What countries/cities are the best to experience while very young? (18-25)
11-27-2018, 12:43 PM
This thread should also be broken down by places to live full-time, vs places to visit or spend a month or two in.
Places to Live:
-- If you are unsure of what you want to do (or pursuing location-independent work), you should base yourself in the biggest and most fun city out there. New York City is the best choice for many reasons, though other large cities such as Chicago, London, Los Angeles, will do as well. Find a cheaper place, or a place with great logistics to nightlife to split with roommates. Nobody expects you to have much money in your early 20s so take advantage of this.
-- If you know exactly what you want to do, then move to the hub of that industry (likely a specific city). If you're becoming a software engineer, yep, that probably means moving to San Francisco. Do your research, but don't pick against a city just because of its forum rep. I've lived in SF and I can say that there are many men getting laid there just as much as they are in NYC. When you're younger, you're more adaptable and it'll be easier to adjust to the style of the city.
-- The exception is if you are fully location independent, and have no real desire to maintain a home base. In that case, travel everywhere you can!
-- In short, I think it is a bad decision to limit yourself by staying in a small city or a college town full-time. Your goal with your career should be to become a big fish in an ocean, not a big fish in a small pond. You can always visit those places.
Places to Visit:
You want to prioritize places that have:
1) A high energy environment, think lots of drinking/drugs, dancing;
2) Cheap party scene that is focused on bars rather than clubs with bottle service.
The two main limiting factors of getting older are:
1) Being able to relate to people; if you prefer drinking scotch and everybody else is mixing red bull with cheap vodka, you will feel out of place. If you look noticeably older, other people won't be able to relate to you;
2) Energy.. it gets harder to drink and party for 7 days straight when you're older.
Obviously this can vary for different people. Some guys can be 30+ and still relate to a younger crowd (look younger, have younger siblings, have appropriate style, etc) while others might not be able to handle 5-day Tomorrowland even at 21. However this is a general guideline and is not person-specific.
Lots of good stuff has already been mentioned. I'll add my perspective on specific places that I have visited and things I have done. Note that I'm in my mid20s, and would say that I have good social skills and know how to dress/relate to all kinds of people, including those younger.
American college towns - Most of these are awesome to visit any time that you are reasonably college-aged (18-25). Take advantage if you have many friends who are attending other schools and visit them, they won't be there forever. My experience is based mainly on West Coast + UF. It is cheap as hell, and if you're not from the area you have natural exotic value which helps you with competing with the top guys at the school.
Spring Break spots (US/Mexico) - Do this before you're 25; if you're American, preferably while you're still in college. The scene is pretty trashy and it will definitely be hard to relate to people or fit in when older. If you missed it, don't worry too much, there's plenty of better places to go.
Las Vegas - I actually think this can wait until late 20s/30s. Definitely give it a shot anytime after you're 21, especially if you live close, but don't have your hopes too high as a younger guy. Vegas nightlife swings older than most party destinations (I would say ~29/30 is average age at most nightclubs) mainly because it is very expensive if you want to ball out. You will notice that the best-looking girls tend to be with older guys. I couldn't pull table scraps in Vegas until I was like 23, most girls would laugh me off on approach. My game was worse, sure, but my age didn't help.
Miami Beach - Similar to Las Vegas. Not saying you can't enjoy it as a younger guy, but you'll probably enjoy it more when you're older, have better game, and can afford the $20 drinks without flinching. Even more so than Vegas, I typically see the best looking women with guys in their 30s and 40s in Miami.
Music Festivals (EDC, Tomorrowland, Coachella, etc) - I would recommend going initially when younger, but there's nothing wrong with going to festivals in your mid/late20s and older IF you actually enjoy the music and scene. If you are only going for the chicks, it'll be harder to handle the grind of the heat/crowds when you're older. I personally love festivals and all kinds of music (house, "EDM", etc) and plan to keep going to festivals for the foreseeable future. Have yet to feel out of place.
Extreme sports (skiing, cliff jumping, etc) - Similar to the above, where you should try as many things as possible when younger, and if you enjoy it, keep doing it until your body says no.
Cheaper EU party destinations - Think Ios, Ayia Napa, Magaluf, and some others that I haven't been. The younger the better, basically. You can probably still swing it when older, but for shorter periods of time. I'll be going to Ios and Corfu this coming summer, will see how I enjoy them being a little older.
Pricier EU party destinations - This includes Mykonos, parts of Ibiza, Cannes, Marbella, St. Tropez. You can definitely do this when you're older, as long as you have the energy and the money. I went to Cannes and St. Tropez as a 20 year old and got zero play despite staying out till 7am most nights. Still a great time, but no need to force your way here because you're afraid of being too old.
I haven't been to Sail Croatia but a friend of mine went this summer (he's 28) and had the time of his life. It wouldn't really make sense to spend that much money when you're 21.