talking to locals, improving my Spanish and having experiences that I wouldn't have at home. I'm not really interested in rushing from one attraction to another.
I also need to improve my Spanish quite a lot before January, so spending a month immersed in Spanish would be a big plus.

GUATEMALA + BELIZE
Antigua → Xela → Lake Atitlán → Semuc Champey → Flores → San Ignacio → Caye Caulker
About 3–7 nights in each place, ending with a week in Caye Caulker.
This is the trip that looks more exciting to me on paper: volcanoes, lakes, jungle, Mayan ruins, hostels, adventure and then a slow Caribbean ending.
My only real concern is the backpacker bubble. I obviously want to meet other travellers, but I don't want to spend the whole month speaking English with Europeans and Americans and barely interacting with locals.
For those who've travelled around Guatemala: does it feel easy to actually get into local life, or do you mostly end up socialising with other travellers? And how different is that between places like Antigua, Xela and San Pedro?

ARGENTINA
Mendoza → Salta/Jujuy → Buenos Aires → Iguazú
6 days → 9 days → 9 days → 4 days
This feels like a completely different kind of trip.
I spent quite a lot of time in Mexico City and loved the experience of simply living in a huge Spanish-speaking city — going to bars and restaurants, exploring different neighbourhoods, meeting locals, dating, going out, etc.
That's what makes Buenos Aires particularly tempting to me.
At the same time, the Northwest seems to offer the kind of landscapes and smaller places I loved in Peru and Bolivia, while Mendoza would give me a slower few days around wine and the Andes.
For people who've travelled Argentina: does Buenos Aires actually have that kind of social/urban energy where it's easy to meet locals and build a social life, or does it feel very different from Mexico City? And is 8–9 days in Buenos Aires too much?
I'm also curious whether Mendoza is worth spending almost a week in, or whether I'd be better off putting those days into Salta/Jujuy.

So I'm stuck between a more adventurous/social backpacking trip in Guatemala + Belize and a more urban, local and Spanish-heavy trip in Argentina.
If you've done either or both, which trip would you pick for a solo traveller who cares more about people, nightlife, Spanish, spontaneity and memorable experiences than ticking off sights?
I'd especially love to hear what surprised you about either destination — good or bad — that you wouldn't necessarily get from a typical travel guide.

I'm a 28M from Italy planning a solo trip from mid-October to mid-November, and I'm really torn between two completely different options.
Last year I spent 100+ days travelling around Latin America, including the Galápagos, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
I usually travel solo and stay in hostels. What I enjoy most is meeting people, going out, talking to locals, improving my Spanish and having experiences that I wouldn't have at home. I'm not really interested in rushing from one attraction to another.
I also need to improve my Spanish quite a lot before January, so spending a month immersed in Spanish would be a big plus.

GUATEMALA + BELIZE
Antigua → Xela → Lake Atitlán → Semuc Champey → Flores → San Ignacio → Caye Caulker
About 3–7 nights in each place, ending with a week in Caye Caulker.
This is the trip that looks more exciting to me on paper: volcanoes, lakes, jungle, Mayan ruins, hostels, adventure and then a slow Caribbean ending.
My only real concern is the backpacker bubble. I obviously want to meet other travellers, but I don't want to spend the whole month speaking English with Europeans and Americans and barely interacting with locals.
For those who've travelled around Guatemala: does it feel easy to actually get into local life, or do you mostly end up socialising with other travellers? And how different is that between places like Antigua, Xela and San Pedro?

ARGENTINA
Mendoza → Salta/Jujuy → Buenos Aires → Iguazú
6 days → 9 days → 9 days → 4 days
This feels like a completely different kind of trip.
I spent quite a lot of time in Mexico City and loved the experience of simply living in a huge Spanish-speaking city — going to bars and restaurants, exploring different neighbourhoods, meeting locals, dating, going out, etc.
That's what makes Buenos Aires particularly tempting to me.
At the same time, the Northwest seems to offer the kind of landscapes and smaller places I loved in Peru and Bolivia, while Mendoza would give me a slower few days around wine and the Andes.
For people who've travelled Argentina: does Buenos Aires actually have that kind of social/urban energy where it's easy to meet locals and build a social life, or does it feel very different from Mexico City? And is 8–9 days in Buenos Aires too much?
I'm also curious whether Mendoza is worth spending almost a week in, or whether I'd be better off putting those days into Salta/Jujuy.

So I'm stuck between a more adventurous/social backpacking trip in Guatemala + Belize and a more urban, local and Spanish-heavy trip in Argentina.
If you've done either or both, which trip would you pick for a solo traveller who cares more about people, nightlife, Spanish, spontaneity and memorable experiences than ticking off sights?
I'd especially love to hear what surprised you about either destination — good or bad — that you wouldn't necessarily get from a typical travel guide.

I'm a 28M from Italy planning a solo trip from mid-October to mid-November, and I'm really torn between two completely different options.
Last year I spent 100+ days travelling around Latin America, including the Galápagos, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
I usually travel solo and stay in hostels. What I enjoy most is meeting people, going out, talking to locals, improving my Spanish and having experiences that I wouldn't have at home. I'm not really interested in rushing from one attraction to another.
I also need to improve my Spanish quite a lot before January, so spending a month immersed in Spanish would be a big plus.

GUATEMALA + BELIZE
Antigua → Xela → Lake Atitlán → Semuc Champey → Flores → San Ignacio → Caye Caulker
About 3–7 nights in each place, ending with a week in Caye Caulker.
This is the trip that looks more exciting to me on paper: volcanoes, lakes, jungle, Mayan ruins, hostels, adventure and then a slow Caribbean ending.
My only real concern is the backpacker bubble. I obviously want to meet other travellers, but I don't want to spend the whole month speaking English with Europeans and Americans and barely interacting with locals.
For those who've travelled around Guatemala: does it feel easy to actually get into local life, or do you mostly end up socialising with other travellers? And how different is that between places like Antigua, Xela and San Pedro?

ARGENTINA
Mendoza → Salta/Jujuy → Buenos Aires → Iguazú
6 days → 9 days → 9 days → 4 days
This feels like a completely different kind of trip.
I spent quite a lot of time in Mexico City and loved the experience of simply living in a huge Spanish-speaking city — going to bars and restaurants, exploring different neighbourhoods, meeting locals, dating, going out, etc.
That's what makes Buenos Aires particularly tempting to me.
At the same time, the Northwest seems to offer the kind of landscapes and smaller places I loved in Peru and Bolivia, while Mendoza would give me a slower few days around wine and the Andes.
For people who've travelled Argentina: does Buenos Aires actually have that kind of social/urban energy where it's easy to meet locals and build a social life, or does it feel very different from Mexico City? And is 8–9 days in Buenos Aires too much?
I'm also curious whether Mendoza is worth spending almost a week in, or whether I'd be better off putting those days into Salta/Jujuy.

So I'm stuck between a more adventurous/social backpacking trip in Guatemala + Belize and a more urban, local and Spanish-heavy trip in Argentina.
If you've done either or both, which trip would you pick for a solo traveller who cares more about people, nightlife, Spanish, spontaneity and memorable experiences than ticking off sights?
I'd especially love to hear what surprised you about either destination — good or bad — that you wouldn't necessarily get from a typical travel guide.

I'm a 28M from Italy planning a solo trip from mid-October to mid-November, and I'm really torn between two completely different options.
Last year I spent 100+ days travelling around Latin America, including the Galápagos, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
I usually travel solo and stay in hostels. What I enjoy most is meeting people, going out, talking to locals, improving my Spanish and having experiences that I wouldn't have at home. I'm not really interested in rushing from one attraction to another.
I also need to improve my Spanish quite a lot before January, so spending a month immersed in Spanish would be a big plus.

GUATEMALA + BELIZE
Antigua → Xela → Lake Atitlán → Semuc Champey → Flores → San Ignacio → Caye Caulker
About 3–7 nights in each place, ending with a week in Caye Caulker.
This is the trip that looks more exciting to me on paper: volcanoes, lakes, jungle, Mayan ruins, hostels, adventure and then a slow Caribbean ending.
My only real concern is the backpacker bubble. I obviously want to meet other travellers, but I don't want to spend the whole month speaking English with Europeans and Americans and barely interacting with locals.
For those who've travelled around Guatemala: does it feel easy to actually get into local life, or do you mostly end up socialising with other travellers? And how different is that between places like Antigua, Xela and San Pedro?

ARGENTINA
Mendoza → Salta/Jujuy → Buenos Aires → Iguazú
6 days → 9 days → 9 days → 4 days
This feels like a completely different kind of trip.
I spent quite a lot of time in Mexico City and loved the experience of simply living in a huge Spanish-speaking city — going to bars and restaurants, exploring different neighbourhoods, meeting locals, dating, going out, etc.
That's what makes Buenos Aires particularly tempting to me.
At the same time, the Northwest seems to offer the kind of landscapes and smaller places I loved in Peru and Bolivia, while Mendoza would give me a slower few days around wine and the Andes.
For people who've travelled Argentina: does Buenos Aires actually have that kind of social/urban energy where it's easy to meet locals and build a social life, or does it feel very different from Mexico City? And is 8–9 days in Buenos Aires too much?
I'm also curious whether Mendoza is worth spending almost a week in, or whether I'd be better off putting those days into Salta/Jujuy.

So I'm stuck between a more adventurous/social backpacking trip in Guatemala + Belize and a more urban, local and Spanish-heavy trip in Argentina.
If you've done either or both, which trip would you pick for a solo traveller who cares more about people, nightlife, Spanish, spontaneity and memorable experiences than ticking off sights?
I'd especially love to hear what surprised you about either destination — good or bad — that you wouldn't necessarily get from a typical travel guide.