Exploration is more productive when the trip has a purpose and enough free inventory to make discoveries worth keeping.
Choose one main objective
Decide whether the trip is for resources, scanning, upgrades or general discovery.
Check travel resources
Basic movement should not become an emergency halfway through the trip.
Leave inventory space
A full inventory reduces the value of anything useful you discover.
Return after a clear gain
Convert discoveries into upgrades, storage or trade before wandering indefinitely.