Well, I think people are generally only qualified to speak on things that they have experienced or observed for themselves, and as such I'm using my experience traveling to say that it's an important thing that people should do. I know people that have went places and not enjoyed the experience at all, wishing that they just stayed at home and did the usual for a couple of weeks instead. I'm not saying this never happens. What I personally think is important about getting out of your routine is even a broader topic, and to put it shortly, it's about being humbled. I think that doing the same thing, hanging out with the same people, eating the same foods, watching the same types of movies, etc. causes people to think they "know" things. "I know what I like, and that's that. I don't need to try new things."
I'm sure a lot of people are happy living this way, and that's fine. But in my personal opinion is that it's a terrible way to live. I think people should be open to trying different things and I believe it's very important to be humbled, and reminded that there is a lot you don't know, or can't know about the world, or even yourself without actually doing it.
Traveling is just a great way to try a bunch of different things at the same time. You're going to meet a bunch of people that act completely different than anyone you know or have different views than the people you normally spend time with because they grew up in a different culture. You'll probably try a few new activities or foods that aren't popular where you're originally from, and you're going to see cities or landscapes that are vastly different than the ones you've experienced at home. It's not necessarily about traveling, it's about getting out of your comfort zone.
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http://soundcloud.com/thundersheep/lunatic-asylum
http://soundcloud.com/thundersheep/summer-rain