I posted a previous thread with an unfortunately obscure title, so I thought I'd create another more blatant one.
What if one of the last Roman Emperors (we will go with John VIII Palaiologos) determines that the Empire is doomed after the failure of the Crusade of Varna. Instead of OTL, they bargain with the Venetians, Genoans, and others for ships and based on the legends of Atlantis, Troy, and desperation - the Emperor sails west (or south).
Assuming that the voyage isn't a disaster, a few questions
1) What are the Romans likely to take with them
2) Where would they likely go (West or South) and likely land?
3) What would they be likely to take with them?
4) What would they be willing to sell to the west in order to finance the trip?
5) What is their fate likely to be at their destination?
Any other miscellaneous details/questions are of course encouraged.
Obviously, there isn't a NEED to be able to get back in the short term, but if you can figure out how to make the route circular and sustainable, hurray.