Hi sboult,

Travis picking is a great way to learn fingerpicking, and I would say that it's a pretty essential fingerpicking style. Remember, not all songs use this technique, so "transfering" the style to a song that doesn't already use it would be tough if you're not familiar with the process.

But to answer your question, you should learn Travis picking first before you try and transfer that style to a song that doesn't have it.