Both have their advantages, I know people who would do a trip far in excess of the requirements, perhaps 500nm, stopping somewhere on the way back to satisfy the extra landing requirement. This builds in getting used to longer flights, more fuel planning for alternates and weather.
Either way, the hour building should be used wisely. The saying goes you can have 100 hours, or the same hour 100 times, so do different things and build real experience rather than simply satisfying the minimum hours requirement without actually going anywhere interesting.