Several things contributed, actually. For starters, I'm a Saggitarius, and we're known to be wanderers, just can't sit still for long. 😉
I started hitch hiking around the country, when I was 17, and it was just barely still reasonably safe to do so (1979).
Most of my jobs involved traveling, which is probably why they were even considered.
And finally, I started messing with bicycles, for physical therapy. I had major surgery done on my left knee, and got an infection in the O.R. that nearly killed me. I was always thin, but after that, I wasted away to nothing. I finally said screw this, I'm not going out without a fight, lol, so started riding more seriously.
Touring put me in a situation where I had to ride to survive, otherwise, I'd probably get lazy & quit riding. 🙄🤔
Now that I'm a bit healthier/stronger, it's pretty easy to just use the normal reasons, like sight-seeing & girl-watching. 😁😉