jenandjon,
A LOT of hams get started with those little Baofang handhelds. Even when they accumulate more equipment, they still use them.
As mentioned, a lot of prime areas, may or may NOT have repeater coverage, so the limitation on "point to point" operation, can be severely limited by terrain and other factors. Even more pricey equipment suffers from those same limitations.
Study, get licensed, get a pair and download CHIRP, programming those without it can be an "interesting" adventure.
Best of luck
Butch, W9MCI