I would look at the bands you might want to interact with—HF, VHF, UHF, etc. and then determine the license needed in your country/area.

For pure #amateurradio something like the Icom 705 covers a lot of bases + portability, it just lacks significant power output. There’s always a trade off.

https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-705/