I see where you are coming from. Travelling on a map does have its appeal, and it does allow for some extra in-game activities like crafting at the same time, which is pretty cool.
But I dislike that stuff and see it as filler. Does it make the world more believable - probably. Does it impact the game mechanically/story wise - not really. So I didn't like it in Solasta as well.
That said it could be just my problem. I skim read fiction books, so maybe I need to mellow down a bit.
