I don't know why other people explore, but I like having a reason to explore beyond just sightseeing like a tourist. I like being able to uncover new areas not on the map, finding small treasures (valuable or not), maybe discovering secret caves, a mini game, new enemies, etc. In ARR, the zones are just hub for quests and offer absolutely no reason to go beyond filling up your map. Even the original 1.0 gave a reason to explore....like discovering the stronghold bosses for the first time, or finding NMs and even the world NMs.
