16 travellers who will inspire you to travel

Hello everyone! I love being inspired and dreaming of travelling. So, what better way to dive back into true stories of inspiring travellers who have had a great impact to some degree in the history of humanity?

I have purposely decided not to mention Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Bartholomew... in order to focus on other historical figures we generally hear less of! In any case, I have selected people I hardly knew anything about before starting my research.

Happy reading and I hope you discover new stories in this article!

1. Xuanzang (602 - 664)

In 629, a Chinese monk called Xuanzang set off from the capital Tang with a large rucksack carrying his scrolls. He embarked on a 16,000km journey in India, which lasted for 17 years , to study and gather sacred texts of Buddhism.

As a traveller and tireless writer, Xuanzang followed the northern itinerary of the Silk Road, whilst gathering information about places which are now called Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. His pilgrimage to India was described as very difficult but intellectually enriching.

Today Xuanzang is worshipped as a linguist, historian, a true popular hero and, above all, a passionate traveller.

To sum up, Xuanzang was an intrepid traveller and translator who documented the interaction between China and India at the beginning of the Tang dynasty. During his journey, he was often ambushed by bandits, almost died of thirst and survived an avalanche.

To end on an anecdote, rumour has it that Xuanzang had a dream which convinced him to visit India. It was therefore by listening to his heart that he embarked on this journey, which makes him on of the most famous travellers in history.

2. Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1369)

Ibn Battuta was a great Muslim explorer who went on a journey of more than 120,000 kilometres across regions which today we know as 44 countries - from Italy to Indonesia, from Timbuktu to Shanghai.

He was a victim, attacked by pirates, held hostage and once he even hid in a swamp. His travel journal offers a rare perspective on the Malian medieval empire from the 14th century (but only a few of these entries can be found today).

Battuta's trip was a voyage of devotion powered by the desire to roam around, and the story he left us with recalls the memories of a writer, it's more of an Islamic guide of the world in the Middle Ages: it's a story about more than 40 years on the road, a geographic story, which talks about nature, politics, religion, encounters (around 2000 people are mentioned) and personal reflection.

Rihla (or "The Journey"), as his story is known as, is better summarised by its long original title: A Masterpiece to those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling.

We find out that after his return to Morocco more than a quarter of a century later, he lost half his family. But on the other hand, his work and all his detailed reports of the places he visited have guided historians as well as future travellers.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

America's third president was also the first American president to travel. His voyages across Europe took him to England, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy. They're all destinations which he chose because of their cultural enrichment and their wine-growing production.

For Jefferson, wine was a window to the world. As well as being a national wine consultant, Jefferson transformed his curiosity and interest into an economic cause by speaking in favour of the opening of important wine trading procedures from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. He returned to the United States with grapevine cuttings which he planted in Monticello and he became the latest oenophile in the States!

But I can assure you that Jefferson's missions weren't limited to wine. Whilst abroad, he studied law, the government, history, architecture, agriculture, literature, music and science, amongst other subjects. But nothing outdid his global passion for grapes.

Whatever it is, let your passion take you all around the world, it will make you feel enriched like never before.

4. Annie Smith Peck (1805 - 1935)

Peck was a mountain climber and a well-known scholar who set several mountain climbing records. As a feminist, she shocked society by climbing in trousers and a climbing outfit rather than in a skirt.

She was a fiery suffragette, and she planted for example, a flag defending women's votes at the summit of Mount Coropuna in Peru.

Being the first climber to reach the northern summit of Huascaran in Peru, the peak was later called Cumbre Aña Peck in her honour.

Not only was she one of the first women initiated in the Royal Geographical Society, but also founder of the American Alpine Club.

She gave numerous conferences for many years all around the world and wrote four books encouraging people to travel and explore.

5. Fridtjof Nansen (1861 - 1930)

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He led the team that made the first crossing of inland Greenland in 1888, by cross-country skiing.

He earnt international recognition after having achieved a record northern latitude of 86 ° 14' (No one has been further north than him!).

Although he retired from exploring after his return to Norway, his polar travel techniques and his innovations in equipment and clothing have influenced a generation of arctic and antarctic expeditions to further explore.

He and one of his colleagues even endured nine months in winter in a hut made of stone and walrus skin, only surviving off polar bears and walruses. Anyway, Nansen explored the great white north and was even entitled to an asteroid named after him!

6. Nellie Bly (1864 - 1922)

In 1890, Bly became the fastest person to travel round the world. She managed to beat the record of fictitious character Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's novel around the world in 80 days, and she did it in only 72 days!

When she spoke to her managing editor about her travel plans, he told her that a man should do it, because a woman would need too much heavy and bulky luggage.

Bly proved him wrong, by travelling with just a small bag and clothes on her back.

She was also a pioneer in the field of investigative reporting, and her stories have brought great change in the sectors of society which were desperately in need of attention, such as asylum seekers, sweatshops, orphanages and prisons.

Anyway, a true inspiration for me: travelling with almost nothing whilst making an impact on society through her stories!

7. Gertrude Bell (1868 - 1926)

Archaeologist, author and linguist, Bell explored, mapped out and became very influential in the British imperial policy making on account of her knowledge and contacts, built up over the course of numerous trips in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Arabia.

She was extremely curious and passionate, teaching herself about the Persians and Arabians throughout her journeys across what was known as Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Arabia.

The evidence of Bell's passion and devotion to archaeology can be found in the very famous Archaeological Museum in Baghdad (now called the Iraqi Museum), which she set up just before her death. She mapped out new mountain routes, challenged norms of society for women and is one of the best mountain climbers of her time. He passion and curiosity for the world make her an adventurous woman to remember.

To end on an anecdote, she is described as "one of the rare representatives of Her Majesty's government which the Arabians remember her by, with something which resembles the affection".

8. Alexandra David-Neel (1868 - 1969)

Alexandra was a Belgian-French explorer, Buddhist, anarchist and writer. She made history at the beginning of the 1900s by walking, disguised as a beggar, in the province of China through Tibet and the town which was forbidden to foreigners, legendary Lhasa.

David-Neel wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy and her travels, until she died at the age of 101.

"Since I was five years old, I have always dreamed of pushing the narrow limits where, like all the children my age, I was held back. I wanted to go beyond the garden gate, to follow the path which would lead me to the Unknown. "

Alexandra David-Neel

9. Louise Boyd (1887 - 1972)

Louise Boyd was an American explorer of Greenland and the Arctic, who wrote extensively of her explorations, and in 1955, she became the first woman to fly over the North Pole.

In Greenland, Boyd photographed, surveyed and collected certain botanic specimens, which were then catalogued by the American Geographical Society.

As well as an adventurist, she also worked on the Polish campaign as a representative of the international geographical Congress of Warsaw.

During the Second World War, Boyd also worked on secret missions for the American military department and she received a certificate of appreciation from the Army department for her service in 1949.

10. Freya Stark (1893 - 1993)

Freya Stark is nicknamed "the last romantic traveller".

Her reputation secured her position as one of the most appreciated historic travel writers.

She was the first European woman to go to the Lursitan region in Iran. In the mountains, she was the first to map out the region instead of the Westerners and to see the ruins of the Assassin's castles.

Her stories and adventures have helped to inspire other travellers and have showed that a woman was able to be a traveller in an era where men dominated in this field.

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes. "

-Freya Stark in Baghdad Sketches.

Before her death at the age of 100, this audacious multilingual and cultural explorer had written 24 books and published eight volumes of letters which give details of all her accomplishments and adventures!

11. Helen Thayer (1937 - present)

Helen Thayer is an explorer who was born in New-Zealand and at the age of 50 she became the first woman to travel solo to the magnetic North Pole, pulling her own sled without resupplies: she travelled on foot and didn't have any outside help.

With her husky Charlie, she overcame the landscape, the temperatures and the threat from polar bears. At the age of 63, Helen travelled 1600 kilometres across the Gobi Desert. She also kayaked 2200 miles down the Amazon and lived above the Arctic Circle, near a wolves' den, which she has written about in her books.

She received awards from Vancouver's Northwest Explorer's Club and from Robert Henning from the Alaskan Geographic Alliance for exploration and education.

"The fact that I am the first woman to reach the North Pole on a one-man expedition wasn't important to me. It was the experience of learning and the fight to overcome the challenges which made the trip so rewarding and priceless. " - Helen Thayer

12. Bruce Chatwin (1940 - 1989)

British writer Bruce Chatwin revolutionised travel writing by concentrating not on original destinations but on original ways to tell his story. Another travel writer, Robert Macfarlane, says that what we "have learnt from Chatwin, is that travel stories could travel back in time rather than travel through areas, and that the interior space he explored doesn't need to be the heart of a place but the mind of the traveller. " (I don't know about you, but I find it so beautiful when said like that!)

He travelled the world for his job and interviewed some important people such as politicians Indira Gandhi and André Malraux. He left the magazine company he was working for to visit Patagonia, in Argentina, a voyage which inspired his first book. He wrote five other books, including The Songlines which was a best-seller.

What we can conclude is that journeys are not just external events, they also concern internal experiences, and the way in which we share them and tell people about them.

13. Michael Palin (1943 - present)

Michael Palin, an English comedian (and founding member of the Monty Python) was transformed by travelling: he was said to have left being "a very stupid person" and after became "a very stupid explorer".

After decades of being on the screen, Palin conquered the world as a globe-trotting documentary maker, touring the world in 80 days, following the footsteps of Jules Verne. Travelling from the North Pole to the South, travelling 50,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, hiking across the Sahara and the Himalaya, from the United States to Europe, to Africa and in the Caribbean.

His unforgettable books and television series are so popular that tourist attractions became even more popular after his travels! Some people even call it "the Palin effect"!

14. Reid Stowe (1952 - present)

It was in 2010 that this audacious traveller embarked on the longest sea voyage in history, and without having the support of anyone: 1152 days on board (beating the previous record of 1067 days by a Norwegian boat in the 1890s).

Stowe grew up around sailing boats on the East Coast, sailing on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in his late teens and early twenties. At the age of 26, he built two of his own sailing boats with the help of his family and friends. Stowe then sailed towards Antarctica with his schooner Anne in 1986 and completed a 194-day journey without touching land in 1999.

It's clear that not anyone can sail alone for three years and not become crazy, but Stowe is a dreamer and a romantic at the same time:

"I was never alone at any point during the whole trip. Being alone in the wilderness and beauty of nature is an enriching experience. "

15. Kira Salak (1971 - present)

Kira Salak is an American writer, adventurer and journalist well-known for her trips to Mali and Papua New Guinea. She has written two non-fiction books and a fiction book based on her travels. She is also managing editor of the National Geographic magazine.

Madagascar, Iran, Rwanda, Burma, Libya, Borneo, Mozambique, Uganda and Peru are only a few of the countries Kira has visited. But it's Papua New Guinea, where she spent a year backpacking which made her known, making her the first woman to cross an island nation in the Pacific.

After that adventure, Kira Salak trained with gorillas in the mountains and with armies at war in Congo, she crossed Alaska by bike until she reached the Arctic Ocean and she hiked up the Himalaya to Bhutan.

"Challenges strengthen your character like nothing else. You learn things about yourself and about others; they give you a deeper perspective on life. " - Kira Salak

16. Matt Harding (1976 - present)

In 2003, Matt Harding left his full-time job to set off on a journey that took him to more than 39 countries in seven different continents. Especially known for his YouTube videos where he does a dance which seems like he's running on the spot whilst tap dancing, Matt ended up attracting the attention of Stride Gum, a company which then paid him to travel, dance and upload videos.

He danced with the locals in Mulindi in Rwanda; in a narrow canyon in Petra, in Jordan; on a lush hill overlooking the Machu Picchu in Peru; and in a crowded street in Tokyo, in Japan, and I could go on...

"Dancing gives me the opportunity to see places I would have never seen otherwise. I love travelling. I have learnt a lot from the people and the experiences. " - Matt Harding

And there you have it! This article took a long time to write, but personally I felt really inspired and I learnt a lot. I hope you do too! See you soon!

P. S. the photos used to illustrate this article mainly come from Wikipedia and from Ecosia Images.

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