Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

You aren't required to travel more than just the first time. You can take what you need in the way of refined metals with you on the ship the first time you sail to a new biome and build a base in that biome to refine the metals. Set up a portal in the new base and you can move any thing else that you want through the portal.

You sure can, or you can sail the seas plundering all the valuables and bring them back to your base after a hard journey across the seas and sit down with an ale, then get back to work smelting and crafting for the next week