The most famous travelers in world history. Vasily Ermolaevich Bugor was an Arctic navigator and one of the pioneers of Siberia

Fedor Konyukhov- a modern Russian traveler, artist, writer.

During his life he made more than 40 unique expeditions and ascents, expressing his vision of the world in books and paintings. Fedor Konyukhov is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and the Union of Writers of Russia. Author of nine books. Laureate of the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, author of more than 3,000 paintings. Participant of Russian and international exhibitions.
Sea captain. Yacht captain. He made four voyages around the world, crossed the Atlantic fifteen times, once in a rowboat. Honored Master of Sports.
Awarded the Order of Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR. UNEP "GLOBAL 500" award for contribution to environmental protection. Winner of the UNESCO Prize for Fair Play.
Listed in the encyclopedia "CHRONICLE OF HUMANITY". Active member of the Russian Geographical Society.
Awarded with the Order of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church VMC. George the Victorious, I degree, for exemplary and diligent work for the benefit of God's Holy Orthodox Church.

The first and so far the only one in the world to conquer the five poles of our planet:
Northern Geographic (three times)
Southern Geographic
Pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean
Everest (altitude pole)
Cape Horn (Yachtmen's Pole)

Honorary resident of the city of Nakhodka (Primorsky Territory, Russia), the city of Terni (Italy) and the village of Bergin (Kalmykia, Russia).

The first Russian who managed to complete the Grand Slam program (North Pole, South Pole, Everest).

Since 1998 Head of the Laboratory of Distance Learning in Extreme Conditions (LDOEU) at the Modern Humanitarian Academy.

Married. Wife Irina. Son Oscar, daughter Tatiana, son Nikolai. Grandson Philip, granddaughter Polina, grandson Ethan, grandson Arkady, grandson Blake.

Biography.
Born on December 12, 1951 in the village of Chkalovo, Zaporozhye region of Ukraine. Father - Konyukhov Philip Mikhailovich (born in 1917), Mother - Konyukhova Maria Efremovna (born in 1918). Wife - Konyukhova Irina Anatolyevna (born in 1961), Doctor of Law, Professor. Son - Konyukhov Oscar Fedorovich (born in 1975). Daughter - Tatyana Fedorovna Konyukhova (born in 1978).

The future famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov lived and was brought up in a simple peasant family with five children: three sons and two daughters. From childhood, they got used to hard collective farm work in the field, to work in the garden, and Fedor often went with his father, a fisherman, to the fishing season in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. With pleasure he kept watch on the steering wheel, helped the fishermen to pull out the nets. As a participant in the Great Patriotic War, who reached Budapest, his father often told his children about the difficult battles against the Nazis, urged them to work honestly and protect their land. Young Fyodor was inspired by the interesting stories of his grandfather, a lieutenant colonel in the tsarist army, about Georgy Sedov, with whom he served in the same garrison. Before his last, which turned out to be a tragic trip to the Arctic, Georgy left an Orthodox cross with a request to give it to the strongest of his sons or grandsons, who could realize his idea. And, as you know, Fedor fulfilled this testament - he visited the North Pole three times, and once - alone with that cross around his neck.

For long trips, Fedor prepared himself with early years, at first, maybe not quite consciously. He learned to swim and dive well, to go on a boat on oars and under sail. Bathed in cold water, slept in the hayloft. In football and long-distance running among schoolchildren, he had no equal, and most of all he was attracted by the sea, the sea and romance. Having read Goncharov and Stanyukovich, Jules Verne and other marine painters, at the age of 15 he made his first trip - he crossed the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov in a rowboat.

Travel has always attracted people, but before they were not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were not explored, and, setting off on a journey, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?

James Cook

The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen he began to work with his father. But the boy was unable to trade, so he decided to take up navigation. At that time everything famous travelers of the world went to distant countries on ships. James became interested in maritime affairs and moved up the career ladder so quickly that he was offered to become a captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to manage the ship himself. His first achievement was the drawing up of the fairway of the St. Lawrence River. He discovered in himself the talent of a navigator and cartographer. In the 1760s he explored Newfoundland, which attracted the attention of the Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was assigned to travel across the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he did something that other famous travelers had not achieved before - he discovered a new continent. In 1771, Cook returned to England as the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean s. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by cannibal natives.

Christopher Columbus

Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant impact on the course of history, but few have been as famous as this man. Columbus became a national hero of Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly achieved success because he was diligent and studied well. Already at the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife, he went with his son to Spain. Having received the support of the Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed from the coast of Spain to the west. In October 1492 they reached Bahamas. This is how America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the locals Indians, believing that he had reached India. His report changed history: two new continents and many islands, discovered by Columbus, became the main travel destination of the colonialists in the next few centuries.

Vasco da Gama

Portugal's most famous traveler was born in Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age, he worked in the Navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, a sea route was needed, in search of which Vasco da Gama had to go. There were also more famous sailors and travelers in the country, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, rounded and sailed to Mozambique. I had to stay there for a month - half of the team had scurvy by that time. After a break, Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later he returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. The opening of the sea route, which made it possible to get to Calcutta by east coast Africa, was his main achievement.

Nikolay Miklukho-Maclay

Famous Russian travelers also made a lot of important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, who was born in 1864 in Novgorod province. He could not graduate from St. Petersburg University, as he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a naturalist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. So the world of wanderings opened up for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nicholas lived in Sicily, Australia, studied New Guinea, implementing the project of the Russian Geographical Society, visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the naturalist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to establish a Russian colony across the ocean. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay fell seriously ill and soon died, without completing his work on a travel book.

Ferdinand Magellan

Many famous navigators and travelers lived in the era of the Great Magellan is no exception. In 1480 he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabrosa. Having gone to serve at court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between his native country and Spain, about traveling to the East Indies and trade routes. So he first became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand got on a ship. Seven years after that, he plied the sea, participated in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan went to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not curb the craving for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. Thus began his world tour. Fernand thought that from the west the route to India might be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and discovered the strait, which would later be named after him. became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. On it, he reached the Philippines and almost reached the goal - the Moluccas, but died in battle with local tribes, wounded by a poisonous arrow. However, his journey opened up a new ocean for Europe and the realization that the planet is much larger than scientists had previously thought.

Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian was born at the very end of an era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen was the last of the navigators who tried to find undiscovered lands. From childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the South Geographic Pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy left the university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896 he became a navigator, and the following year he went on his first expedition to Antarctica. The ship was lost in the ice, the crew suffered from scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured the people, remembering his medical background, and brought the ship back to Europe. After becoming a captain, in 1903 he went in search of the Northwest Passage off Canada. Famous travelers before him had never done anything like this - in two years the team covered the path from the east of the American mainland to its west. Amundsen became known to the whole world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the South Plus, and the last venture was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.

David Livingston

Many famous travelers are connected with seafaring. he became a land explorer, namely the African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At the age of 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffett and wished to go to African villages. In 1841 he came to Kuruman, where he taught local residents administered Agriculture, served as a doctor and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuan language, which helped him in his travels in Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the locals, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the sources of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.

Amerigo Vespucci

The most famous travelers in the world were most often from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received a good education and trained as a financier. From 1490 he worked in Seville, in the Medici trade mission. His life was connected with sea travel, for example, he sponsored the second expedition of Columbus. Christopher inspired him with the idea of trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499 Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of the voyage was to study coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500 he returned home with 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, acting not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. Since 1505, he served the king of Castile and did not participate in campaigns, only equipped other people's expeditions.

Francis Drake

Many famous travelers and their discoveries have benefited mankind. But among them there are those who left behind a bad memory, since their names were associated with rather cruel events. An English Protestant, who had sailed on a ship from the age of twelve, was no exception. He captured local residents in the Caribbean, selling them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could equal Drake in terms of the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577 he went to South America to defeat the Spanish settlements. During the journey, he found Tierra del Fuego and the strait, which was later named after him. Rounding Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. When he reached California, he met the natives, who presented the British with gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed the Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British citizen to circumnavigate the world. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died in the last campaign in the Caribbean.

Afanasy Nikitin

Few famous travelers in Russia have achieved the same heights as this native of Tver. Afanasy Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He made a trip to the Portuguese colonizers and wrote "Journey Beyond the Three Seas" - the most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the merchant's career: Athanasius knew several languages and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years and reached India by ship. After visiting several cities in an exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After the province of Raichur, he headed to Russia, paving the route through the Arabian and Somali Peninsulas. However, Afanasy Nikitin never made it home, because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes survived and provided the merchant with world fame.

Would you like to travel around the world at least once? Almost everyone will answer this almost rhetorical question in the affirmative. There are happy people in our world who do not set the goal of their whole life to earn money in a stuffy office, do not stick around all day on the Internet, do not watch TV shows season after season at night, but admire the various corners of our planet, the diversity of its peoples and beauties.

If you think that with the departure of the Age of the Great geographical discoveries outstanding travelers have sunk into oblivion, then you are mistaken! Our contemporaries also committed and are committing the most amazing travel. Among them are scientists who went in search of confirmation of their theories, explorers of the deep sea, and just adventurers who ventured to travel around the world alone or with like-minded people. Many documentaries have been created about their travels, and thanks to them, we can see the whole world through their eyes, real, alive, full of dangers and adventures.

1. Jim Shekdar

A native Englishman, he began to travel and get acquainted with the culture of other countries since childhood, at the age of 7 he moved to live in India. Cheerful and desperate Englishman, inspired by the transatlantic passage on the boat of two more noble English gentlemen, Sir Charles Blyth and John Ridgway, decided to do this himself.

After several attempts, he nevertheless accomplishes his plan with his friend Jason Jackson in 65 days, having passed the entire Atlantic Ocean on a rowboat. It becomes not enough for Shekdar and he decides to conquer the Pacific Ocean, and moreover, alone, in a way that no one has done.

Having loaded his boat with provisions for 8 months, he sails from Peru, and after numerous encounters with sharks, collisions with a tanker and a 9-month journey on the remnants of provisions, the courageous Jim with arthritis of the hip joint reaches the "opposite shore", and with a breaking wave on the island of the point of arrival , his boat covers, and the last meters to the land, which he had not seen for 270 days, the traveler overcame by swimming.

2. Palkiewicz Jacek

A stern and strong-willed Italian-Polish traveler, Italian journalist and writer, all his life he made the most desperate and extreme transitions, such as: on camels through the Gobi and Sahara deserts, on deer - to the North Pole, on an Indian pie and a lifeboat - across the Atlantic Ocean .

This great person in 1996, as a member of the Russian Geographical Society, he made the last major discovery of the 20th century - he lengthened the Amazon River by 700 km, further investigating its sources, thus dropping the Nile from first place in length.

Being an honorary member, an honorary citizen, a friend of peoples, tribes, peoples, ethnic groups and communities in various parts of the Earth, in 2010 Palkevich receives a golden cross for his merits from the hands of the Pope himself.

3. Carlo Mauri

Another Italian and iron-willed man first tried himself in mountaineering, having made his first ascent at the age of 15. Then, having tasted the charm of travel, he began to conquer Mont Blanc, the mountains of Tierra del Fuego and other impregnable mountains in Chile.

Later, in the mountains of the Karakoram, he will overcome the summit of 7925 m. Then, after numerous injuries, fractures of the foot, rupture of internal organs, Mauri nevertheless gains new strength in himself and participates in the expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl on his famous papyrus boats.

Already further there will be outstanding historical expeditions with poor health, at the limit of human capabilities: in the footsteps of Marco Polo, through the lands of Patagonia and the Amazon. Almost lying on a hospital bed, this man does not calm down and writes a book about his adventures, having passed away, alas, too early - at 52, in 1982.

4. Yuri Senkevich

A record-breaking TV presenter, with his program “Travellers Club”, he really got into history, enlightening the Soviet and Russian people about the corners of the diverse and beautiful world that are inaccessible to them. After a number of outstanding and dangerous expeditions, including the Antarctic one, he was invited by Thor Heyerdahl to join the expedition team on the Pa-2 papyrus boat.

Later, together in Heyerdahl, they will conquer the Indian Ocean on a reed boat, and then there will be climbing Everest, polar expeditions. Unlike others, he was always in a hurry to share his discoveries with others, doing a tremendous job of processing the accumulated material into a television broadcast format upon his return from travels.

Until his death, in 2003, Sienkiewicz worked and traveled, despite his age, and did a lot to increase the number of travelers in the world.

5. Thor Heyerdahl

The Norwegian traveler-record holder, as a child was very afraid of water until the age of 22, when he fell into the water, he still managed to swim out on his own. Having eliminated the main problem, Tour begins his career as a professional traveler in Polynesia, getting acquainted with the local life of the indigenous people.

There he finds the Second World War and Heyerdahl volunteers for the front. Having finished fighting, the Tour organizes expeditions to conquer the Pacific Ocean and a grandiose trip to Easter Island, and even later travels on the Ra and Ra-2 boats that went down in history.

In the future, the tireless traveler explored the most diverse corners of the globe - Oceania, Iceland, the Arctic Ocean, forever inscribed his name in history as a name the greatest traveler all times and peoples.

6. Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Captain Cousteau is a famous French explorer of the World Ocean, author of books and films, inventor. The oceans revealed many of its secrets, showed the beauty of its depths still inaccessible to people for a huge number of diving enthusiasts. We can say that Captain Cousteau is the father of modern diving, because it was he who created the main apparatus for diving. Doing research underwater world our planet, Cousteau created the famous floating laboratory "Callisto" and the first submersible "Denise". Jacques-Yves Cousteau captivated millions of people, showing them on movie screens how beautiful the underwater world is, giving them the opportunity to see what was still inaccessible to man.

7. Nikolai Drozdov

More than 40 years ago, Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov became the host of the popular TV show "In the Animal World". An avid traveler, a "gallant know-it-all", who spends hours talking about animals as the most wonderful and beautiful creatures in the world - be it an elephant, a bug, or even a poisonous snake. An amazing and wonderful person, the idol of millions of viewers of our country, listening to stories about interesting facts from the life of birds, reptiles, domestic and wild animals, about the beauty of our nature - and incomparable pleasure, because only a person in love with life can tell like this. Interesting fact about Nikolai Nikolayevich himself - his great-great-great-grandfather was Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow, and his maternal great-great-grandfather Ivan Romanovich von Dreiling was an orderly of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov.

Nikolai Drozdov traveled the whole world, all zoological and National parks, studying the habitats and habits of animals in natural conditions, climbed Elbrus, participated from a long expedition on the research vessel Callisto and in the first Soviet expedition to Everest, twice went to the North Pole, passed along the Northern Sea Route on an icebreaker " Yamal, sailed along the coasts of Alaska and Canada on the Discoverer.

8. Fedor Konyukhov

A lone traveler who conquered what seemed impossible to conquer, more than once overcame a path that could not be walked alone - the great contemporary Fyodor Konyukhov. The first among the travelers who conquered the Northern and south pole, seas, oceans and the highest peaks of the world, which is proved by more than 40 expeditions made by him to the most inaccessible places on our planet. Among them are five round-the-world trips, a solo voyage across the Atlantic (which, by the way, he crossed more than once) on a rowboat. Konyukhov was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from continent to continent. But the life of our famous compatriot is not filled with travel alone - Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and the author of twelve travel books. There were new plans ahead: a flight around the world on hot-air balloon And circumnavigation 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup, as well as immersion in Mariana Trench. However, having accepted the priesthood in 2010, Fedor Konyukhov decided not to travel anymore, but ... the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and the famous traveler is again at the helm. In the spring of this year, he “beat” the Russian record and stayed in the air on a balloon for 19 hours and 10 minutes.

9. Bear Grylls

Fame came to the young English traveler thanks to the highest-rated television show on the Discovery channel, Survive at Any Cost, which first aired in October 2006. The TV presenter and traveler does not just "entertain" the audience with beautiful views of the most amazing places planet, its goal is to bring to the audience life recommendations that may come in handy in unforeseen situations.

The list of his travels is respectable: he sailed around british isles in thirty days, crossed the North Atlantic in an inflatable boat, flew over the Angel Falls in a steam-powered plane, flew over the Himalayas in a paraglider, led an expedition to one of the furthest unclimbed peaks in Antarctica, and arranged ... a gala dinner in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters! Most of Grylls' expeditions are for charitable purposes.

10. Abby Sunderland

Not only men can boast of friendship with the wind of wanderings - Abby Sunderland, a young traveler who at the age of 16 alone made a trip around the world on a yacht, will give odds to many men. The determination of Abby's parents is surprising, because they not only allowed her to participate in such a dangerous enterprise, but also helped to prepare for it. Alas, the first start on January 23, 2010 was unsuccessful and Abby made a second attempt on February 6. The journey turned out to be more dangerous than expected: between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast, the yacht's hull was damaged and the engine failed. After this message, communication was interrupted, the search for Abby's yacht was unsuccessful, and she was declared missing. A whole month later, Australian rescuers in the zone of the most severe storm found the lost yacht and Abby alive and unharmed. Who then will say that a woman has no place on a ship?

11. Jason Lewis

And, finally, the most original of modern travelers, who spent 13 years on a round-the-world trip! Why so long? The simple fact is that Jason refused any kind of technology and all sorts of achievements of civilization. The former janitor, along with his friend Steve Smith, went around the world on a bicycle, boat and rollerblades! The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994, in February 1995 the travelers reached the shores of the United States and after 111 days of sailing decided to cross America separately on roller skates. Lewis had to interrupt the journey for 9 months after an accident. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, from where he sails on a pedal boat to Australia, where he had to spend some time earning money for his further trip ... selling T-shirts. In 2005, he reaches Singapore, then crosses China and India on a bicycle. By March 2007, he reached Africa and also crossed all of Europe on a bicycle: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Having crossed the English Channel, in October 2007, Jason Lewis returned to London.

If you think that with the departure of the Age of Discovery, outstanding travelers have sunk into oblivion, then you are mistaken! Our contemporaries also made the most amazing journeys. Among them are scientists who went in search of confirmation of their theories, explorers of the deep sea, and just adventurers who ventured to travel around the world alone or with like-minded people. Many documentaries have been created about their travels, and thanks to them, we can see the whole world through their eyes, real, alive, full of dangers and adventures.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Captain Cousteau is a famous French explorer of the World Ocean, author of books and films, inventor. The oceans revealed many of its secrets, showed the beauty of its depths still inaccessible to people for a huge number of diving enthusiasts. We can say that Captain Cousteau is the father of modern diving, because it was he who created the main apparatus for diving. Being engaged in research of the underwater world of our planet, Cousteau created the famous floating laboratory "Callisto" and the first apparatus for diving "Denise".

Jacques-Yves Cousteau captivated millions of people, showing them on movie screens how beautiful the underwater world is, giving them the opportunity to see what was still inaccessible to man.

Thor Heyerdahl

The name of the most famous Norwegian of the 20th century is spelled "Thor" in his native language, just like the name of one of the main gods of Norse mythology, Thor. He made many trips on makeshift watercrafts of contacts between ancient civilizations. Heyerdahl proved in practice his theory that the inhabitants of South America visited the islands of Polynesia, since the scientific world did not perceive his ideas.

Together with his team, in 101 days, having sailed 4300 miles, he reached the atoll of Raroia. It was one of his most famous travels"Expedition Kon-Tiki" on a makeshift raft. The film he shot during his trip won an Oscar in 1951.

And in 1969, he went on a dangerous new expedition on a papyrus boat to prove, to prove the possibility of crossing Atlantic Ocean African peoples. However, the first journey of Thor Heyerdahl on the boat "Ra" ended in failure, the boat sank, not reaching just 600 miles from the island of Barbados.

A year later, the stubborn Norwegian repeated his journey and sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 57 days. By the way, our compatriot Yuri Senkevich was the doctor on this expedition. Heyerdahl later visited Maldives, in Peru and Tenerife.

Yuri Senkevich

The popular TV presenter of the "Club of Travelers" program Yuri Senkevich was included in the list of the most famous travelers not only as the doctor of the Thor Heyerdahl expedition. His "track record" of the traveler is respected:

as a doctor-researcher Senkevich was trained to participate in a space flight,
participated in the 12th Antarctic expedition to the station "Vostok" in order to study human behavior in extreme conditions,
traveled on the papyrus boat "Ra", then on the "Ra-2" and in Indian Ocean on the Tigris.

Millions of Soviet TV viewers were able to see the world, as they joked then "through the eyes of Senkevich." By the way, the program "Cinema Travel Club" was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Nikolai Drozdov

More than 40 years ago, Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov became the host of the popular TV show "In the Animal World". An avid traveler, a "gallant know-it-all", who spends hours talking about animals as the most wonderful and beautiful creatures in the world - be it an elephant, a bug, or even a poisonous snake. An amazing and wonderful person, the idol of millions of viewers of our country, listening to whose stories about interesting facts from the life of birds, reptiles, domestic and wild animals, about the beauty of our nature is an incomparable pleasure, because only a person in love with life can talk like that.

An interesting fact about Nikolai Nikolayevich himself is that his great-great-great-grandfather was Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow, and his maternal great-great-grandfather Ivan Romanovich von Dreiling was an orderly of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov.

Nikolai Drozdov traveled the whole world, all zoological and national parks, studying the habitats and habits of animals in natural conditions, climbed Elbrus, participated from a long expedition on the Callisto research vessel and in the first Soviet expedition to Everest, twice went to the North Pole, passed along the Northern Sea Route on the icebreaker "Yamal", sailed along the coasts of Alaska and Canada on the "Discoverer".

Fedor Konyukhov

But the life of our famous compatriot is not filled with travel alone - Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and the author of twelve travel books. There were also new plans ahead: flying around the world in a balloon and circumnavigating the world in 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup, as well as diving into the Mariana Trench. However, having accepted the priesthood in 2010, Fedor Konyukhov decided not to travel anymore, but ... the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and the famous traveler is again at the helm. In the spring of this year, he "beat" the Russian record and stayed in the air on a balloon for 19 hours and 10 minutes.

Bear Grylls

Fame came to the young English traveler thanks to the highest-rated TV show on the Discovery channel, Survive at Any Cost, which first aired in October 2006. The TV presenter and traveler does not just "entertain" the audience with beautiful views of the most amazing places on the planet, his goal is to bring to the audience life recommendations that can come in handy in unforeseen situations.

His list of travels is respected: he sailed around the British Isles in thirty days, crossed the North Atlantic in an inflatable boat, flew over the Angel Falls in a steam-powered plane, flew over the Himalayas in a paraglider, led an expedition to one of the furthest unclimbed peaks in Antarctica and arranged ... a gala dinner in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters! Most of Grylls' expeditions are for charitable purposes.

Abby Sunderland

Not only men can boast of friendship with the wind of wandering - Abby Sunderland, a young traveler who at the age of 16 alone made a trip around the world on a yacht, will give odds to many men. The determination of Abby's parents is surprising, because they not only allowed her to participate in such a dangerous enterprise, but also helped to prepare for it. Alas, the first start on January 23, 2010 was unsuccessful and Abby made a second attempt on February 6.

The journey turned out to be more dangerous than expected: between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast, the yacht's hull was damaged and the engine failed. After this message, communication was interrupted, the search for Abby's yacht was unsuccessful, and she was declared missing. A whole month later, Australian rescuers in the zone of the most severe storm found the lost yacht and Abby alive and unharmed. Who then will say that a woman has no place on a ship?

Jason Lewis

And, finally, the most original of modern travelers, who spent 13 years on a round-the-world trip! Why so long? It's just that Jason has abandoned all technology and all the achievements of civilization. The former janitor, along with his friend Steve Smith, went around the world on a bicycle, boat and rollerblades!

The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994, in February 1995 the travelers reached the shores of the United States and after 111 days of sailing decided to cross America separately on roller skates. Lewis had to interrupt the journey for 9 months after an accident. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, from where he sails on a pedal boat to Australia, where he had to spend some time earning money for his further trip ... selling T-shirts.

In 2005, he reaches Singapore, then crosses China and India on a bicycle. By March 2007, he reached Africa and also crossed all of Europe on a bicycle: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Having crossed the English Channel, in October 2007, Jason Lewis returned to London.

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 reminisce about famous pioneers, along with the great Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Bellingshausen, Lazarev and others, we are talking about our contemporaries. The names of Cousteau, Heyerdahl, Senkevich, Konyukhov and other researchers also sound like a hymn to the study of our planet. Modern travelers and their discoveries are a wonderful

Jacques Yves Cousteau

Cousteau - the greatest oceanographer, French scientist and researcher. This is a man who discovered the underwater world for mankind. It was with his hands that goggles for the first scuba gear were made, and the first scientific vessel was equipped to study 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 foundation of temporary underwater scientific stations, where modern travelers lived for several months and could make observations directly at sea.

The result of Cousteau's many years of work on the study of the underwater world were books and films that were very popular: "In the World of Silence", "World without Sun", "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 who has 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 from South 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.

This was followed by expeditions on reed boats "Ra" and "Ra-2", in which our compatriot Yuri Senkevich took part. The boat "Tigris", sailing on 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.

Of the controversial theories of Heyerdahl, we also note the version of the connections between the Vikings and the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Azov. He believed that the Vikings came from North Caucasus. But his death in 2002 prevented him from proving this theory.

Numerous books by Heyerdahl about his views on world exploration and travel, documentaries, shot about them, still remain very exciting and interesting for any person.

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 in English, with experience in expeditions and a sense of humor. The choice fell on Senkevich. Cheerful and cheerful, with an optimistic outlook on life and the skills of a medical practitioner, Yuri quickly became friends with Heyerdahl and other team members.

Subsequently, they more than once participated in the expeditions of the famous Norwegian. Many of Heyerdahl's studies became known to the Soviet viewer immediately thanks to the TV show hosted by Yuri Senkevich. The "Cinema Travel Club" became for many a window into the world, allowing them to get acquainted with interesting places 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 seafarers and pioneers of the past. One of the most famous is Briton Tim Severin.

He made his first journey 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. Further study followed (while sailing along it in a canoe and 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 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 the yard is the 21st century, the spirit of love for adventure and travel has not faded. And now there are people who cannot sit at home in comfort, they are attracted by the unknown, the unknown.

Among them there are also modern travelers of Russia. Perhaps the most famous of them is Fedor Konyukhov.

Fedor Konyukhov

"First" is often added to his name. He was the first Russian to visit the three poles of the Earth: North, South and 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 most high peaks 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 Northern Arctic Ocean as part of a joint Soviet-Canadian expedition.

In 1998, together with his son, he crossed 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 years.

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, requiring the exertion of all forces.

Of course, it is difficult to cover all the names in one article. Anatoly Khizhnyak, exploring 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 through the Amazon, conquered Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, Akonkugua, Everest... the first person to climb to all 14 eight-thousanders of the world... One could write a separate book about each of them. Their adventures inspire travelers.