I don't own a car because I don't really need one where I live (small town in Europe). All the daily necessities like supermarket, pharmacy, kebab Turk etc. are within 10 minutes walking distance. The next bus stop is literally across the street, and the connections are really good overall. Takes me about 20 minutes to get to work. So basically pretty much anything can be done via bus or on foot.
More remote places like a lake or hiking trail are a bit more hassle to get to though. I have to check the bus schedules, change lines etc.
Which is why lately I've been thinking of getting myself a bike to be a bit more mobile. Makes my everyday errands like groceries and stuff more convenient, maybe I want to take the bike to get to work every once in a while etc. Also I'd like to go on sunday bike excursions with my GF, which would most likely include gravel roads occasionally.
I've done some reading already and apparently a 'trekking bike' is exactly what I want. Is that a good idea? Are those fit for gravel roads as well? Also I'm afraid I might look like some wimpy boomer retiree like pic related.
Also what's the max amount of money I should spend? I'm not an enthusiast and I really don't see why I should spend more than a couple hundred euros on a fucking metal frame with wheels attached to it (there's some high-tech models for fanatics with absurd prices that go up in the thousands).