journey in history

History’s most famous explorers and their epic journeys

Mar 31, 2020 • 6 min read

In a time before planes, credit cards and the internet, travel was often as dangerous as it was exciting. Yet for millennia those with a taste for adventure have given in to the human impulse to explore the world, to discover new cultures and pave the way for others. The roll call of great historical travelers includes the well known and the should-be-better known. Here are a select few, each of whom demonstrates that curiosity that keeps us exploring today.

Zheng He and the "treasure voyages"

“Eventful” is an adjective that could easily apply to the lives of many well known travelers but it’s particularly apt for Zheng He. Born a Muslim, he was captured, castrated and converted by Chinese troops, before rising through the ranks of the Ming army to become a trusted adviser to Emperor Yongle. 

Made admiral in charge of the “treasure voyages” (seven sea trips designed to expand Chinese knowledge, trade and influence in the early 15th century), he headed west to Southeast Asia , India , the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa , employing diplomacy where possible and force where necessary to impress the locals.

Marco Polo on the Silk Road (and beyond)

When he left his home in Venice in 1271, Marco Polo, arguably the most famous traveler of all time, couldn’t have imagined he’d be away for 24 years. Driven as much by trade as by the travel bug (he came from a family of merchants), he followed the Silk Road to China (or Cathay as it was then known). There he became friends with the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan and embarked on a series of journeys as emissary of the khan, which he subsequently documented in the Book of the Marvels of the World , a bestseller at the time.

Gertrude Bell broke and created boundaries

Scholar, diplomat, empire-builder, mountaineer, traveler – if you thought we were about to talk about a man, you’d be mistaken. All these attributes and more belong to the Brit Gertrude Bell. Breaking into previously male-dominated areas of society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she had already been stranded on a rope for some 53 hours while climbing in the Alps, circumnavigated the world twice and spent years exploring the Middle East before she was involved in drawing up the post-WW1 borders of Iraq, an area she knew well thanks to her love of archeology. 

A less controversial legacy of her time in the region is the Iraq Museum, a repository of objects from the country’s extraordinarily long past which she helped create shortly before her death in 1926.

Ibn Battuta's 30-year trip

Hailing from Morocco , Ibn Battuta would, like his near contemporary Marco Polo, not see his home for many decades once he headed off on his travels. Deciding to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, he left his family and friends in Tangier in 1324, following the North African coast in the company of camel caravans (for safety) and completing his hajj in 1326. 

Influenced by a holy man’s prophecy saying he would travel the earth, he then continued east – and south and north and west, crossing Spain, India, Persia, China, Southeast Asia and many more destinations on his wishlist. Sometimes treated as an honored guest by those he encountered, other times as a hostage, as well as exploring new places he also found time to marry (and divorce) an astonishing ten times during his trip, before finally returning home for good (and presumably a rest) in 1354.

Percy Fawcett and the lost city of Z

Once British soldier and explorer Percy Fawcett got the idea of a mysterious civilization in the Brazilian Amazon into his head, he couldn’t shake it and his obsession with "the lost city of Z" would lead to his death. A respected cartographer, he was sent to Brazil’s Mato Grosso region in 1906 to help determine the country’s border with Bolivia. 

On subsequent visits he became fascinated by rumors of a former culture, with grand architecture, hidden somewhere in the area’s vast jungles. In April 1925 he set out to find it with his son and his son’s best friend. By the end of May they had disappeared. Whether they were killed by a local tribe or died of starvation is still unknown. But recent research has offered tantalizing evidence that a civilization just like the one Fawcett was looking for, did exist in the region and is known as Kuhikugu.

Leif Erikson landed in North America

Centuries before Marco Polo and Zheng He set off on their expeditions, an intrepid Icelander decided to sail west from his home to see what he would find. It’s not surprising that travel was in Leif Erikson’s blood (his father, Erik the Red, was exiled from Iceland to Greenland), but he couldn’t have known, as he set sail around 1000 CE, that he would build the first European settlement in North America. 

Exactly where he created his community of Vinland is hotly debated – tradition has it in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada – but history, and a large, west-facing statue of him outside Reykjavík’s Hallgrimskirkja church, will always remember his groundbreaking journeys.

Mansa Musa's economic impact

There aren’t many trips that can claim to have devastated local economies, but the pilgrimage to Mecca by Malian ruler Mansa Musa did just that. Like Ibn Battuta a year or two earlier, Musa traveled across northern Africa on his hajj, but with an entourage whose stats defy belief: 60,000 people, including 12,000 slaves and heralds, plus 100 elephants and 80 camels carrying thousands of pounds of gold which was lavishly dispensed to people en route – Mali was the world’s main gold producer at the time making Musa possibly the richest man who has ever lived. His generosity proved disastrous, though, as so much gold flooded the market that its value dropped and negatively impacted local economies for around a decade after his trip.

Nellie Bly circumnavigated the world in 72 days

“No one but a man can do this!” scoffed her editor when journalist Nellie Bly suggested a round-the-world trip in 80 days, emulating the fictional Phileas Fogg. The year was 1889 and convention simply didn’t allow a solo female traveler to do this kind of thing, but, as with Gertrude Bell, “convention-defying” could have been Nellie Bly’s middle name (actually her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochran; Nellie Bly was her pseudonym).

Having already earned her credentials with an exposé on the appalling treatment of women in New York’s mental asylums, she packed her bags (very lightly), hid her money in a small pouch under her clothes, and boarded the steamship Augusta Victoria . Crossing Europe , South Asia, Japan and the US, and having several adventures and close calls along the way, she returned to a rapturous welcome on January 25, 1890 – 72 days after setting off. Beat that, Phileas!

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40 Famous Explorers and Their Groundbreaking Journeys

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20 Most Famous Travellers In History

• by Jonny Duncan
• February 17, 2024 February 18, 2024

These famous travellers, driven by curiosity, ambition, or a quest for knowledge, embarked on epic expeditions that expanded the boundaries of geographical understanding.

Famous Travellers

Throughout history, the world has been shaped by the journeys of these famous travellers, intrepid explorers and adventurers who dared to traverse distant lands, cross treacherous seas, and delve into uncharted territories.

From the ancient Silk Road wanderers to the modern-day spacefarers, their stories inspire awe and wonder, reminding us of the boundless spirit of exploration that resides within the human soul.

These are some detailed accounts of the lives of these famous travellers and explorers.

Marco Polo is one of the most famous travellers in history whom you have most likely heard of already. He was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled extensively throughout Asia along the Silk Road.

Born in Venice in 1254, Marco Polo embarked on a journey to the East with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo in 1271, when he was only 17 years old. They travelled through Central Asia, reaching the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of the Yuan Dynasty in China.

Marco Polo served as an emissary and official in the court of Kublai Khan for approximately 17 years, during which he travelled extensively throughout China, Mongolia, and other parts of Asia. He documented his travels and experiences in a book titled “Il Milione” or “The Travels of Marco Polo,” which became one of the most famous travelogues in history.

In his book, Marco Polo described the geography, culture, and customs of the regions he visited, introducing Europeans to many aspects of Asian life for the first time. His accounts of the riches of the East, including spices, silks, and other exotic goods, fueled European interest in trade and exploration with Asia.

He died in 1324 in Venice, leaving behind a lasting legacy as one of history’s most famous travellers.

Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta , fully known as Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battuta, was a Moroccan scholar and explorer born in Tangier in 1304. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest travellers in history, known for his extensive journeys across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe during the 14th century.

In 1325, at the age of 21, Ibn Battuta embarked on his first major journey, which would span nearly 30 years and cover over 75,000 miles. He initially set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), a religious obligation for Muslims, but his travels went far beyond this initial goal.

Throughout his travels, Ibn Battuta visited places such as Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Persia (modern-day Iran), Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. He served as a judge, diplomat, and advisor in various courts along the way, gaining insights into the cultures, societies, and politics of the regions he visited.

Ibn Battuta documented his experiences in a travelogue called “Rihla” (The Journey), which provides valuable insights into the medieval world and remains an important historical source. His writings offer vivid descriptions of the places he visited, including cities, landmarks, people, customs, and traditions.

Ibn Battuta’s travels were remarkable not only for their extent but also for the diversity of the regions he explored and the challenges he overcame. His adventures have left an enduring legacy, contributing to our understanding of medieval geography, cultures, and interactions.

Charles Darwin 

Charles Darwin was a renowned traveller. His most famous voyage was aboard the HMS Beagle, a British naval vessel that embarked on a five-year expedition around the world from 1831 to 1836. Darwin was originally intended to be the ship’s naturalist, but his observations and discoveries during this voyage ultimately led to his groundbreaking work in evolutionary biology.

During the voyage, Darwin visited various locations, including the Galápagos Islands, where he made significant observations of the unique flora and fauna that would later inform his theory of natural selection. His travels also took him to South America, the Pacific Islands, Australia, and other parts of the world.

Darwin meticulously documented his observations in journals and collected specimens that contributed to his later scientific investigations and publications, most notably his seminal work “ On the Origin of Species ,” published in 1859.

Wilfred Thesiger

Wilfred Thesiger, born on June 3, 1910, was a British explorer, travel writer, and photographer known for his extensive travels in the deserts of Africa and the Middle East. He is renowned for his profound respect for traditional cultures and his vivid descriptions of the landscapes and people he encountered.

Thesiger’s most famous journeys took place in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. He first travelled to the region in the 1940s, where he lived among the Bedouin tribes of southern Arabia, including the Marsh Arabs of Iraq and the nomadic tribes of the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali). Thesiger’s experiences during these journeys were documented in his classic books “Arabian Sands” (1959) and “The Marsh Arabs” (1964).

Backpackingman note: Arabian Sands is one of my favourite travel memoirs that I have read.

Thesiger’s writings reflect his deep admiration for the harsh beauty of the desert and his respect for the traditional way of life practised by the nomadic peoples who inhabit these regions. He was critical of the modernization and development that threatened to erode the ancient cultures and landscapes he cherished.

In addition to his writings, Thesiger was also an accomplished photographer, capturing stunning images of the landscapes, peoples, and cultures of the regions he explored. His photographs provide a visual record of a way of life that has since undergone significant changes.

Thesiger’s legacy continues to inspire adventurers, travellers, and writers today, as his works remain celebrated for their insight, empathy, and evocative prose. He passed away on August 24, 2003, at the age of 93.

Fridtjof Nansen

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian who lived from 1861 to 1930. He is best known for his groundbreaking explorations of the Arctic region and his innovative work in oceanography. Nansen’s achievements earned him international acclaim and left a lasting legacy in multiple fields.

Nansen gained fame for his daring expedition aboard the ship Fram (meaning “Forward”) in 1893-1896. His goal was to reach the North Pole by allowing the ship to become frozen in the Arctic ice and drift with the currents.

Although the expedition did not reach the pole, it set a record for the farthest north latitude attained at that time and provided valuable scientific data about the Arctic Ocean.

Freya Stark

Freya Stark was a British explorer, travel writer, and cartographer known for her extensive travels in the Middle East and her vivid writings about the region. She was born on January 31, 1893, in Paris, France, and grew up in England.

Stark began her travels in the Middle East in the 1920s and 1930s, at a time when few Westerners, especially women, ventured into the region. She explored remote and challenging areas of the Middle East, including parts of Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

Stark was known for her adventurous spirit, intelligence, and ability to connect with people from different cultures. She learned several languages, including Arabic and Persian, which allowed her to communicate with local inhabitants and gain insights into their lives and customs.

Throughout her travels, Stark produced numerous books, articles, and photographs documenting her experiences and observations. Her writings are celebrated for their lyrical prose, keen observations, and deep appreciation for the landscapes, cultures, and history of the Middle East.

Some of Stark’s most famous works include “The Valleys of the Assassins” (1934), “A Winter in Arabia” (1940), and “The Southern Gates of Arabia” (1936). Her books became bestsellers and earned her widespread acclaim as one of the most accomplished travel writers of her time.

Freya Stark continued to travel and write well into her later years, and her legacy as a pioneering explorer and cultural ambassador for the Middle East endures today. Her works remain influential and continue to inspire travellers, writers, and scholars interested in the region. She passed away on May 9, 1993, at the age of 100.

David Livingstone

David Livingstone was a Scottish physician and explorer who played a significant role in the exploration of Africa during the 19th century.

Over the course of his life, Livingstone undertook multiple expeditions across the African continent, with the primary goals of spreading Christianity, combating the slave trade, and exploring unknown regions.

Livingstone’s most famous expedition began in 1852 when he set out to explore the Zambezi River and its surrounding regions. During this journey, he became the first European to witness the majestic Victoria Falls. Livingstone’s explorations also led to significant geographic discoveries, including the identification of Lake Malawi and the exploration of the Zambezi River system.

Livingstone’s explorations and writings captured the imagination of people around the world and earned him widespread acclaim as one of the greatest explorers and famous travellers of his time. His accounts of his travels, including books such as “Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa,” inspired subsequent generations of explorers and missionaries.

Livingstone died on May 1, 1873, in what is now Zambia, while on his final expedition to explore the sources of the Nile River.

Zheng He was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, and admiral during the Ming dynasty. He is best known for his extensive maritime voyages in the early 15th century, which took place decades before the famous European Age of Discovery.

Zheng He’s voyages were remarkable for their scale and reach. He led a series of expeditions from China to various parts of Asia and Africa, commanding a vast fleet of ships that included massive treasure ships, some of which were reported to be several times larger than the European ships of the time.

Zheng He’s expeditions visited countries and regions such as Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the east coast of Africa. These voyages facilitated cultural exchange, trade, and diplomacy, with Zheng He presenting gifts from the Ming emperor to local rulers and receiving tribute in return.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was an American aviator and pioneering woman in the field of aviation. Born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart developed an early interest in flying and became one of the most famous female pilots and travellers of her time.

Earhart set numerous aviation records during her career. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, accomplishing the feat in her single-engine Lockheed Vega. This flight propelled her to international fame and established her as a symbol of women’s advancement in aviation.

In 1932, Earhart made history again by becoming the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, replicating Charles Lindbergh’s famous feat from five years earlier. She flew from Newfoundland to Ireland in approximately 15 hours.

One of Earhart’s most ambitious goals was to circumnavigate the globe. In 1937, she embarked on an attempt to fly around the world along the equator. However, tragically, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean during the final leg of their journey.

Despite extensive search efforts, their fate remains one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus, born in the Republic of Genoa (in present-day Italy) in 1451, was an Italian explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean paved the way for European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Columbus made his first voyage in 1492 under the sponsorship of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.

Columbus’s initial goal was to find a westward route to Asia, particularly to India and the lucrative spice trade. However, he instead encountered the islands of the Caribbean, landing on an island he named San Salvador (though the indigenous Taíno people called it Guanahani). Believing he had reached the East Indies, Columbus referred to the indigenous people he encountered as “Indians.”

Over the next several years, Columbus made three more voyages to the Caribbean and explored various islands, including Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Cuba, and Jamaica. His voyages initiated widespread European contact with the Americas and marked the beginning of the European colonization of the New World.

Columbus’s voyages had significant and far-reaching consequences, including the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and cultures between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. While his expeditions were celebrated in Europe, they also led to the colonization, exploitation, and displacement of indigenous peoples, as well as the transatlantic slave trade.

Today, Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure, with his legacy debated in terms of his role in history and his impact on indigenous populations. While some view him as a courageous explorer who initiated global connections, others criticize him for his treatment of indigenous peoples and the lasting negative effects of European colonization in the Americas.

Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who is best known for leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. He was born around 1480 in Sabrosa, Portugal, and he served as a navigator and explorer for the Portuguese crown before offering his services to the Spanish crown.

In 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain with a fleet of five ships and around 270 men, aiming to find a western sea route to the Spice Islands (the Moluccas) in the East Indies. On September 20, 1519, they departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, and after a long and perilous journey across the Atlantic, they reached the coast of South America.

Magellan navigated through the treacherous waters of what is now known as the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the southern tip of South America.

After passing through the strait, Magellan and his crew sailed across the vast Pacific Ocean, enduring severe hardships such as starvation, scurvy, and storms. They reached the Mariana Islands and the Philippines, where Magellan was killed in a skirmish with local inhabitants on April 27, 1521.

Magellan’s expedition was a landmark achievement in the history of exploration, proving that the Earth was indeed round and demonstrating the vast extent of the Pacific Ocean.

Ernest Shackleton

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a renowned British explorer who led several expeditions to Antarctica during the early 20th century. He is best known for his heroic leadership and remarkable survival during the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917.

Born on February 15, 1874, in County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton began his career as a seaman and later became involved in Antarctic exploration.

Shackleton’s most famous expedition, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, aimed to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. The expedition, launched in 1914 aboard the ship Endurance, encountered numerous hardships, including being trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea.

Despite the loss of their ship, Shackleton and his crew managed to survive for over a year on the ice before finally making a daring escape in small lifeboats to Elephant Island.

Realizing that rescue was unlikely on Elephant Island, Shackleton embarked on an epic voyage with a small crew in an open boat, the James Caird, across 800 miles of treacherous seas to reach South Georgia Island. After successfully reaching South Georgia, Shackleton and his companions completed a hazardous overland journey to a whaling station, eventually rescuing the remaining men on Elephant Island.

Miraculously, Shackleton’s leadership and determination ensured the survival of all the members of the expedition, despite enduring extreme cold, hunger, and danger. Their remarkable tale of endurance and perseverance has become one of the most celebrated stories in the annals of exploration.

Following his Antarctic expeditions, Shackleton continued to pursue various ventures, including further attempts at Antarctic exploration. However, he died of a heart attack on January 5, 1922, while on an expedition to Antarctica.

Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang)

Xuanzang, also known as Hsüan-Tsang, was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, and traveller who lived during the Tang Dynasty. He is renowned for his legendary journey to India in the 7th century AD, during which he travelled overland across Central Asia to study Buddhism and collect Buddhist scriptures.

Born in 602 AD in what is now Henan Province, China, Xuanzang became a Buddhist monk at a young age and dedicated himself to the study of Buddhist scriptures and philosophy. Despite government restrictions on travel abroad, Xuanzang was determined to visit India, the birthplace of Buddhism, to deepen his understanding of the religion and to obtain authentic Buddhist scriptures that were not available in China.

In 629 AD, Xuanzang set out on his epic journey to India. He travelled overland through treacherous terrain, across deserts and mountains, encountering numerous hardships and dangers along the way. Despite these challenges, Xuanzang persevered, driven by his unwavering faith and determination.

During his 17-year pilgrimage, Xuanzang visited many Buddhist monasteries, universities, and sacred sites in India, studying with renowned Buddhist masters and scholars. He also collected thousands of Buddhist scriptures, which he later brought back to China.

Upon his return to China in 645 AD, Xuanzang was hailed as a hero and a scholar. He spent the rest of his life translating the scriptures he had collected into Chinese and sharing his knowledge and insights with others. His translations played a crucial role in the spread of Buddhism in China and had a profound influence on Chinese culture and philosophy.

Xuanzang’s extraordinary journey and his contributions to Buddhist scholarship have made him a legendary figure in Chinese history and in the history of Buddhism. His life and adventures have been immortalized in literature, art, and folklore, and he remains a revered figure in Buddhist tradition.

Isabella Bird

Isabella Bird was a 19th-century British explorer, writer, photographer, and naturalist. Born on October 15, 1831, in England, she defied the societal norms of her time by embarking on extensive travels, often alone, to various remote and challenging regions of the world.

Bird’s first major journey took her to North America in 1854, where she travelled extensively throughout the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Her experiences during this trip were chronicled in her book “The Englishwoman in America,” published in 1856.

Throughout her life, Bird continued to embark on remarkable journeys. She explored the Hawaiian Islands, Canada, Japan, India, Persia (now Iran), Kurdistan, Tibet, China, and many other regions. Her travels were not only adventurous but also pioneering, as she often ventured into areas that were little known to Westerners at the time.

Bird was an avid writer, and she published numerous books and articles based on her travels. Her writings were highly acclaimed for their vivid descriptions of landscapes, cultures, and people.

Isabella Bird’s adventurous spirit, keen observations, and literary talents have earned her a lasting legacy as one of the most remarkable female explorers of the 19th century. Her works continue to inspire travellers and readers around the world, offering unique insights into the diverse cultures and landscapes of the places she visited.

Amerigo Vespucci

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, navigator, and cartographer who played a significant role in the early exploration of the Americas. He was born in Florence, Italy, in 1454 or 1455, and he began his career working for the prominent Medici family in Florence.

Vespucci made several voyages to the New World between 1497 and 1504, primarily under the auspices of Spain and Portugal. While the details of his early voyages are somewhat unclear, Vespucci is best known for his accounts of his voyages, particularly his claim to have reached the mainland of the Americas before Columbus’s third voyage.

The German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is credited with naming the continent after Vespucci, as he included the name “America” on his 1507 world map, the first to depict the Americas as separate from Asia.

While Vespucci did not make any significant discoveries or advancements in navigation himself, his writings and the use of his name for the continents had a lasting impact on European perceptions of the New World and its place in the world map.

James Cook was a British explorer, navigator, and cartographer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest explorers of all time. He was born on October 27, 1728, in England. Cook made significant contributions to the exploration and mapping of the Pacific Ocean and its islands during the 18th century.

Cook began his career in the British Royal Navy, rising through the ranks as a skilled seaman and navigator. He gained recognition for his precise cartography and his ability to navigate difficult waters.

In 1768, Cook was appointed as commander of the HMS Endeavour and embarked on his first voyage, which was commissioned by the Royal Society and the British Admiralty, to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti and to explore the South Pacific.

During this voyage, Cook and his crew made extensive explorations of the South Pacific, including the mapping of the eastern coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales. Cook’s meticulous charting and observations laid the groundwork for later British colonization of Australia. Cook’s expedition also included the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of New Zealand.

Cook went on to make two more major voyages of exploration in the Pacific. His second voyage, from 1772 to 1775, aimed to locate the hypothetical southern continent of Terra Australis and further explore the Pacific. During this expedition, Cook became the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle.

On his third voyage, from 1776 to 1779, Cook attempted to find a northwest passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Although he did not succeed in finding the passage, he made significant discoveries in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, including the Hawaiian Islands.

Nellie Bly, born on May 5, 1864, was an American journalist, writer, and pioneering investigative reporter. She is best known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days.

In 1889, Bly embarked on her most famous adventure: a solo journey around the world inspired by Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in Eighty Days.” She travelled by steamship, train, and other means of transportation, completing the journey in just 72 days, a record at the time. Her trip captivated the public’s imagination and solidified her reputation as one of the most famous travellers in history.

Throughout her career, Bly wrote about social issues, women’s rights, and travel. She worked for various newspapers and magazines and authored several books, including “Ten Days in a Madhouse” and “Around the World in Seventy-Two Days.”

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway, the acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, was also an avid traveller who drew inspiration from his journeys around the world. Throughout his life, Hemingway travelled extensively, often immersing himself in the cultures and landscapes of the places he visited.

Some of his notable travel experiences include:

• Paris, France: Hemingway spent much of the 1920s living in Paris, where he was part of the expatriate community of writers and artists known as the “Lost Generation.” His experiences in Paris, particularly in the bohemian neighbourhoods of Montparnasse and the Left Bank, would later influence his writing, including his novel “The Sun Also Rises.”
• Spain: Hemingway was deeply influenced by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), where he worked as a war correspondent. He spent time in Madrid and other cities, witnessing the conflict firsthand and drawing inspiration for his novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” which is set during the war.
• Key West, Florida: Hemingway lived in Key West during the 1930s and 1940s, where he wrote some of his most famous works, including “A Farewell to Arms” and “To Have and Have Not.” His house in Key West, now a museum, is a popular tourist attraction.
• Africa: Hemingway embarked on several safaris in Africa during the 1930s and 1950s, where he hunted big game and drew inspiration for his short stories “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.”
• Cuba: Hemingway had a deep connection to Cuba, where he lived for many years and wrote several of his major works, including “The Old Man and the Sea.” His home in Cuba, Finca Vigia, is preserved as a museum and is a popular tourist destination.

Hemingway’s travels greatly influenced his writing, and his experiences in different parts of the world are reflected in the settings, characters, and themes of his novels and short stories. His adventurous spirit and love of travel are an integral part of his legacy as one of the greatest writers and famous travellers of the 20th century.

Ok, these last two aren’t in “history” as they’re still going even in their late age…

Ranulph Fiennes

Sir Ranulph Fiennes , born on March 7, 1944, is a British explorer, adventurer, and author known for his daring expeditions and record-breaking achievements in extreme environments around the world. He is often described as one of the greatest living explorers.

Fiennes has undertaken numerous expeditions throughout his career, often pushing the limits of human endurance and overcoming immense challenges.

In the Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) Fiennes led the first circumnavigation of the Earth along its polar axis, traversing both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The expedition covered over 52,000 miles and took over three years to complete, making it one of the most ambitious polar expeditions in history.

First to reach both Poles by surface travel: Fiennes became the first person to reach both the North and South Poles by surface travel when he reached the South Pole in 1982 and the North Pole in 1986.

In addition to his exploration endeavours, Fiennes is also a prolific author, having written numerous books about his adventures and experiences.

Fiennes continues to be actively involved in exploration and adventure, inspiring others to push their limits and explore the unknown. His legacy as one of the world’s greatest explorers is firmly established, and his adventures continue to captivate and inspire people around the globe.

Michael Palin

I’m going to end this list with one of my favourite modern-day travellers, Michael Palin . I have loved his TV travel shows for decades now. Michael Palin is a British comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter known for his travels around the world documented in various television series and books.

Palin’s travel adventures began with the groundbreaking television series “Around the World in 80 Days,” which aired in 1989. In this series, Palin attempted to circumnavigate the globe without flying, following in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg from Jules Verne’s novel. The journey took him through Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North America, and back to Europe, and it was documented in a book of the same name.

Following the success of “Around the World in 80 Days,” Palin continued to travel and document his journeys in subsequent television series and books, including:

• “Pole to Pole” (1992): In this series, Palin travelled from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.
• “Full Circle with Michael Palin” (1997): Palin embarked on a journey around the Pacific Rim, travelling through countries such as Russia, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Australia, and Chile.
• “Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure” (1999): Palin retraced the footsteps of the American writer Ernest Hemingway, visiting places significant to Hemingway’s life and work in Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• “Michael Palin’s Sahara” (2002): Palin explored the diverse cultures and landscapes of the Sahara Desert, travelling through countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Niger, and Mali.
• “Himalaya with Michael Palin” (2004): Palin journeyed through the Himalayas, from Pakistan and India to Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and China, exploring the mountains, cultures, and people of the region.

Palin’s travel adventures have inspired and entertained audiences around the world, making him one of the world’s most beloved travel presenters and one of the most famous travellers of them all.

The legacies of these famous travellers endure as testaments to the indomitable human spirit and the insatiable thirst for discovery. Their courage, resilience, and insatiable curiosity have left an indelible mark on history, shaping our understanding of the world and inspiring future generations to venture beyond the known horizon.

These are just a few examples, and countless other explorers and travellers have made significant contributions to our understanding of the world through their journeys and discoveries.

For a look at another well-known modern traveller have a look at my article about a good friend of mine who is regarded as one of the most travelled man in the world today.

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11 of History’s Most Famous Sea Voyages

Throughout history, sea travel in the name of exploration, trade, and research has provided a watery road to modern globalism. We have always wondered at the waves, finding ways to wade deeper and wander further: The world’s oldest known boat, the Pesse canoe , dates to around 8000 BCE; there is evidence Egyptians began sailing around 4000 BCE ; and the Phoenicians are credited with ship-building expertise that allowed them to circumnavigate Africa in 600 BCE. Here are 11 incredible sea voyages and voyagers that helped advance our understanding of the world.

1. Leif Erikson’s Voyage to North America // c. 1000

Born in 970, Norse explorer Leif Erikson was the second son of Erik the Red , a native of Iceland who colonized Greenland around 980. According to Viking sagas written a few centuries after the events, Erikson heard about an unfamiliar land to the west of Greenland and went to investigate it, eventually landing with a small crew on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland. Though the settlement didn't last long, archaeological evidence and the sagas suggest that Erikson’s Vikings were the first Europeans to set foot in North America .

2. Zheng He’s Seven Diplomatic Voyages // 1405-1433

Beginning life as Ma Sanbao in 1371, Zheng He grew up in a prosperous Muslim family in China. When he was about 10, he was captured during Emperor Hong Wu’s attack on his city and made to serve as a court eunuch. He eventually rose up the ranks, becoming a valued diplomat and commander of the Ming Dynasty’s navy. He embarked on his first voyage in 1405 , commanding the emperor’s enormous fleet of “treasure ships.” Some of the hundreds of vessels were 400 feet in length, and the whole armada was crewed by 28,000 sailors. During his seven expeditions to lands surrounding the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, Zheng He helped spread China’s culture and political influence. Chinese emigration increased, as did tributes to Chinese leaders . Upon Zheng He’s death in 1433, and the establishment of a new emperor, the expeditions’ ships and logs were destroyed. This ended the “golden era” of Chinese sea exploration, making room for Europeans .

3. Ferdinand Magellan’s Circumnavigation of the Globe // 1519-1522

Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage is credited with being first to circumnavigate the globe. In 1519, approximately 260 men and five ships set sail from Spain, searching for a western route to the Spice Islands (in modern-day Indonesia). Magellan named the Pacific Ocean ( Pacific means “peaceful”) and discovered the Strait of Magellan at the bottom of South America by accident (it's still used to this day for navigation between the Atlantic and Pacific). While Magellan deserves his due for masterminding the voyage, a poison arrow ended him in 1521 upon his arrival in the Philippines. According to some historians, Enrique , an enslaved Malay man in Magellan’s crew, completed the circumnavigation first, albeit over more than one voyage, before Magellan’s remaining 18 crewmembers made it back to Spain in 1522.

4. “Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley’s Defense of Ireland // c. 1546-1586

Irish seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille, a.k.a. Grace O’Malley, a.k.a. Ireland’s pirate queen, is considered one of the last Irish clan rulers to fight against English domination in Ireland. Born in 1530, Grace began her high-stakes, high seas career at age 11, when Ireland was ruled by about 40 Gaelic clans (the O’Malley clan motto was “powerful by land and by sea”). When her father died, it was Grace and not her elder brother who became clan leader, managing two galleys, 20 ships, and more than 200 men to plunder coastal strongholds and defend against English encroachment. When Grace negotiated the release of prisoners and seized land with Queen Elizabeth I, she demanded an audience as an equal . A respected matriarch in her time, she was omitted from history for centuries. Today, she is celebrated for her leadership at sea.

5. The Sea Venture’s Adventure // 1609-1610

The Sea Venture has been dubbed “ the shipwreck that saved Jamestown ” and inspired William Shakespeare while he wrote The Tempest . The ship, part of a convoy sent from England in 1609, was supposed to resupply the desperate Virginia colony . But when it sailed straight into a hurricane and rammed a reef around then-uninhabited Bermuda, the Sea Venture ’s adventure appeared to be over. However, all 150 souls aboard survived by swimming to shore and set about building two new ships to take them the rest of the way. The castaways arrived in Jamestown about 10 months later. Their story of survival not only restored England’s desire to make its American colony a success; it also led to the second English colony established in the Americas—not in New England, but in Bermuda.

6. The Mayflower’s Arrival in North America // 1620

The Mayflower , a second-hand merchant ship carrying 102 passengers, left Plymouth, England, for North America in 1620. Forty of the passengers were Protestant separatists (later known as Pilgrims) who sought to establish a colony in America where they could practice their religion freely. They had permission to settle anywhere on the coast between the Chesapeake Bay and New York Harbor. But two miserable months after launch, the Mayflower landed in New England, about one degree of latitude north of where it was meant to be. The colonists named the new settlement Plymouth, drafted a document to set guidelines for self-governance, and launched a historic experiment in democracy and religious freedom.

7. The Three Voyages of James Cook // 1768-1780

James Cook vowed to sail “ as far as I think it possible for man to go ” and ended up mapping more territory than any other mariner of his era. He joined the British Royal Navy in his twenties, and in 1767 produced a chart of Newfoundland that was so accurate it was still being used in the 20th century . Cook led his first exploratory expedition in 1768, destined for the South Pacific to observe the transit of Venus and to chart New Zealand, Tasmania, and parts of Australia. He came quite close to spotting Antarctica during a second circumnavigation to explore and map several South Pacific islands. In 1776, on his third and last epic voyage, Cook came within 50 miles of the western entrance to the Northwest Passage in the Bering Strait. He was the first European commander to visit Hawaii, where friction increased between his crew and the local people; Cook was killed by Native Hawaiians in 1779 and the expedition concluded without him the following year. Among his countless observations and discoveries, Cook found that fresh fruits seemed to prevent scurvy , without knowing just how the remedy worked.

8. The Wreck of the Whaler Essex // 1820

Another voyage serving up literary inspiration is the tale of the Essex . An 87-foot whaling ship, the Essex was built of incredibly strong white oak and fitted for a 2.5-year voyage. It left Nantucket in 1819, made its way around Cape Horn, and headed into the South Pacific. On November 20, 1820, an 85-foot sperm whale rammed the ship twice and caused it to sink, serving some small measure of justice on behalf of his species (numbering 300,000 today from an estimated 1.1 million prior to whaling). While the 20 crewmembers initially survived, they drifted in boats across the open ocean for three months and eventually resorted to cannibalism. Only eight made it home . Herman Melville based the climactic scene in Moby-Dick on the Essex tragedy.

9. Charles Darwin’s Voyage on the HMS Beagle // 1831-1836

Charles Darwin said his education “ really began aboard the Beagle .” A fresh university graduate at age 22, Darwin paused his planned career as a clergyman and joined the Beagle as its naturalist. Setting sail in 1831, the ship’s mission was to journey around the world, surveying the South American coast and conducting chronometric studies. Time spent in the Galápagos truly informed Darwin’s theories on evolution, providing an opportunity to observe species development in an isolated environment. Darwin also considered coral, recording geological observations about islands and coastlines . And the Beagle , commanded by Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy, achieved its goal of accurately charting the coast of South America, including the Strait of Magellan's dangerous shoals.

10. Ernest Shackleton’s Miraculous Endurance // 1914-1916

Anglo-Irish mariner Ernest Shackleton first sailed to Antarctica in 1901 on a mission to reach the South Pole, which ended with a bad case of scurvy. He would come within 97 nautical miles of the pole on his second expedition. But it was his third venture aboard the Endurance for which he is most famous. In 1914, he led a crew of 28 men intending to be the first to cross Antarctica by land, but the ship became trapped in pack ice for 10 months and sank on November 21, 1915. The crew set up camp on ice floes, drifted on treacherous seas, and washed up on an uninhabited polar island. Shackleton and five men then sailed 800 miles across the planet’s most rambunctious seas for rescue. All hands succeeded in their revised mission: survival . Shackleton’s story serves as a lesson in leadership against all odds and overcoming outrageous obstacles.

11. Thor Heyerdahl’s Maritime Experiment in the Kon-Tiki and More // 1947-1978

Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian ethnologist, mounted several transoceanic scientific expeditions . His expeditions on the Kon-Tiki, a balsa-wood raft launched in 1947, and Ra , a copy of an Egyptian reed boat crewed in 1969, proved the possibility of ancient contact between distant civilizations. Leaving from Peru, Kon-Tiki reached the South Pacific three and a half months later, lending evidence to the theory that pre-Columbian sailors could have navigated across the Pacific. Ra sailed from Morocco to within 600 miles of Central America and hinted at the possibility that Egyptian mariners could have influenced pre-contact cultures. And in 1977-1978, sailing a reed boat named the Tigris , Heyerdahl suggested that ancient Sumerians could well have reached southwest Asia. His thought-provoking theories are still being debated.

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7 of history’s most epic journeys

Discover the world's most amazing routes and plan some modern day exploration.

Human history is a story of travel. From the very beginning, we have demonstrated an innate urge to wander, explore and discover, and our past is peppered with tales of incredible journeys to far-flung lands.

From Viking voyages around Europe to road tripping along Route 66, we’ve rounded up seven of history’s most amazing journeys. Here, discover each route’s fascinating past and plan some modern day exploration of your own.

From the earliest migrations to the dawn of space tourism, experience the excitement of travel throughout the ages in th...

Seen by many as a symbol of the American spirit, Route 66 is one of the world’s most famous road trips. Covering 3,900 kms (2,451 miles) of historic road, it runs from Chicago to Los Angeles, passing through eight states and three time zones.

The route had its heyday during the 1950s when, thanks to soaring car ownership, the highway played host to free-spirited holidaymakers in search of adventure. The sense of freedom the road offered was forever enshrined in American legend with Jack Kerouac’s bestselling novel  On the Road  (1957). 

Today, this iconic route continues to draw countless travellers, despite being officially decommissioned in the 1980s. While you can’t travel all of the original road, sections are now promoted as a heritage site. Why not drive the stretch that runs between Seligman and Kingman for breathtaking views of the Arizona desert or get a blast of nostalgia at Oklahoma’s neon-lit Route 66 Museum?

The Hippie Trail

Partly inspired by Route 66 and the great American road trip, the Hippie Trail saw hordes of young people head east in the 1960s and 70s in search of peace, love and spiritual enlightenment.

Setting off from cities across Europe, these “hippies” – so dubbed because they had long hair “to the hips” – backpacked overland towards India, the home of ancient Eastern philosophy. Travelling by land through countries such as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, they immersed themselves in as many different cultures as possible. For them, the journey mattered just as much as the destination.

For a modern, shorter take on the Hippie Trail, head to the island of Goa in India. This was where many hippies ended their pilgrimage, and the island still retains a laid-back, relaxed vibe. Alternatively, make for India’s holy city of Varanasi, another hippie hotspot, and take in its stunning temples and intoxicating culture. 

The Orient Express

Immortalised by countless writers, most notably Agatha Christie, the Orient Express was the world’s most glamorous train service and remains a symbol of the Golden Age of travel.

Taking passengers from Paris to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), Milan or Venice, the Orient Express was spectacularly opulent. Its sleeping cars were panelled with teak inlaid with marquetry, and had seats that opened out into beds with silk sheets. There was also an on-board library and smoking room where guests could relax.

But it wasn’t just the lavishness of the train that attracted people. The 2,989-km (1,857-mile) route also passed through some of Europe’s most stunning scenery, from the snow-capped Austrian Alps to the lush valleys of the Veneto. The service was so popular that even the occasional hold-up by bandits or a day-long halt in snow didn’t discourage travellers – in fact it added to the trip’s romance.

Fancy taking your own lavish tour on this luxurious train? Try the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a service that retains all the elegance and charm of the original service.

The Grand Tour

From the 17th century onwards, wealthy young Englishmen journeyed across Europe on a cultural pilgrimage that came to be known as the "Grand Tour".

Travelling via Paris through France, they were headed for Italy, in particular Rome. The Italian capital was perceived as the source of western civilization, and a trip there was thought to be an essential way to broaden a young man's intellectual horizons and prepare him for a career in public life back home.

Of course, not all of these youthful travellers went to Rome with lofty notions of learning about art, architecture, history and politics – some were more interested in gambling and drinking. Whatever their purpose, most travellers left with a souvenir or two, whether that was art, antiques or a portrait of themselves standing haughtily in front of Rome's historic sights.

Enjoy a Grand Tour of your own on a trip to see the Eternal City's ancient sights, like the monumental Colosseum or breathtaking Sistine Chapel. Or, take in one or two of the other Italian cities visited by the English aristocracy, from art-filled Florence to relaxed Naples.

The Silk Road

One of the world's most famous trade routes, the Silk Road linked China to the Middle East and Europe.

The road was not composed of a single highway, but was instead a web of different routes stretching around 7,000 kms (4,300 miles) across Asia. Each year, thousands of merchants from Constantinople, Cairo and Damascus traversed these long and often arduous paths in search of sumptuous silks and exotic spices.

The Silk Road's most well-known traveller was undoubtedly Marco Polo, whose account of his travels to China from Venice, as well as time at the court of Kublai Khan, remain popular to this day. And Polo wasn't the only one to recount his journey – the Italian merchant Francesco Pegoletti wrote a detailed guidebook to the route in the 14th century, full of useful tips and tricks for navigating the route.

For a taste of the Silk Road, set a course for Xi’an in China. This bustling city was an important destination on the ancient trade route. Visit today to admire Xi’an’s Ming-era city walls and extraordinary Terracotta Army.

Viking Voyages

Hailed as the most wide-ranging voyagers of medieval Europe, the Vikings travelled far and wide in search of booty, land, trade and adventure.

Starting their explorations in the late 8th century, Viking bands from Denmark, Norway and Sweden set sail in longships – fast, shallow-draught war vessels that enabled exploration by both sea and river. These ships were to ferry the Vikings to the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland and, amazingly, across the Atlantic to North America.

The Vikings also journeyed along some of Europe's major rivers, including the Rhine and the Seine. They even launched an expedition into the Mediterranean in 859, plundering both Muslim and Christian states in Spain, North Africa, the south coast of France and Italy.

Enjoy your own Viking voyage (minus the raiding, of course) with a cruise around Europe. With countless destinations accessible, the options are endless – why not sail around Norway’s majestic fjords, wander through the bazaars of Agadir or relax on Cyprus’s sunny shores. Feeling adventurous? Head further afield to explore Iceland’s volcanoes, glaciers and waterfalls.

Charting the Mekong

Stretching 4,350 kms (2,700 miles), the Mekong is Southeast Asia's longest river. And yet its full extent was little-known until a French expedition, desiring to find a trade route into China, attempted to chart it in 1866.

Setting off from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam, the seven-man Mekong Exploration Commission followed the river's course first into Cambodia and then Laos, making stops at Phnom Penh and Luang Prabang.

Unfortunately, the expedition was often impeded by treacherous conditions. In fact, at Tang-Ho the rapids were so ferocious that the company were forced to abandon both the river and their quest, and instead travel to China on foot. Despite failing to chart the whole river, the expedition did manage to fill in some of the gaping blanks on Western maps of this part of the world.

Today, thankfully, cruising down the Mekong is a breeze. Set sail from energetic Ho Chi Minh City, journeying into Cambodia to stop off at bustling Phnom Penh and ancient Angkor Wat. Then float further north, looking out for endangered Irrawaddy dolphins near Kratie, before crossing into Laos to visit the country’s quaint capital, Vientiane, or the tranquil Luang Prabang.

Atlas & Boots

The UK's most popular outdoor travel blog

10 epic journeys of discovery

Humans are an intrepid race. For centuries, explorers have disappeared over the horizon in search of new lands and distant shores on epic journeys of discovery. Thanks to these pioneers we’re able to follow in their footsteps now and forevermore.

As a new generation of visionaries – from SpaceX’s Elon Musk to Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson – look forward to new frontiers, we cast an eye back and pay homage to history’s most epic endeavours thus far.

1. Roald Amundsen’s Northwest Passage expedition 1903–1906

Amundsen is better known for being the first person to reach the South Pole, which is plenty epic enough. However, he first made his mark on history by undertaking a three-year voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Arctic Ocean to become the first to conquer the epic route that’s been sought by explorers for centuries.

As if sailing the complex waterways wasn’t impressive enough, Amundsen then skied 800km across Alaska to send a telegram about his success. Then he skied the 800km back again. (Norwegians, eh?)

2. Livingstone’s travels through Africa 1851–1873

The near-mythical status held by David Livingstone is not without merit. He is probably best known for crossing the African continent (1852-56), navigating the Zambezi river (1858–64) and seeking the source of the Nile (1866-73).

Livingstone travelled for years at a time (at one point lost to the outside world for six years) and eventually died of malaria in present-day Zambia. Today, his name is immortalised with countless places and memorials named in his honour throughout Africa and further afield.

3. Shackleton’s failed Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–17

The expedition intended to be the first to cross the Antarctic but unfortunately, it suffered cataclysmic events at almost every stage. It began when the expedition’s ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice and then broke up under the strain. After camping on the moving ice and failed marches across to the mainland, the party launched three lifeboats for Elephant Island.

Shackleton and five others then set sail in an open boat for South Georgia some 800 miles (1,287km) away. After reaching the island they had to cross it on foot to reach a whaling station. Finally, three years after leaving, he returned to collect the others without loss of life.

4. Cook’s voyage aboard Endeavour 1768–1771

Captain James Cook made three voyages throughout the Pacific leaving his name and mark on countless islands throughout the Ocean. I’ve actually lost count of how many places we’ve visited that mention his name in a landing place, memorial or, in one case, a whole collection of islands (The Cook Islands of course).

Prior to all this, his first voyage aboard the HMS Endeavour saw him circumnavigate the globe via Cape Horn, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and the Cape of Good Hope. En route, Cook managed to track the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun and map large areas of the largely undiscovered Australia.

5. Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804-1806

What do you do when your president buys a territory and doubles the size of your country? Explore it, of course. The United States was a very different place back in the early 19th century when President Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from France for about 4 cents per acre. He needed the newly acquired land explored and mapped as well as fixing a route across the western half of the continent.

Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark followed the Missouri river westwards travelling massive distances, overcoming violent rapids and hostile conditions while establishing (often tense) relations with indigenous populations along the way. The group arrived at the Pacific Ocean in late 1805.

6. Fridtjof Nansen‘s crossing of Greenland 1888

Nansen looks tough – just like an explorer should do. Not only was he tough but he was also smart. The crossing of Greenland was hampered with upsets including a delayed landing, horrendous weather conditions, a dramatic change of route and, finally, missing the return boat home.

Spending seven months on Greenland waiting for the next ship, Nansen used this time and the preceding expedition to perfect techniques and innovations in polar equipment and clothing, paving the way for future similar expeditions. He would later claim the record for reaching the northernmost latitude during his North Pole expedition (1893–96).

7. Charles Lindbergh’s first solo transatlantic flight 1927

In 1919, the hotelier Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 dollars to the first person to complete a nonstop flight between New York and Paris. It took Charles Lindbergh eight years to raise the capital and source a plane suitable for the flight.

Six well-known aviators had already lost their lives in pursuit of the prize by the time Lindbergh took off in Spirit of St. Louis from New York. Thirty-three and a half hours later he landed in Paris in front of more than 100,000 spectators.

8. Burke and Wills’ crossing of Australia 1860–61

Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led an ill-fated expedition of 19 men from Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia 2,000 miles (3,250 km) to the northern coast. The party was halted just three miles (5km) short of the coastline.

Unfortunately, on the somewhat farcical and tragic return journey both the expedition’s leaders lost their lives along with five others. At one point the returning party missed their rendezvous by just nine hours. Only one man of the expedition’s original 19 crossed the continent and returned alive to Melbourne.

9. Magellan’s near circumnavigation 1519–1522

The Portuguese explorer came wretchedly close to being the first man to circumnavigate the globe. Instead that went to Juan Sebastián Elcano who took command of the expedition after Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines.

The final distance of the voyage clocked in at an epic 37,560 miles (60,440 km). It was also the first expedition to sail from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean and the first to cross the Pacific.

10. The voyages of Marco Polo 1271-1294

This guy wrote the book on discovery – literally. Nearly 750 years ago, a 17-year-old Venetian merchant set off on a 15,000-mile (24,000 km) voyage that lasted over 24 years. The journey took him through the Middle East, Central Asia and China. His subsequent book, The Travels of Marco Polo, helped introduce Europeans of the time to the distant lands of Central Asia and China.

Enjoyed this post? pin it for later…

Want to read more about these epic journeys of discovery? DK has published an outstanding coffee table book in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society called Explorers: Tales of Endurance and Exploration .

Lead image: Public Domain

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Travel ideas for South Africa

Created by local experts

Cape Town and Garden Route - a luxury guided tour

Cape Town and the Garden Route have it all - a fascinating culture, safaris, chocolate and wine tasting, and much more. Discover the coastal city of Cape Town and the Peninsula before heading out to the Garden Route with Knysna and Mossel Bay, where you'll experience some game drives.

The Cape Peninsula and Safaris in Kruger and Pilanesberg

Wildlife in South Africa is still truly wild, a fact that you'll be able to discover in this fascinating two weeks trip. Enjoy whale watching in Cape Town and first safaris in Aquila before heading up north: the famous Kruger and Pilanesberg national parks with all its wildlife await.

Explore the North of South Africa: Sun City and Madikwe game reserve

For those short on time, staying close to Johannesburg may make sense. On this trip, you'll arrive and depart in Johannesburg and then transfer to the theme park Lost City before continuing to Madikwe for a few days of game drives to spot plenty of wildlife.

Secret gem in South Africa - Northern Cape Self Drive

Embark on an epic self-drive adventure from Cape Town to the Northern Cape. Witness the breathtaking floral displays of Namaqualand, marvel at the diverse wildlife in Karoo National Park, and be captivated by the awe-inspiring cascades of Augrabies Falls.

A family self drive in South Africa & Swaziland

Take the family on an African adventure in your own rental car, it's the ideal companion to discover Kruger National Park at your own pace. Further on to Swaziland and then Hluhluwe, this trip focuses on wildlife and exploration, all at your leisure.

A Kruger adventure

Kruger National Park is one of the best known national parks in South Africa and always worth a visit. Starting and ending in Johannesburg is the most convenient one, the perfect stop to then take a domestic flight towards George or Cape Town for the rest of your trip.

• The Grand Tour

Any well-bred young gent in the 1600s–1800s was likely to go on the Grand Tour after university. The Tour, a sort of cultural gap year, took in much of continental Europe. The usual route ran through France and Switzerland and into Italy, with a return trip taking in Germany, Holland and any other countries the young man fancied. The essential stop to complete any cultural education was Rome, still an incredible destination for anyone interested in art or history.

The Tokaido road, Japan

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Rome from above aerial view of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum © Calin Stan/Shutterstock

This ancient road, once walked every year by feudal lords and their retinues forced to pay respects to the shogunate in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), is now a high-speed train route. You can be whisked from the high-tech wonders of Tokyo to the ancient imperial capital of Kyoto – nearly 300 miles – in a couple of hours. Not bad when you consider it would take the feudal lords more like a week to complete.

© T.Kai/Shutterstock

In 1843 Lewis and Clark set off from St. Louis on an epic journey to find a route through the Western half of America. Vital to their success was Sacagawea, a native Shoshone woman who accompanied them and acted as interpreter and occasional guide. The route they took is today called the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, extending over 3500 miles and passing through 11 states and several national parks, including the impressive Yellowstone.

© Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock

Though Route 66 is more well-known, it was Route 6 which captivated Jack Kerouac. In On the Road he wrote of his dream to travel "that one great red line across America." It didn’t quite work out, and the book records his many wanderings across the continent, but the romantic ideal of finding a road and sticking to it is still very much alive for many travellers – even if Kerouac ended up thinking it a "stupid hearthside idea."

© Earl D. Walker/Shutterstock

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Perhaps one of the most-travelled journeys in the world is the Hajj. In fact, this pilgrimage can have a lot of different routes, but they all end in the same place: Mecca. As one of the five pillars of Islam, every Muslim who is able to do so must complete the Hajj at least once in their lives, leading to the world’s largest gathering of Muslim people taking place in Mecca in the month of the pilgrimage.

© AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA/Shutterstock

Chaucer’s famous Canterbury Tales are the stories told by a group of pilgrims on the route to Canterbury cathedral. Famous tales include the Knight’s Tale, the Miller’s Tale and the (slightly saucy) Wife of Bath’s Tale. The Southwark to Canterbury route is still viable today, even 600-odd years after Chaucer wrote the Tales. The pilgrimage ends at the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral, a chance to see some of the medieval world for yourself.

© Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock

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Though made famous by the Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now, the journey up the Mekong really isn’t that scary. In fact, it can be the core of a truly excellent trip – the river runs through China, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, taking in some of the great civilisations and landscapes of East Asia on the way. Though you may not want to recreate Captain Willard’s journey, a boat trip is well worth trying.

© Tetyana Dotsenko/Shutterstock

Doctor Livingstone spent years searching for the source of the Nile. Though he ultimately misidentified the site, he did end up exploring huge swathes of south and central Africa including the great Lake Tanganyika – it may not be the source of the Nile, but it’s still an impressive sight.

Pick the best season for your adventure with our guide to the best time to visit South Africa , and get inspired and motivated to travel with our South Africa itineraries .

© Rostasedlacek/Shutterstock

Unquestionably one of the most famous rail journeys of all time, the Trans-Siberian is also the world’s longest railway, stretching over 5700 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok. This epic route isn’t only for tourists and travellers; many Russians just use it as a way of getting from A to B. Nothing gives you a sense of the scale of this country by meeting someone on a casual trip to their grandma’s place, 3000 miles away.

© Al.geba/Shutterstock

El Camino de Santiago is a major Christian pilgrimage, on which one of the most famous routes is the Camino Francés (‘French Way’). This path takes you on a month-long walk from the Pyrenees through the north of Spain to the grand Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. The experience of taking in the stunning countryside and beautiful towns of this region at a gentle pace means that even many non-pilgrims find this a fulfilling path to walk.

© Nacho Such/Shutterstock

In 1910, two separate expeditions set out for the South Pole. In the end Amundsen’s Norwegian team made it there first (late 1911) with Scott’s British team reaching the Pole five weeks later. Scott and his men died on the return journey, but there is no doubt that both groups earned their place in the history of exploration, and turned the eyes of the world to this spectacular frozen continent.

© Goldilock Project/Shutterstock

Nellie Bly was a famous reporter, who circumnavigated the globe in 1889. On her travels she met Jules Verne, author of Around the World in 80 Days in Amiens, France. He reportedly said, "if you do it in 79 days, I shall applaud with both hands. But 75 days – that would be a miracle." She made it back in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. Round-the-world plane tickets make the trip a little easier for inveterate adventurers today.

To find inspiration for your future trips read our guide about famous world explorers and their experience.

Colorful apartment building in Amiens, Paris, France © karamysh/Shutterstock

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus wanders the world after the fall of Troy, trying to find his way home to Ithaca. There's disagreement about the modern-day locations of some sites; at one point he's held captive by the beautiful nymph Calypso in Ogygia, which might now be called Gozo. It could also be in the Ionian Islands, Balearic Islands or even somewhere off the East coast of America. Whichever sunny island it is, there are worse places to spend a few years.

© Maksim Budnikov/Shutterstock

An ancient trade route, the Silk Road runs from Syria through central Asia, ending in eastern China, and there are even some sea routes extending it into Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. The main overland route takes in some jaw-droppingly beautiful places whose history and culture have been shaped by the Silk Road’s trade; the beautiful, much-mythologised cities of Uzbekistan are just some of the wonders on the route.

© Rudra Narayan Mitra/Shutterstock

Although he travelled around the coast of South America and past New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on his five years aboard HMS Beagle, the most famous part of Darwin’s journey was in the Galápagos islands. Here, he noticed the small variations across species present on more than one of the islands, such as tortoises and finches. The rest is scientific history, and people still visit these stunning islands today to see the amazing range of wildlife.

Want to travel to Galapagos but don't know where to start? Our Galapagos itineraries will be a great starting point for you. And to get the best travelling experience, also read our guide on the best time to visit Galapagos Islands .

Galapagos iguana

© Michal Sarauer/Shutterstock

Though most famous for the round-the-world flight on which she went missing, Amelia Earhart completed a great many incredible journeys in her life. One of the most groundbreaking was her 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to a small town near Denny, Northern Ireland – the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic by a woman. On landing, a local innocently asked her: "Have you flown far?"

© Wildnerdpix/Shutterstock

Gertrude Bell was a pioneering female explorer, cartographer, archeologist and diplomat. She travelled throughout the Arab world, one of the first women to do so, recording her experiences in books such as Amurath to Amurath and Syria: The Desert and the Sown. On top of this, she played a part in establishing Iraq and Jordan as self-determining nations. Follow in her footsteps by exploring the picturesque ruins along the Euphrates, visiting the ancient cities of Jordan, or learning seven languages.

© Yury_1_2_3/Shutterstock

Instead of the usual Grand Tour, Byron headed to the Mediterranean. He was particularly impressed by Albania – "thou rugged nurse of savage men!" – where he stayed for a time with the vicious warlord Ali Pasha. The trip inspired one of his greatest works, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and the most famous portrait of Byron depicts him in Albanian dress. Albania today is well worth a visit, whether you visit that rugged countryside or the sophisticated capital of Tirana.

© salajean/Shutterstock

During his travels around Southeast Asia, Alfred Russel Wallace collected birds and insects to send back to wealthy collectors in Britain, studied natural history – oh, and came up with the idea of natural selection. In 1858, he published a revolutionary paper on evolution with Charles Darwin. He is perhaps most famous on the Indonesian island of Ternate, where he was based for several years; visitors today will easily understand what attracted him to the relaxed, green, occasionally lava-spewing island.

© Adel Newman/Shutterstock

The conquistador Lope de Aguirre is one of many who have tried to find El Dorado, the "City of Gold". His journey in particular is famous because it somehow wound up with him rebelling against the King of Spain, capturing Isla Margarita and eventually meeting a grisly end. Visitors today (hopefully more sane than Aguirre) can discover plenty of jaw-dropping places along the 4000-mile course of the Amazon river – perhaps even the mythical city itself.

© Gustavo Frazao/Shutterstock

If your plans are less ambitious than travelling around the world, explore our Travel Bucket List Ideas where you'll find plenty of travel ideas where to go.

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Join 7 incredible journeys from the past

The rivers winds and curves through lush jungle.

© Tom McShane

Burke and Wills' route across Australia

© zooom.at/Adi Sumic

Menindee Lakes, Australia

© Getty Images/Flickr RF

Napoleon's crossing of the Alps

In the footsteps of Napoleon at St Bernard Pass

© Tarquin Cooper

Lewis and Clark's trip west across North America

Much of the Lewis and Clark route is on water

© Getty Images/All Canada Photos

The Scott Expedition went to the South Pole

Saunders trekked to the South Pole and back

© Andy Ward

The Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica

La Ruta: More than just a bike race

© J. Andrés Vargas - Lead Adventure Media

The Route du Rhum crosses the Atlantic Ocean

Banque Postale in the Route du Rhum sailing race

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The Nile is the world's longest river

Sometimes 'walking' means 'wading'

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6 Historical Journeys You Can Still Take Today

Barry Lewis / Getty Images

Want to take an epic trip to a remote corner of the globe while following in the footsteps of some of the greatest explorers and adventurers of all time? We have six suggestions for historical journeys that will allow you to do just that while sending you off on a grand adventure that is all your own. 

Go in Search of the Northwest Passage Like Amundsen

Norway's Roald Amundsen is one of the greatest polar explorers in history. Not only did he take part in the race to be the first to reach the North Pole, but he was in fact the first person to ever reach the South Pole too. Amundsen also led the first expedition to successfully cross The Northwest Passage, a treacherous waterway that runs through the Arctic above Canada , linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It took the Norwegian nearly two years to complete that crossing, but today it can be done in a matter of weeks. Shifting ice, warming waters, and changing climate conditions have made the Northwest Passage an option for travelers looking to see a part of the world that few ever get the chance to experience in person. 

Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent offer a 24-day trip through the Northwest Passage aboard a specially designed ship meant for travel in this part of the world. The voyage takes intrepid travelers from Quebec to Alaska, with visits to Greenland and the Bering Sea. The trip promises plenty of active excursions and interesting stops along the way, making this truly a trip of a lifetime. 

Travel the Silk Road Like Marco Polo

For hundreds of years, the ancient Silk Road ran from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to China , facilitating trade and the exchange of ideas across Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. In 1271, a Venetian merchant by the name of Marco Polo, set off on a 24-year journey that spanned the length of the road, having many adventures along the way. Marco ended up spending many years in the court of Kublai Kahn himself, before eventually returning home with wondrous tales to share. Eventually, he penned a book entitled The Travels of Marco Polo , which introduced readers to far off places for the very first time and made Marco perhaps the most famous traveler in history.

Modern travelers can still follow in Marco's footsteps either independently or as part of an organized tour. For instance,  Intrepid Travel's The Great Silk Road itinerary is 32 days in length and takes adventurers from China to Uzbekistan, with plenty to see in between. 

Explore the Galapagos Islands Like Darwin

The famous naturalist Charles Darwin first formulated his ideas on evolution and natural selection while visiting the Galapagos Islands . He was amongst the first Europeans to visit that place while taking part of a round-the-world sailing expedition aboard the HMS Beagle back in 1832. Those islands, which are found off the coast of Ecuador in South America, remain a living classroom, with a number of unique species of animals that are found nowhere else on Earth, including a unique iguana that the only one in the world that is known to go for a swim. 

Of course, the Galapagos are one of the top bucket-list destinations for many adventure travelers, with thousands being lured there on an annual basis. There are literally dozens of different travel companies that can facilitate a visit to this amazing place, helping you to spot the same creature that Darwin discovered more than 185 years ago. For instance, G Adventures offers a number of options , ranging in length from 7 to 21 days, all at affordable prices too. 

Trek the African Bush Like Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker

Instrumental to exploring the African interior during the 1860's and 70's, Sir Samuel Baker, and his wife Lady Florence, mapped sections of the continent that had previously been unknown to Europeans. The Bakers were amongst the first to reach Lake Albert for example, as they searched for the elusive source of the mighty Nile River. Today, there is a 500 mile (805 km) long trekking route named for the explorer and his wife, which runs through South Sudan and Uganda , starting in Gondokoro and running to Baker's View, a point overlooking the lake itself. The sections in South Sudan remain dangerous to outsiders due to an ongoing civil war and political unrest there, but the Ugandan sections of the trail are open and safe to hike, welcoming adventurous independent trekkers looking for a truly unique adventure. 

Raft the Grand Canyon Like John Wesley Powell

In 1869, John Wesley Powell went on a three-month expedition down the length of the Colorado River, which at that time had yet to be explored. He and his team discovered dangerous rapids, hostile Native Americans, and landscapes that were incredibly breathtaking. Amongst them were the Grand Canyon , which remains an breathtaking draw for travelers to this day. If you want to see the Grand Canyon the same way that Powell and his men did, you'll need to raft its length and experience its turbulent waters first hand. OARS offers a variety of rafting trips through the national park, including an 18-day journey that takes you through the heart of this amazing place. 

Conquer Europe Like Hannibal

Hannibal Barca wasn't a great explorer, but he was one of the greatest generals that has ever lived. Back in 220 BC, he helped start the Second Punic War with Rome , and for 15 years he occupied sections of the Italian Peninsula and generally went about making life miserable for the Roman Republic, which was still developing as a power in the Mediterranean. Fit and adventurous travelers can trace much of Hannibal's route, riding their bikes from Barcelona to the "Eternal City" as part of an itinerary offered by Ride & Seek . The entire trip last 29 days, crossing over the Pyrenees Mountains, into the Apennines, and down into Italy itself. The ride actually culminates in Rome, a city that Hannibal never actually got to see himself, but remains an amazing draw centuries later. 

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The Great Journeys in History

Robin hanbury-tenison.

Follow in the footsteps of history's most renowned explorers as they undertake their great journeys across the world - and beyond

Also available as an eBook from Online store , Online store

Marco Polo, Ferdinand Magellan, David Livingstone, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong: these are some of the greatest travellers and pioneers of all time. The Great Journeys in History chronicles their stories and many more with specially commissioned maps, from the extraordinary migrations out of Africa by our earliest ancestors to voyages to the edge of our solar system and beyond. These epic journeys have changed the world and our understanding of it.

In antiquity, Alexander the Great trekked to the Indus and Hannibal across the Alps; medieval times saw the remarkable travels of Genghis Khan and Ibn Battuta. The Renaissance brought Columbus to the Americas and the circumnavigation of the world. The following centuries saw gaps in the global maps filled by Tasman, Bering and Cook, and scientific expeditions by Maria Sibylla Merian, Alexander von Humboldt and Darwin. In modern times, the last inhospitable ends of the earth have been reached, including both poles and the world’s highest mountain, as well as the moon and beyond.

Featuring contributions from Brian Fagan, Barry Cunliffe, Paul Cartledge, Toby Wilkinson and Ranulph Fiennes, The Great Journeys in History reveals the stories of those who set out into the unknown and explored the unexplored.

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Format: Paperback

Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm

Extent: 408 pp

Publication date: 6 August 2020

ISBN: 9780500287033

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About the author, you may also like, great cities through travellers' eyes, the great explorers, the age of empires.

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Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History Hardcover – June 6, 2023

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A beautifully written personal account of the discovery of late antiquity by one of the world’s most influential and distinguished historians The end of the ancient world was long regarded by historians as a time of decadence, decline, and fall. In his career-long engagement with this era, the widely acclaimed and pathbreaking historian Peter Brown has shown, however, that the “neglected half-millennium” now known as late antiquity was in fact crucial to the development of modern Europe and the Middle East. In Journeys of the Mind , Brown recounts his life and work, describing his efforts to recapture the spirit of an age. As he and other scholars opened up the history of the classical world in its last centuries to the wider world of Eurasia and northern Africa, they discovered previously overlooked areas of religious and cultural creativity as well as foundational institution-building. A respect for diversity and outreach to the non-European world, relatively recent concerns in other fields, have been a matter of course for decades among the leading scholars of late antiquity. Documenting both his own intellectual development and the emergence of a new and influential field of study, Brown describes his childhood and education in Ireland, his university and academic training in England, and his extensive travels, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. He discusses fruitful interactions with the work of scholars and colleagues that include the British anthropologist Mary Douglas and the French theorist Michel Foucault, and offers fascinating snapshots of such far-flung places as colonial Sudan, midcentury Oxford, and prerevolutionary Iran. With Journeys of the Mind , Brown offers an essential account of the “grand endeavor” to reimagine a decisive historical moment.

• Print length 736 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Princeton University Press
• Publication date June 6, 2023
• Dimensions 6.5 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
• ISBN-10 0691242283
• ISBN-13 978-0691242286
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (June 6, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691242283
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691242286
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
• #124 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
• #369 in History of Christianity (Books)
• #489 in Christian Church History (Books)

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Peter robert lamont brown.

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AHA Announcements / Sep 19, 2024

Aha publishes major report on secondary us history education.

/ AHA News & Announcements

/ AHA Publishes Major Report on Secondary US History Education

AHA Announcements

K–12 Education, Social Studies Standards, Teaching & Learning

United States

The American Historical Association has published American Lesson Plan: Teaching US History in Secondary Schools , a groundbreaking journey through curriculum mandates and classroom practices in our nation’s public schools. The report draws on the most comprehensive study of secondary US history education undertaken in the 21st century. AHA researchers appraised standards and legislation in all 50 states, conducted a survey of over 3,000 middle and high school US history educators, interviewed over 200 teachers and administrators, and reviewed thousands of pages of instructional materials from small towns to sprawling suburbs to big cities. A key takeaway: the AHA did not find indoctrination, politicization, or classroom malpractice.

James Grossman, AHA executive director, said, “This report establishes a factual basis for the debate over history education that has attracted attention from state legislators, school boards, parents, and media across the country. Perhaps too much attention, as there has been—until now—far more heat than light. Our goal is to provide empirical evidence and rigorous analysis to inform current debates over how history is taught in our schools.”

Join the AHA

The AHA brings together historians from all specializations and all work contexts, embracing the breadth and variety of activity in history today.

The revival of Oudh: A journey through history

'He Is the Main Event’: WATCH BTS' Jin's VIRAL Milan Fashion Week Moments- Fans Can’t Get Enough

Sometimes, what's being done in Mexodus isn't even music, but just simple, analog sound design with a digital aid — like when one character crumples some paper onto a loop to mimic the sound of a crackling fire, and then sits in the glow of this "fire" in a perfect moment of old-school clowning.

Co-creators and performers Nygel D. Robinson and Brian Quijada spin a fictional tale about Henry, an escaped slave blamed for a murder in Texas — which was actually a self-defense killing — who flees to Mexico, on the little-known "Underground Railroad that went South." He makes this escape with the help of a rancher across the boarder named Carlos, who has his own bitterness toward the US, and the two form a bond.

Mexico had outlawed slavery in 1829, well before the US ultimately would, and historians believe that around 4,000 to 10,000 escaped slaves fled to Mexico and established communities there. The most notable of these was the Mascogos, a group of Black Seminoles and formerly enslaved African Americans who settled in the state of Coahuila, and formed a town that became known as Nacimiento de los Negros — literally Birth of the Blacks. (While the town has only a small number of Mascogo descendents now, it still celebrates its own version of Juneteenth, dubbed "Dia de Los Negros.")

Mexodus only barely delves into this history, opting instead to focus on the story of one fictional man and his fictional host on this Underground Railroad. The piece is at its strongest when Robinson and Quijada let loose in one of their bits of rap storytelling, or when they harmonize beautifully in relaying their characters' respective trauma.

At 100 minutes with no intermission, the piece still feels like a bit of a work in progress that could be more taut — some ponderous bits in the middle, including one involving a flood on Carlos's farm, feel extraneous and slow down the narrative.

But there's no question that Robinson's vocals and musicianship, and Quijada's rap and beatboxing skills, along with both performers' charisma on the stage, make for a winning, eminently watchable combination.

The direction by Berkeley Rep Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal is kinetic and fresh, and the junk-shop honky-tonk set design by Riw Rakkulchon is warm and visually rich, complete with multiple tiny screens that look like old cathode-ray-tube box monitors but become pieces of the projection design throughout by Rasean Davonte Johnson.

While Mexodus is, no doubt, a piece of theater with a history lesson baked in, it is a fresh, often moving, and wholly entertaining one that is a surefire crowd-pleaser to boot.

'Mexodus' plays through October 20 at Berkeley Rep. Find tickets here .

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The Mayflower

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 27, 2023 | Original: March 4, 2010

In September 1620, a merchant ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, a port on the southern coast of England. Normally, the Mayflower’s cargo was wine and dry goods, but on this trip the ship carried passengers: 102 of them, all hoping to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic. Nearly 40 of these passengers were Protestant Separatists—they called themselves “Saints”—who hoped to establish a new church in the so-called New World. Today, we often refer to the colonists who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower as “Pilgrims.”

Pilgrims Before the Mayflower

In 1608, a congregation of disgruntled English Protestants from the village of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, left England and moved to Leyden, a town in Holland. These “Separatists” did not want to pledge allegiance to the Church of England , which they believed was nearly as corrupt and idolatrous as the Catholic Church it had replaced, any longer. (They were not the same as the Puritans, who had many of the same objections to the English church but wanted to reform it from within.) The Separatists hoped that in Holland, they would be free to worship as they liked

Did you know? The Separatists who founded the Plymouth Colony referred to themselves as “Saints,” not “Pilgrims.” The use of the word “Pilgrim” to describe this group did not become common until the colony’s bicentennial.

In fact, the Separatists, or “Saints,” as they called themselves, did find religious freedom in Holland, but they also found a secular life that was more difficult to navigate than they’d anticipated. For one thing, Dutch craft guilds excluded the migrants, so they were relegated to menial, low-paying jobs. 

Even worse was Holland’s easygoing, cosmopolitan atmosphere, which proved alarmingly seductive to some of the Saints’ children. (These young people were “drawn away,” Separatist leader William Bradford wrote, “by evill [sic] example into extravagance and dangerous courses.”) For the strict, devout Separatists, this was the last straw. They decided to move again, this time to a place without government interference or worldly distraction: the “New World” across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Mayflower Journey

First, the Separatists returned to London to get organized. A prominent merchant agreed to advance the money for their journey. The Virginia Company gave them permission to establish a settlement, or “plantation,” on the East Coast between 38 and 41 degrees north latitude (roughly between the Chesapeake Bay and the mouth of the Hudson River). And the King of England gave them permission to leave the Church of England, “provided they carried themselves peaceably.”

In August 1620, a group of about 40 Saints joined a much larger group of (comparatively) secular colonists—“Strangers,” to the Saints—and set sail from Southampton, England on two merchant ships: the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell began to leak almost immediately, however, and the ships headed back to port in Plymouth. The travelers squeezed themselves and their belongings onto the Mayflower, a cargo ship about 80 feet long and 24 feet wide and capable of carrying 180 tons of cargo. The Mayflower set sail once again under the direction of Captain Christopher Jones.

Because of the delay caused by the leaky Speedwell, the Mayflower had to cross the Atlantic at the height of storm season. As a result, the journey was horribly unpleasant. Many of the passengers were so seasick they could scarcely get up, and the waves were so rough that one “Stranger” was swept overboard. (It was “the just hand of God upon him,” Bradford wrote later, for the young sailor had been “a proud and very profane yonge man.”)

How the Mayflower Compact Laid a Foundation for American Democracy

Pilgrims had to find a way to get along with "strangers" on their ship once they landed in the New World.

The Pilgrims’ Miserable Journey Aboard the Mayflower

During their two‑month voyage to America, the Mayflower's passengers faced cramped quarters, rough seas, limited food and numbing cold.

Why the Wampanoag Signed a Peace Treaty with the Mayflower Pilgrims

The treaty that made the first Thanksgiving possible has a dark backstory.

The Mayflower Compact

After sixty-six days, or roughly two miserable months at sea, the ship finally reached the New World. There, the Mayflower’s passengers found an abandoned Indian village and not much else. They also found that they were in the wrong place: Cape Cod was located at 42 degrees north latitude, well north of the Virginia Company’s territory. Technically, the Mayflower colonists had no right to be there at all. 

In order to establish themselves as a legitimate colony (“Plymouth,” named after the English port from which they had departed) under these dubious circumstances, 41 of the Saints and Strangers drafted and signed a document they called the Mayflower Compact . This Compact promised to create a “civil Body Politick” governed by elected officials and “just and equal laws.” It also swore allegiance to the English king. It was the first document to establish self-government in the New World and this early attempt at democracy set the stage for future colonists seeking independence from the British .

The First Thanksgiving

The colonists spent the first winter living onboard the Mayflower. Only 53 passengers and half the crew survived. Women were particularly hard hit; of the 19 women who had boarded the Mayflower, only five survived the cold New England winter, confined to the ship where disease and cold were rampant. The Mayflower sailed back to England in April 1621, and once the group moved ashore, the colonists faced even more challenges.

During their first winter in America, more than half of the Plymouth colonists died from malnutrition, disease and exposure to the harsh New England weather. In fact, without the help of the area’s native people, it is likely that none of the colonists would have survived. An English-speaking Abenaki named Samoset helped the colonists form an alliance with the local Wampanoags, who taught them how to hunt local animals, gather shellfish and grow corn, beans and squash. 

At the end of the next summer, the Plymouth colonists celebrated their first successful harvest with a three-day festival of thanksgiving. We still commemorate this feast and remember it as the first Thanksgiving , though it did not occur on the fourth Thursday in November like it does today, but sometime between late September and mid November 1621. The colonists were outnumbered two to one by their guests . Attendee Edward Winslow noted there were “many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men.”

Plymouth Colony

Eventually, the Plymouth colonists were absorbed into the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony. Still, the Mayflower Saints and their descendants remained convinced that they alone had been specially chosen by God to act as a beacon for Christians around the world. “As one small candle may light a thousand,” Bradford wrote, “so the light here kindled hath shone to many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.”

Today, visitors wishing to see Plymouth Colony as it appeared during the time of the Mayflower can witness reenactments of the first Thanksgiving and more at Plymouth Plantation.

Mayflower Descendants

There are an estimated 10 million living Americans and 35 million people around the world who are descended from the original passengers on the Mayflower like Myles Standish, John Alden and William Bradford. include Humphrey Bogart, Julia Child, Norman Rockwell, and presidents John Adams , James Garfield and Zachary Taylor .

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[Kyushu, Nagasaki] A special experience of spending 4 nights and 5 days in a luxurious Michelin hotel ~ A deep journey around Unzen, Iki, and Goto ~

We will introduce you to the hidden gems of Kyushu and Nagasaki Prefecture. In this article, we will guide you on a journey that will heal your body and mind, taking in hidden spots and hot springs that are easily accessible from Fukuoka Airport, cuisine that makes use of local ingredients, and scen...

Onko Chishin ｜Destination Hotels & Resorts

4 nights and 5 days

A deep journey around Unzen, Iki and Goto

There are many attractive spots in Japan, but the Unzen, Iki and Goto islands in the west of Nagasaki Prefecture are known as hidden gems overflowing with natural beauty. The beautiful scenery created by the sea and mountains makes this a popular tourist destination for nature lovers.

This time, we will depart from Fukuoka Airport, the gateway to Nagasaki, and travel by boat and car to Unzen, Iki, and Goto. Let's go on a 4-night, 5-day journey touring the surrounding tourist sites!

Kyushu Yusen official website

IKI RETREAT by Onko Chishin Official Website

Sunset Cruise

You can enjoy the spectacular ocean and sunset views from the comfort of your own boat, something you rarely get the chance to stop and enjoy in your everyday life. The moment you watch the beautiful sunset interwoven by the sea and sky will soothe your soul and create special memories.

Special experiences in Iki

Visit the Katsumoto Fishing Port to see the fish auction, which is usually off-limits to the general public, and then enjoy a special breakfast at Kairi Murakami, featuring fresh fish auctioned by the manager.

Official website of UNZEN HANZUIRYO by Onko Chishin

GOTO RETREAT by Onko Chishin Official Website

Goto Church Tour Course

You will visit churches that blend seamlessly into the island scenery, such as the World Heritage-registered Oura Cathedral and Dozaki Church. Both are precious structures that symbolize Japan's Christian culture.

This five-day, four-night course allows you to fully enjoy the charms of Iki, including a stay in luxurious accommodation and special experiences such as a Katsumoto Aquarium viewing and a sunset cruise.

Spots introduced in this model course

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Onko Chishin specializes in the operation of destination hotels, produced and managed by Onko Chishin. Inviting people out to destinations and contributing to the local revitalization—moving forward we aim to incorporate lodgings with a new sense of individuality in our lineup.

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