I run a big loop from the New York system to Dresden to New Tokyo to New London and back to New York. I know there are shorter more profitable routes (I make about 10-15mil per hour) but my character prefers to see the sights and venture off on tangents now and then.
"To gain a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the highest excellence;
to subjugate the enemy's army without doing battle is the highest of excellence."
Planet Malta <-> Yanagi Depot; Cardamine <-> Engine parts
While not being most profitable it has less hassle. I can safely put ship to next waypoint and alt-tab to do whatever I want, just check in occasionally to move to next waypoint. Terribly boring but neither I'm looking for trading excitements.
Hardly spoiled anything, it's a well-known "route". I believe "discovery" argument is not applicable to such cases. Arguable? Surely. Just sticking to my opinion. And probably there is a bit of hyprocrisy, considering how many people extensively "exploit" the said "route" I hardly see any reason to keep it in secret. Let people go there and don't forget to send a party welcome card to all pirates.