Interesting thoughts on Merry, and I'm enjoying
davem's humorous hobbitish take on the issue!
I looked back at the last chapter, where he decides not to join them in the common room, to see if there's a clue to his reason. I read:
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Merry said it would be too stuffy.
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Now that sounds just like a reason I'd have for going out to walk instead of joining a bunch of strangers in a smoky barroom! He must have been used to a life in the fresh air and just might have needed some oxygen. He didn't necessarily intend to go outside at first, saying:
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I shall sit here quietly by the fire for a bit, and perhaps go out later for a sniff of the air.
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As a matter of fact, when he came back he said that he'd stayed indoors for an hour, going out only after realizing that his friends were't coming back to the room soon. That sounds more like a contemplative personality, needing a little time to himself after being surrounded by his (talkative?) friends all day. Someone who can think and plan as he has shown himself able to needs time to settle and organise his thoughts.
What does make me pause to think is when he says that he was "drawn" to follow the Wraith. We've only heard of the terror they inspire - what could have drawn him to them? The terror came later.