If we think about the idea of traveling, discovering something different to our way of life comes to mind. Currently the trips are made with a vacation intention, to enjoy our leisure time in a place other than the one we live in.
When the Earth was a planet with great unknown extensions, some individuals were curious to know those territories. They made exploration trips motivated by different reasons: to discover new routes, out of intellectual and scientific curiosity, to expand the domain of a country, for commercial reasons or with the intention of overcoming a challenge.
The list of exploration trips would be very wide, but there are some that have a special value. Christopher Columbus discovered the American continent in the 15th century. And in his time there were other great explorers: Pizarro, Cortés, Magallanes, Elcano, Américo Vespucio ... All of them were exploring new routes in America. The result of his travels had very different implications; both in the political balance of the powers, as in the economy, mentality and scientific advances.
The African continent had a great enigma: knowing the sources of the Nile, and it was the explorer Livingstone who discovered them. Both the South Pole and the North Pole are associated with three explorers: Scott, Amudsen and Shackleton, who reached the extremes of the planet with still very rudimentary technical means.
The voyages of exploration attract attention because they are a conquest of humanity. The explorers are regarded as heroes, as they faced the unknown and took a high risk. Do not forget that in the past technical knowledge was limited and exploring new places meant overcoming all kinds of difficulties.
Each one of the exploration trips has supposed a greater dominion of the planet. In each adventure there was a special motivation (for example, James Cook's travels in the 18th century were intended to expand the influence of the British Empire). However, other aspects appeared that were also relevant and that expanded the knowledge of humanity: new languages, different traditions or a different way of understanding life.
The last exploration trip of special relief was in 1969 when the astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins reached the Moon. As the human being advances because of new challenges, the next voyages of exploration will have to be somewhere in the Universe.
