* Knowledge: Explorers exchanged knowledge about their own cultures and the cultures of the people they encountered. They learned about new languages, religions, and ways of life.
* Technology: Explorers exchanged technology with the people they encountered. They introduced new crops, animals, and tools, and they learned about new technologies from the people they met.
* Ideas: Explorers exchanged ideas about the world and their place in it. They learned about new ways of thinking about the world and they shared their own ideas with the people they met.