I agree with this comment!
The best camera is the one you have, meaning that subjects or moments often pop up when you're unprepared, and your phone camera is probably really good and always in your pocket. Take advantage of its availability!
I also agree on film cameras. Getting the film developed is kind of a pain, and doing it yourself is also quite involved. But shooting on film (slides) forced me to think more about composition, lighting, lens selection, and how I'd develop the resulting image.
I ended up with 3 lenses: a 50mm normal in f1.4, a 20mm wide in f2.8, and a 200mm macro in f4, all in prime. Sure these lenses are awesome (and relatively expensive) but unless you're a pro they're entirely unnecessary. They did however teach me about framing, perspective, light, and how optics change your image.
If I went about it again, I'd just take a few photography classes which focused on film (to develop good habits) and rent gear. Then use my phone camera or a cheap digi to have fun.