The expensive cost of spices motivated Europeans to explore on the seas primarily because spices were highly prized luxury goods used for flavoring, preserving food, and medicinal purposes. However, the traditional overland routes for spice trade were long, dangerous, and controlled by Arab and Venetian middlemen, which made spices extremely costly in Europe. Europeans sought to find direct sea routes to the Spice Islands and Asia to bypass these middlemen, reduce costs, and gain direct access to the source of spices. This potential for immense profit from the spice trade was a key motivator behind the maritime explorations of figures like Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus. Additionally, controlling the spice trade promised economic wealth and political power, encouraging European nations to expand their empires through exploration and colonization.