What is a lone traveler called?

So, what do you call someone traveling all alone? It's funny, isn't it? Because it depends so much on why they're doing it, you know?

I mean, "solivagant" – that sounds awfully fancy, doesn't it? Like someone deliberately seeking solitude, maybe escaping something. Reminds me of that time I went backpacking in the Scottish Highlands, completely alone. Total bliss for a few days, then I started craving a decent cup of tea and a conversation that wasn't with a sheep. Solivagant definitely wouldn't have described me by the end of that week!

Then there's "drifter." That feels...sadder, somehow. Like maybe they're lost, or running away from something. My uncle, bless his heart, he was a bit of a drifter after he lost his job. Just wandering around, never really settling anywhere. It broke my mom's heart.

"Itinerant" – okay, that sounds more like a planned thing, right? Like, a travelling salesman, or maybe someone on a research trip? That's kinda how I feel when I'm hopping between conferences for work – itinerant is pretty accurate for those few weeks, even if it’s a bit tiring.

And "nomad," wow, that’s a whole different level. That implies a lifestyle choice, a real commitment to wandering. Like those amazing people who live in yurts and travel with their whole lives packed up on camels, or whatever. That's a dream, but I'm not sure I have the staying power for that! Probably needs more than just a decent cup of tea to survive that.

So yeah, it's not just one word, is it? It all depends on the person and their journey. Pretty fascinating really, the different shades of meaning...