When I was taught to drive a while ago (but at least still this millennium) I was instructed to park in neutral with the handbrake on. I was also taught the drill of starting the engine would involve checking the car was in neutral and to this end the instructor would always leave it in gear to catch me out if I didn't check. To this day I still instinctively wobble the gear stick to check it's in neutral. There was a recommendation to consider leaving it in gear if on a steep hill. I had three different instructors over my time, and all said the same thing.

This was in the UK where driving a manual is the expectation for a test - if you take the test in an automatic you are issued a limited licence which prohibits driving manual cars (which is the large majority of cars in Europe).

I have noticed when driving/being driven in the US that handbrakes are hardly used. I have partly assumed as 'P' on an automatic is sufficient most of the time, and also that education seems to be different - lots of people call it the e(mergency)-brake, i.e. not something to be used regularly.

That all being said, all the manuals I've driven in the last ten or so years require the clutch depressed to start the engine, which always felt like a strange requirement as I knew it was in neutral. I've never driven a manual in the US so I have no idea what's standard there.

Weird, in the US the way it's taught is you always put the car into first gear when it's at rest (and pull the hand brake, and turn your wheels towards the curb). But yeah, most people drive automatics and just leave the transmission in park.

Same in Eastern Europe. Park in neutral with handbrake on. I leave the gear in when parking on an incline. Older generation always parks with the gear in though.