How much distance would a nomadic people typically travel in a lifetime? Would they cross entire continents, or just sort of travel in a large circle around the same area?

by 10z20Luka

I understand that this is a very general question, but I'm looking forward to any example given. I was told by a colleague that 'the vast majority of humans that have ever lived would live and die within 100 km of their place of birth', and I was wondering if this statement would hold true (even if it held true at all) for nomadic peoples.

AbouBenAdhem

Nomadic tribes can and sometimes did cross continents, but that was not the norm. The usual pattern for migrating pastoralists was to move back and forth between fixed summer and winter pastures, which (based on mid-20th c. anthropological studies) were typically 400–500 km apart.