/back is advertised when you die, but it doesn't work (even for an admin). So the message should be removed or the command enabled. I would vote for the former -- I can usually hike back to get my stuff in time. With /back, there's really no penalty for death except the loss of experience.
Do we want /tp commands, as Proverb requests? I know I have, and assume everyone else does as well, /spawn, /home (/sethome), and /ehome (/esethome)... that's already one fixed and two places of your choosing that you can warp to instantly.
"But it's soooo far to ________." You guys chose your spots... if it takes a day to walk to someone, who's fault is that?
Then again, I'm one of those (minority?) that likes Minecraft somewhat realistic.