A limited form of fast travel eventually opens up. I think the game gives you two or so fixed port crystals and a bunch of portables that you can drop around the world. Those portables can be picked up and redistributed. I forget the exact number of port crystals you get, but they cap at some point in NG+. You can easily make do with just the ones you get from a first run, however. You MAY need to visit Gran Soren (the capital city) before fast travel opens up. I honestly don't recall. And most of the portable port crystals need to be found before they can be deployed. You use consumable called a Ferrystone to travel to any fixed or placed port crystals. In Dark Arisen, an Eternal Ferrystone was added basically granting you unlimited teleports.
The system was way worse in vanilla. It was improved in Dark Arisen, which is, of course, the version you're playing now, assuming you're on PC, Switch, PS4, or XBO.
Edit - If you got to wherever you are, surely you can get back. You can run from fights, for the most part. Or figure out ways around 'em.
Edit 2 - Just looked it up. Three permanent port crystals. Four portables may be found and deployed. Four more can be found in NG+. An infinite number can be purchased in NG+. Up to 10 may be deployed in a game world at once. Portables placed in your first run will remain where you placed them once you transition to NG+.