Virtually all traveling naturalists of the time referred to Humboldt and his travel account. Humboldt, in return, advised and supported many travelers. Research institutions compiled travel instructions, which also corresponded to Humboldt’s ideal of comprehensive collection and note-taking practices. At the same time, however, the natural sciences – and travelers with them – were becoming increasingly specialised. The result was a tension between (Humboldt’s) ideal of traveling and how travel was being practised, which Humboldt and others saw critically and commented on.