Hi everyone! I’m 26 and planning a 2.5-month trip to Europe later this year, and I’m stuck between two options that both feel right in different ways.
Option 1: Base myself in one city (likely Florence) for ~2 months. I’d take language classes, have a routine, meet people, and take weekend trips. The appeal is feeling like I lived somewhere and building some kind of community.
Option 2: Travel around more freely, not backpacking per se, but bouncing around (Portugal, south of France, Italy, mountains, etc.), staying ~1–2 weeks in each place. The appeal here is seeing more, experiencing different places, and taking advantage of the fact that I may not have this kind of time again for a while.
What’s making it hard:
- I’m not super passionate about learning Italian specifically, so I’m not sure if the benefits of community and structure is worth the cost.
- I do care about having some level of connection/community and not feeling lonely, however I'm a fairly outgoing social person
- At the same time, I don’t want to look back and wish I had explored more while I had the chance.
For those of you who are older and have more life perspective:
- Do you tend to regret not exploring more when you had the chance?
- Or do you value the deeper, more grounded experiences of staying in one place?
- If you were me, how would you think about this decision?
Would really appreciate any perspective or hindsight you can share. Thanks so much.