Yes you do need to have a good map, either buy a package or download a free map (not that hard). I think the payware maps are better if you want many points of interest (POIs) available to search as destinations. I don't find the free map POIs that useful.
You can follow a "course" that you plan in advance (on a computer), or download others, but you don't need a course. You can pull up points or "browse" the map to select a destination, then it will route you there.
I find it helpful to pre-load points (locations) such as my house, etc so it is easy to find later for routing.
scott s.
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