Shortening the Prayer for One Who Departs Without the Intention of a Specific Distance

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, if we do not travel a distance of one hundred kilometers, and we do not intend to travel, is the prayer shortened in that case?

Answer:
Anything beyond one hundred kilometers is considered travel; beyond eighty kilometers is considered travel. So if you intend it, you intend the distance you are heading toward when you leave the town. But if you leave the town without intending a specific distance, and you do not know whether you will return soon or from far away, then the one who is looking for something or going around for something does not shorten the prayer, because he did not intend travel.