So you're asking how do you not just wander off in a stray direction when walking through a large, empty field or something?

It depends, really. You get used to orienting yourself and not straying off to the side the more practice you have. There are clues, like wind direction, heat from sunlight, the sounds around you, etc. Also, keep in mind that many of us do have some remaining vision enough to know if we're walking in a straight line or not.

Inside, sounds and airflow change a lot based on furniture in the room and distance from walls and doorways, you can hear appliance sounds, etc.

It's also easier if it's an area you're familiar with. I quite often take my dog (pet, not guide dog) out at night and he likes to go around back where there's not any light. Sometimes I'll take a flashlight, but if it's late, I just walk in the dark so I don't bother the neighbors. If I'm walking around in my own yard, I can tell where I am, even without a cane. I do this by the changes in slope/unevenness of the ground, how the wind changes when it's blocked by the house or the shed, and the location of common sounds around me; the road in the distance, a neighbor's heat pump running, the way the sound of my footsteps travel, the sound of my dog sniffing along the fence line vs. sniffing around in the yard, and so on.

People are trained in how to use the cane. The cane can feel different textures, to help tell when you are on the sidewalk versus the grass. One technique is to follow the grass, since often grass is along the path.

Another technique is to use an audio landmark/clue to help orient yourself. Things such as traffic or other sources of noise.

Some people also use GPSs when traveling through grassy areas without landmarks, but that isn't common.

I think the question that is being asked here is how it's possible to navigate across huge open areas which don't have any points of reference, or at least none that are easy to find. The short answer is it isn't, it's not as if any amount of cane training will let you magically find a single car in an empty parking lot or whatever. If it's a case of getting across the town square to the other side then you'd probably go around the edge or from landmark to landmark. You have to learn routes. But in the end if you are asking if there is a magical way to nav across big open places you have never been before, no there isn't.

I have never used constant contact because I don't like bruised abs.

Do you use constant contact? I usually switch from constant contact to tapping (I forgot the name of the technique) when I’m on grass...

Constant contact

Where i live, the ground is mostly gravel and sand. Normally i just remember where stuff is and walk in the general direction until it is found. Because the ground is so rough, i need to push forward sometimes to dislodge the stick or keep it from flying backwards and out of my hand. For places I don't know, I need someone to hold onto. Being lost in the desert is not fun.

Large roller tips help, I have a variety, one is like a small wheel, good for forward mobility, but can't sweep side to side. Another is about the size of a raquetball, the last doesn't roll at all, but is dish shaped, to glide over terrain. Anyone experienced in cane travel has had a cane stop abruptly on a bump or get caught in a crack, and have the cane stab them in the gut, so anything that can traverse rough terrain helps. As far as navigating open areas with some vision, using a monocular to look ahead, and establishing and azimuth of sorts can help establish a route.

I think you're wrongly assuming that all people who use a cane have zero sight. I think the higher number of users of canes are those who are partially sighted, in which case they rely on their cane for certain operations not complete navigation.

As far as those who have zero visibility, I'm sure it's being taught how to use it the correct way, along with the tactile feedback the users can feel from the cane as it's an extension of their hands.

To make it easier to transition from materials like concrete to grass, or even snow my husband has an all terrain cane.