'Travel broadens the mind'

The statement taken from General Paper Essay Library, one of the books that I bought in Singapore. The question is : To what extent do you agree?

Such an interesting question. I've visited few countries in my region and many cities within Indonesia. Does my travel experience broaden my mind?

This GP Essay Library published by Redspot provides a good argument:

Travel broadens the mind only if the traveler uses a lot of discretion in choosing where he wants to go. The rush tours which are so popular and which will show you the so called 'best' part of the country will hardly broaden the mind. Most of the time, the tours are tied to a clock. There is enough time to 'see' things; that's all.

Another brilliant statement taken from the essay:

The heart of the country may be in the art museums and temples but that is not all a traveller should see. What is more important - is to feel the soul of the country; its men, women and children. To get the soul, the traveller would have to leave his country behind him - not look at the country and its inhabitants from his viewpoint. He must become one of them. He must go to their homes, their markets, their playgrounds, their working areas and see their country as they see it. Even the simplest cultures can give fascinating experiences.

Now I understand why my parents never take tours package even when we visit a country for the first time.

Travel makes me realized that Indonesia is rich in terms of cultures. Here we have a lot of unique languages, pretty traditional costumes and yummy foods. But then, travel also waken me up that we don't have such a friendly environment for tourists. Museums or temples here are dirty and uncomfortable, comparing to those in Thailand and Singapore. Many people don't speak English except for those who involved in tourism sectors and students in 'modern' city. The scam also terrifying. Crimes happen everywhere. Even terrorists here keep targeting Americans and any other Caucasians. Of course they won't feel safe. We don't realized what we have.

Travel reminds me that I should first love my own heritage. Travel broadens the mind, yes.