My Tabby Cat, Tommy

I have a c.20-mth-old tabby, named Tommy, who ran away from my flat 11
mths ago, whilst I was holidaying in Hawaii with my partner. I called
him, and found him on the building's front lawn. He was out of the flat
for at least a week, as my family came to feed him one day, and he was
gone. Does any member know why cats and dogs often will escape from the
home but won't venture further than the immediate vicinity of the
house/building? Is it an instinct that there is no other place that
will care for them? Could it be that he did go further/much further
afield but returned? It would be very interesting if he had had a
tracking device/GPS device!

Thank you- Miles, Sydney.