Exploring side areas

Hi all

I played BG once before several years back but I remember little about it. So, I've bought BG:EE to play through and was just wondering something.

Am i missing out on much if i just go straight to quest locations and follow the story? I know you can explore lots of areas but I just find it very boring exploring these open wildernesses with a few monsters and the odd pointless NPC until i find the occasional more important area. I'm not a fan of infinity engine combat either which makes it worse (though opposite to most people I didn't mind Planescape Torment combat, probably because there was less micro management and instant deaths). But I do really enjoy playing the game and following where the story takes me. And I enjoy the combat as long as I'm not spending half my evening fighting monsters before the next quest, story part, etc.

So, will I miss much by not going off in random directions on the world map visiting all the locations (i will visit places put on the map for me, I mean trawling through the wilderness squares) ?

Thanks
Igniseus