Which Europeans travels first provoked the Western European curiosity for exploration and expansion?

Vasco de Gama was the European whose travels first provoked the Western European curiosity for exploration and expansion.

Explanation:

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to ever reach India by sea. He was born in the Portuguese city of Sines and was the son of a man who served a knight for the king of Portugal. In 1497 Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon on a mission to reach to India in order to open a trade route between Europe and the East and in May of 1498 the explorer reached the port of Calicut, India. This trip made Vasco da Gama a hero back at his home as his trip was a historical event for both navigation as well as a major success for Portugal and the rest of Europe, who became curious for exploration, expansion and later on colonizing exotic regions.

The Europeans that traveled to provoked the West European curiosity for exploration and expansion was Vasco de Gama