Two years to the event, God had revealed the virgin birth to astrologers in the east who had followed the guiding star up to where the child was born in Bethlehem - as predicted by prophet Micah (Mic.7:2).
God's choice of eastern astrologers is intentional - the inclusion of non-Jewess peoples portrays how God can use any willing agent as His agent.
These Easterners travelled in caravans and journey that long would have meant they would have taken in consideration the weather and food that would have been stuck up. What of the entourage?
Easterners are known to be generous and kind-hearted people so we assume also that they would have brought with them a lot of gifts.
For example, when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, "she arrived at Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying species, large quantities of gold, and precious stones." (1 Kgs. 10:2)
The astrologers who followed the star stopped where the star stopped "over the place where the child was. On coming to *the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." (Matt.2:11)
It is generally believed that there were three astrologers because three gifts were presented to baby Jesus and furthermore that Jesus was born in a stable. It is a wrong assumption.