How to not end up making multiple bases?

I freaking love this game and spent sooo many hours into it when I first got it, but once I got to the point where I could make portals, I found myself making bases at metal deposits across the map in order to make armor and such since you can't teleport them back and it was faster than sailing back to my old base. It got to the point where I would spend most of my time at these other secondary bases than at my "main" one… Because there wasn't really any reason to go back, I could find everything I needed at these new bases.

I stopped playing after getting frustrated with feeling like a nomad and not really having a base I could invest in because there wasn't any extrinsic motivation to stay in one place and I can't bring myself to sail for half an hour to bring materials I can't teleport back to a main base when I can just pop up a temporary base and do what I need there. But then I never go back. I really want to get back into the game but I can't knowing that's how it'll end up. I guess I'm wondering what y'all's play styles look like