system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How do the crew of the Federation starship Voyager keep running into the same groups of people when they’re traveling in a straight line at rapid speed away from that area of space?
gpt
In addition to wordserious's explination, Voyager also wasn't always able to travel in a straight line.  They often had to take extensive detours around claimed space when the locals wouldn't give them permission to travel.  Voyager also generally traveled a more "interesting" course rather than just blank space.  They hoped by doing so they might find quicker methods of travel to get home or additional resources to supply the ship.

Had they desired, they could have just left the galactic plane and headed across the great open space.  But that would have taken the full length of time and they may not have had the neccessary supplies to make it.  In addition to not getting there until they were all extremely old.