Which famous real-life explorer are you?

By: Jody Mabry
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Which famous real-life explorer are you?
Image: Neil Armstrong, Percy Fawcett, Reinhold Messner

About This Quiz

We love to read about them, watch movies about their lives and fantasize about their adventures. Explorers have paved the way forward into the most rugged parts of the world. Whether they are seeking treasure, lost civilizations or new worlds, they lead lives most people only dream of. Which of these real-life explorers are you?
Which has the best potential for adventure?
Space.
The ocean.
The world's tallest mountains.
Deep jungles.
What prompted you to become an explorer?
I met someone amazing when I was a child.
One of my parents introduced me to a hobby.
Friends and I went on a little adventure.
I heard about a mystery and became obsessed.
To which exotic locale would you like to travel?
Mars
A round-the-world cruise
Nepal
The Amazon

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Which is your favorite action/adventure book?
"Tom Sawyer"
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"
"King Solomon's Mines"
"Lost City of Z"
Which do you think would be the most amazing space achievement?
Traveling to a new solar system.
Finding sentient life in the stars.
Setting up a colony on Mars.
Terraforming a new planet.
What would you like to find under water?
Living creatures at the greatest depth.
Mermaids.
Lost treasure.
A lost city.

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Which is scariest about mountain climbing?
I'm not a fan of heights.
No one around to help if someone is injured.
Lack of oxygen.
Lots and lots of snow.
Which lost city would be the coolest to find?
Atlantis
Aztlan
El Dorado
Z
What is the biggest benefit of being an explorer?
Going places no one has gone before.
Finding new and interesting things.
Testing my limits.
Fame and glory.

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How would you make money to go on an expedition?
The government would sponsor me.
Private investors.
My own hard-earned money.
I'd run a fundraising campaign.
Which interests you most about space?
Its vastness.
Seeking out new life.
The diversity of planets and moons.
The unknown.
What is the most likely way humans could travel from one star system to another?
Going faster.
Wormholes.
A looping effect in the galaxy.
It is yet to be discovered.

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Which planet or moon is most likely to support life in our solar system? You know, besides Earth?
Europa
Enceladus
Mars
Callisto
How would you tell your story?
Movie.
Lecture series.
At campfires as I share stories with other travelers.
Books.
How do you think you'll die?
My space suit would bust open and I'd have 18 seconds after that.
Drowning in a storm at sea.
A fall.
No one will ever know because my body won't be found.

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What is the scariest thing about being in the middle of the ocean in a small boat?
Loneliness.
Nothing - it's beautiful.
Big waves and big, hungry fish.
Storms.
What is so important about exploration?
Well, we can't live on this planet forever.
Understanding how the world works.
It is important to test human abilities.
Paving the way for discovery.
Would you go after something everyone else says doesn't exist?
I prefer some proof before going on a fool's errand.
I prefer to go after what no one has ever heard of before.
If I am with some good friends.
Without a doubt.

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What is the scariest thing about the jungle?
The possibility of getting lost and never being found.
Unknown creatures
Cannibals
Disease
What is something you should have when climbing a mountain at over 8,000 meters?
Oxygen.
Skilled friends.
Good rope.
Spiked boots and warm clothes.
Who do you expect to meet on your travels?
Absolutely no one.
Other explorers.
My guide.
Native people.

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What kind of alien life do you think exists in space?
Something we've never considered.
A fish-like creature in a subsurface ocean.
Microscopic.
Sentient life similar to humans.
Which body of water would you prefer to explore?
A river.
An ocean.
Subterranean lake.
Above-ground lake.
What is your favorite travel food?
Space ice cream
Spam
Dehydrated fruit
Beef jerky

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How would you tell loved ones you are going on an adventure that may kill you?
I would sit them down and have a conversation, trying to explain the importance of the mission.
They'll see me on TV.
I'd write a note.
Tell them? No. I'll just leave.
Which book would inspire you to a new career?
"The Call of the Wild"
"The Old Man and the Sea"
"Into the Wild"
"The Lost City of Z"
Who is your favorite adventure writer?
Jules Verne
Herman Mellville
Ernest Hemingway
Jack London

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Which of these movies do you prefer?
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
"Muppet Treasure Island"
"Cliffhanger"
"The Road to El Dorado"
Which animal do you feel has the harshest climate to deal with?
Scarab Beetle
Harp Seal
Musk Ox
Siberian Tiger
What would serve you best on an adventure?
Experience
Knowledge
Perseverence
Dumb luck

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You Got: