Trying out different surfaces helps with your brushwork and understanding of paint as well as mediums. Some surfaces give you one shot at getting the paint on correctly. Some require scumbling. Some require preparation and some come out of the package ready to go.
I encourage experimentation and not accepting what someone has said as the only way to get from point A to point B. I am sharing some examples of painting surfaces here with a bit of my experience with them. Yours may be completely different but you’ll never know unless you try it!