The upcoming holiday of Columbus Day has fallen out of favor with parts of the United States; however, the early explorers were some of the first world travelers. And in a sense, Columbus had a passport of sorts – the sponsorship of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. While it is true that the Vikings arrived and settled before Columbus, and the Native Americans arrived here even earlier, it was his re-discovery of the Americas, if you would, that truly ignited the expansion of the known world, gave us the land we enjoy today, and possibly even our desire to explore …