Ooooh, I think that happened to me once with Eleezo, I think there are just some zones that if you go near them your character does a certain action. Like stand under a disco ball and they start to dance. 

I remember Eleezo was a horrible dancer...

I've had to do that too. I was always in a rush when it came to having my character drive or run to places for their quest so I'd take the adventurous off-trail route. I'd hike down cliffs, try to swim across rivers, jump off a few mountains and then take just as long to get there because I died.