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Ce jeune routard a envie de faire un périple solitaire.

Ce jeune routard a envie de faire un périple solitaire.
This young backpacker wants to do a solo trek.
From Lesson 272:Same-subject infinitives (de + infinitive)·French

Questions & Answers about Ce jeune routard a envie de faire un périple solitaire.

Why do we use de faire here instead of que and a conjugated verb?
This is the core rule of "subjunctive avoidance." Because the person who has the desire and the person doing the trek are the same (the young backpacker), you must use de + the infinitive verb (faire). If he wanted someone else to do the trek, you would use que + the subjunctive, like Il a envie que tu fasses un périple.
Why use a envie de instead of veut?
While vouloir (to want) and avoir envie de (to feel like / to want to) are often interchangeable, avoir envie de expresses a craving, a feeling, or a strong personal desire. It sounds very natural here for someone yearning for an adventure.
Is routard a common word for a traveler?
Yes, a routard specifically means a backpacker or budget traveler. It is built from the word route (road) and the suffix -ard. It is very widely used in France, most notably in the title of the popular travel guidebook series "Le Guide du Routard".
Why does jeune come before its noun, but solitaire comes after?
In French, most descriptive adjectives like solitaire (solitary/solo) are placed right after the noun. However, a small group of common adjectives related to Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size (often remembered by the acronym BAGS) go before the noun. Jeune falls into the "Age" category, so it comes before routard.

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