Now I know I'm putting words your mouth but I'm doing it for the sake of adding to the discussion:
This is a time sink indeed. Which, when all comes down to it, every game practically is unless you earn some kind of reward in real life. But why should these time sinks, that we pay for, be boring?
I agree with the OP, I can quickly find it a chore to travel in this game, faster than, say World of Warcraft or KoTOR (Which I have replayed a week ago so point is valid)