welcome...good to have you as new member
the very first thing is figuring out storage and organization. no matter where you go or what you will do, you will be taking some gear and stuff with you. even if just an overnight trip or a weekend, you will need to have food, water, change of clothes, etc. check out some of the threads on here concerning storage. probably start off with totes and eventually evolve to a drawer system or similar if needs be. organization is key...i cant count how many times the wife and i were out on a trip and thought we forgot something so bought another one out on the road only to find it buried under something later on.
i started with a stock trundra and my first thing was figuring out different totes and ways to carry food and water. later on, i found i needed better clearance, so i did a level kit with bigger tires which was cheap and simple and that has handled all my needs for the last 6 years. ive taken my lifted 4x4 on trails that were a bit tricky and was glad i had 4wd and a lift only to get to the end of the trail and see several stock subaru outbacks and other stock suvs hanging out and having a good time. youd be surprised just how capable a lot of stock vehicles are.