More on the Educational Value of Travel

Mark Twain is quoted as saying “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” This high praise, coming from one of America’s most famous authors, perfectly illustrates the power of travel.

Last week, we covered a few of the reasons that students should consider travel alongside traditional extracurricular activities as a means towards personal education, as well as talked about some of the ways that travel could parallel these activities. One unmentioned comparison is the counter-intuitive notion that travel could provide a local benefit similar to community-service. While it is true that an individual can directly improve the lives of community members by staying at home and volunteering, insights gained through travel could hold similar potential. Imagine relating an experience with people from your community in such a fashion that those who listen will connect to the people you talk about without even meeting them. Or how about presenting a cultural experience that broadened your own point of view in hopes of repeating the effect locally? The potential, like most extracurricular activities, relies on the individual and their ambition for self-directed learning.

For the student looking to set their résumé apart from all the others, travel could provide the necessary boost to open even the most prestigious of doors. Consider a traditional extracurricular activity, like interning at a locally distributed paper as a means towards building some journalism credibility. Now consider putting down on your résumé that you interned at that locally distributed newspaper in a foreign country and had to perfect a second-language to do it. To have such a unique insight into the world of journalism is going to land you far more consideration than staying at home for a similar internship.

As you weigh the paths available to you in the pursuit of self-betterment, consider travel, in all its many forms, one of several options. The exploration of foreign places is important for anyone seeking a well-rounded understanding of the world they occupy. We end this week’s blog the same way in which it began; with a quote from author Mark Twain--“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

The Educational Value of Travel

Taking the opportunity to learn in a fresh, new environment can engage even the most reluctant learner out there. And while some top-tier students choose to commit their free time to resume-builders like community service and sports teams, others find more value in exploring some place new. That’s not to say there isn’t tremendous merit in serving the community or leading a team- undoubtedly, both offer the potential for incredible experiences in and of themselves. But resources permitting, some students may benefit more from simply traveling.

For example, there has been plenty of talk on this blog about the improvement of learning through the diversification of the learning experience and multimodal teaching methods, but the total physical immersion of travel takes this idea to a whole new level. For example, all of the senses are engaged when a traveler simply walks down a foreign street--they can see the architecture, hear the language, and smell the local food. This creates an unparalleled number of connections in the brain, enhancing learning like nothing else can.

Additionally, one should never forget the educational applications that travel can bring to specific academic subjects. This is part of the reason why field trips are so awesome. What better way is there to learn about the history of the Roman Empire than to actually touch a part of the Coliseum? Or, one could dive into the art of drama by attending a Shakespearean production in the reconstructed Globe Theater of London. Or how about picking up a foreign language by using it non-stop in its country of origin? Of course, you don’t necessarily need to leave the country--think of the benefits of learning about the American Government by spending a week in Washington D.C., or the effects of volcanoes in Hawaii, or marine biology along the California coast?

Some see travel as a mere luxury. This is certainly true in some cases--for example, sitting on the beach all day while you stare at the water and hold a cold beverage is not exactly academically rigorous (even if your goal is to examine the tides!). But if you concentrate on gathering knowledge, and head off somewhere with a sense of discovery and an eagerness to learn, travel could be the best teacher you ever have.