If they made the time to balance the travel time with the cost of the alternatives it would keep everyone happy, being able to craft and fish etc. would also keep some people feeling productive. Mayhaps the odd Ice burg to crash into and mine for rare crafts?

Small group travel would give it a bit of a party feel without the pressure of running a dungeon or meeting the groups expectations of performance allowing people to have a bit of camaraderie with out the sometimes harsh judgement you get from a DF group