I’ve driven basically only with manual gear and tried only a few times automatic. Living in Europe is definetly an advantage for this goal, since most of the cars are stickshift drives.

I prefer manual to automatic also for ecological reasons: I can use easier engine braking and rolling downhills without a gear on. Automatic gear then again might be better in deciding the lowest gear for the diriving in the beginning, but still it cannot plan ahead the road, but only react to the current moment.