It seems that the days of the pioneers have already passed, there are no white spots left on the map. But it turns out that today you can travel, explore the unknown corners of the planet. Let all the continents and islands have already been discovered, let the most remote and hard-to-reach areas be seen from space, and the inquisitive human mind sets new tasks for itself and solves them, organizes expeditions. Who are they, modern travelers of the 21st century?
Names of modern travelers
When we remember the famous pioneers, along with the great Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Bellingshausen, Lazarev and others, we also talk about our contemporaries. The names of Cousteau, Heyerdahl, Senkevich, Konyukhov and other researchers also sound like a hymn to the study of our planet. Today's travelers and their discoveries are a great example to follow.
Jacques Yves Cousteau
Cousteau - the greatest oceanologist, French research scientist. This is a man who discovered the underwater world for mankind. It was with his hands that goggles for scuba diving, the first scuba gear were made, the first scientifica vessel that explores the depths of the sea. He owns the first films shot underwater.
For the first time, a person got the opportunity to move freely in the water column and descend to depths of up to 90 m. Under the leadership of Cousteau, the first underwater expeditions were organized. At first it was archaeological research at the bottom of the ocean and photography at depths of several kilometers.
When Cousteau created the "underwater saucer" - a mini-submarine, the possibilities for studying the water column increased dramatically. The continuation was the establishment of temporary underwater scientific stations, where modern travelers lived for several months and could observe directly at sea.
The result of many years of Cousteau's work on the study of the underwater world were books and films that were very popular: "In the world of silence", "World without the sun", the documentary series "Cousteau's Underwater Odyssey". From 1957 he headed the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. In 1973, the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Marine Nature was founded.
Among his honorary awards, he considered the Order of the Legion of Honor to be the main one. Cousteau died in 1997 in Paris.
Thor Heyerdahl
This name is also familiar to anyone with even the slightest interest in travel. Thor Heyerdahl became famous for his sea voyages undertaken to prove his point of view on the settlement of different parts of the world.
Heyerdahl was the first to put forward the idea that the islands of Polynesia could be inhabited by immigrants fromSouth America. To prove this theory, modern travelers under his leadership made an unparalleled voyage on the Kon-Tiki balsa raft across the Pacific Ocean. Having overcome about 8 thousand km in 101 days, the expedition reached the Tuamotu Islands. At the same time, the raft retained its buoyancy, and if it were not for the storm, it could certainly have reached the shores of Asia.
Then followed by expeditions on reed boats "Ra" and "Ra-2", in which our compatriot Yuri Senkevich took part. The boat "Tigris", which was supposed to show the possibility of connections between Mesopotamia and the Hindustan Peninsula, was burned by the crew in protest against military operations off the coast of Djibouti, and the expedition was not completed.
Heyerdahl did not agree with the scientific world on many issues and put forward his theories. For many years he studied the mysteries of Easter Island, especially the origin of the famous stone idols. Tour argued that these giant statues could have been made and delivered to the site by the natives of the island, who did not have modern stone-working tools and vehicles. And the results of his research were sensational, although not recognized by most scientists.
From the controversial theories of Heyerdahl, we also note the version about the connections between the Vikings and the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Azov. He believed that the Vikings came from the North Caucasus. But his death in 2002 prevented him from proving this theory.
Heyerdahl's numerous books about his views on world exploration and travel,documentaries made about them are still very exciting and interesting for anyone.
Yuri Senkevich
A modern Russian traveler and host of the most popular TV show in our country "Travel Club", a polar explorer, he participated in the 12th Soviet Antarctic expedition.
In 1969, when organizing an expedition to "Ra", Thor Heyerdahl wrote a letter to the USSR Academy of Sciences inviting a doctor with good knowledge of English, experience in expeditions and a sense of humor to participate in it. The choice fell on Senkevich. Cheerful and cheerful, with an optimistic outlook on life and skills as a medical practitioner, Yuri quickly became friends with Heyerdahl and the other members of the team.
Subsequently, they participated in the expeditions of the famous Norwegian more than once. Many of Heyerdahl's studies became known to the Soviet viewer immediately thanks to the TV show hosted by Yuri Senkevich. "Cinema Travel Club" became for many a window to the world, allowing them to get acquainted with interesting places on the globe. The guests of the program were modern travelers: Heyerdahl, Cousteau, Jacek Palkiewicz, Carlo Mauri and many others.
Senkevich took part in the medical support of expeditions to the North Pole and Everest. Yuri Alexandrovich died in 2006 on the set of another TV show.
Tim Severin
Many modern travelers follow the routes of navigators and pioneers of the past. One of the mostfamous - Briton Tim Severin.
He made his first trip in the footsteps of Marco Polo on motorcycles. Leaving Venice, Severin and his comrades crossed almost all of Asia and reached the borders of China. Here the journey had to be completed, as permission to visit the country was not received. This was followed by the study of the Mississippi River (while sailing along it in a canoe and a motor boat). The next expedition is on the route of St. Brendan across the Atlantic Ocean.
Inspired by the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, Severin made the transition from Oman to China on a sailing ship, guided only by the stars.
In 1984, Severin with a team of 20 rowers repeated the route of the Argonauts to Colchis (Western Georgia). And the next year he traveled in the footsteps of Odysseus from the imperishable poem of the same name by Homer.
These are just some of Severin's routes. He wrote fascinating books about his adventures, and for "The Journey of Sinbad" he was awarded the prestigious Thomas Cook Prize.
Modern travelers of the 21st century
Despite the fact that it is the 21st century, the spirit of adventure and travel has not faded away. And now there are people who cannot sit at home in comfort, they are attracted by the unknown, the unknown.
Among them there are modern Russian travelers. Perhaps the most famous of them is Fedor Konyukhov.
Fyodor Konyukhov
The first is often added to his name. He was the first Russian to visit the three poles of the Earth: North, South andon Everest. He was the first on Earth to conquer five poles - the Pole of Inaccessibility in Antarctica and Cape Horn, considered such for yachtsmen, were added to the previous ones. He was the first Russian to overcome the "big seven" - he climbed the highest peaks of all continents, counting Europe and Asia separately.
He has many expeditions, mostly extreme ones. Konyukhov traveled four times on a yacht around the world. Member of the ski crossing "USSR - North Pole - Canada".
His books are read in one breath. And in the plans for the future - a round-the-world trip in a hot air balloon.
Dmitry Shparo
Let's make a reservation right away: this is a polar traveler and explorer. Back in 1970, he led a ski expedition to the islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda. Three years later he traveled to Taimyr in search of the warehouse of the famous polar explorer Eduard Toll. In 1979, under his leadership, the world's first skiing expedition to the North Pole was made.
One of the most famous campaigns - to Canada through the Arctic Ocean as part of a joint Soviet-Canadian expedition.
In 1998, together with his son, he crossed the Bering Strait on skis. In 2008, he organized two expeditions to the North Pole. One of them is famous for the world's first reaching the Pole on skis at night. And the second was attended by young people aged 16-18.
Dmitry Shparo - organizer of the Adventure Club. The institution holds marathons across the country with the participation of people confined to wheelchairs. The most famous was the international ascent to Kazbek of wheelchair users from Transcaucasia, Norway and Russia.
Modern travelers
The geography of modern travel is very extensive. Basically, these are little-studied and hard-to-reach areas of the Earth. These hikes most often take place in extreme conditions that require the exertion of all forces.
Of course, it is difficult to cover all the names in one article. Anatoly Khizhnyak, exploring the little-studied tribes in the jungles of the Amazon and Papua New Guinea … Naomi Uemura, who single-handedly made a trip to the North Pole, sailed along the Amazon, conquered Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, Akonkugua, Everest … Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders of the world… One could write a separate book about each of them. Their adventures inspire a younger generation of travelers.
