for my next playthrough I want to play a Mage. After having a epiphany of sorts about how much quest markers and fast travel REALLY change the experience of TES games, I want to play without them. My plan is to use clairvoyance for outlining a route to a quest target if the spoken directions are not sufficient. Has anyone tried this (I even kind of believe BGS put this spell in for that purpose, after all what Good is it in god's name if you already have quest markers and fast travel in place?!) had good results with a similar play style?

manually trekking from A to B and back again is an immersive and fun approach if your that way inclined (I am when I have the time =])... more difficult and time consuming (due to lack of carry capacity and problems met along the way). However your gold making potential will be reduced as you won't always want to walk to and from a location to get all the bits and bobs you found there...
As for clairvoyance, It can be a useful tool, though I find it just as easy to look at the map and follow roads/ footpaths to certain objectives and then following an objective/ personal marker on the map/ compass.

(IF you plan on not using compass... or map seems cheaty? think... a cartographer would have made a map for the lay of the land so referring to your map regularly wouldn't be unrealistic persay)

Also I like to play with weaker equipment on a harder setting - because although the character is Dragonborn, he is still your average humanoid, who just so happens to learn a powerful language with ease... that's it.... so a group of bandits that scares the hell out of a farmer or makes a soldier nervous... would make our hero nervous/ cautious. because steel still cuts flesh right?

as for magical equipment, I save those for fighting dragon priests and the toughest enemies (as to not get one hit in every concievable engagement with such powerful enemies... only to return to town to put back on some good ol' barbaric fur armour =D