So yesterday, I went on a multi-hour expedition to find my elytra. I did eventually get them, but I think it was my most tedious minecraft experience to date.

The end is boring. Sure, end cities are nice and all, but there are so few of them, and in between there's just thousands of blocks of largely undifferentiated landscape. When you're exploring the overworld, at least you get to look at some pretty landscapes, and the biomes give you some variety.

It wasn't a problem when it was just the central island, because you didn't have to spend any time there. Just do what you have to do and leave.