A handheld transceiver should be the last thing you should buy, not the first.

A handheld transceiver is only good for a couple of things..

If you get a flat tire - you can stick it under the tire and use it to keep the car from rolling away.

If you need to kill a small animal for food, you can throw it at it.

The first thing you need to realize is that in order to be a effective communicator, you need to operate frequently - not just when there is an emergency.

It is not like talking on the telephone.
There is a certain lingo you need to learn and certain things you need to learn to do.

If you wait until there is an emergency - most times you will find that when you need it, you will usually find that the batteries are dead and the repeaters you thought that you would be able to hit - might not even work.

Buy yourself a mobile transceiver and mount it in your automobile and buy the best mobile antenna you can afford..
My choice is the Larsen NMO 2/70

Buy yourself a power supply and a good piece of coax - LMR 400 or Belden 9913 and a good antenna - Diamond X 510 would be my choice and use it often.

Technician class license is not a stopping point, but a starting point.
Keep studying and get yourself a General or better class license.