I always have a main base in meadows at the Starter island in a nice bay directly at the shore with everything I need (comfort, workbench n forge, boar-, wolve- and plant-farm, smelting, cooking etc). Its like a little village with a harbour for my ships and a portal hub. From there I venture out into the different biomes to get stuff. Copper and tin is always enough on the starter Island, the further metals I farm on other Island, fill up 2 chests and haul them back to my base with the boat. There's no better feeling to come back to my harbour with a longboat full of Iron or silver....
In plains I only make a little farm base for the plants that grow only there.
The rest are only small outposts for the portals.