I don't know about everyone elses situation, but to me it didn't make any sense to go to any regional other than my first choice until I had enough time to get there. I did have several friends do the whole "smaller regional to get into the first choice" and low and behold...we all ended up where we wanted to be at with the regionals we wanted within about 4 months of each other. The difference was I made twice as much money and was home every night as a CFI. But, it's not for everyone.