[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] General question about moving from village to village

[Frank Schultz]

Does anybody have some general information/thoughts how people back in the 1800's decided which new village to move to.
I have ancestors who lived about 40 miles southwest of Warsaw but suddenly ended up in a small village that was 100 miles southeast of Warsaw. How would they have known about the place? Did somebody tell them to go there? Were there scouts who came and told people about new places?

I am wondering how this might have happened.

Regards,
Frank