Okay,
Here's my background -- conversationally fluent in Cantonese (speaking) and Semi fluent in Japanese (speaking & reading/writing)

I'm going to China for the summer and I'm trying to figure out whether I should learn Traditional or Simplified characters.

1) Traditional characters are a lot more intuitive when it comes to radicals/making up stories for them
2) It's easier to learn simplified after learning traditional (?)
3) I'm planning on going to Hong Kong sooometime later in my life

My father, who is fluent in both Mandarin (native) and Cantonese, told me to learn Mandarin since everyone in China knows Mandarin. It'd be harder to pick up since I don't have a base in Mandarin, and I'm not sure if I'll be using it that much in Guangzhou.

Any advice would be strongly appreciated!!

Edit: I found out that I will be traveling all over China for the summer though a good chunk will be in Guangzhou. I decided to learn Mandarin with Simplified Characters.

As a student learning both traditional and simplified characters in a college class, I hope you'll still consider learning traditional Hanzi. They're absolutely beautiful, and they're used not only in Hong Kong but also Taiwan (and seen in U.S. Chinese-speaking communities also).