English Essay on “Travel and Education” Complete Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Travel and Education

The world we live in is very complex and varied, and is changing constantly. But our education system is generally insensitive to both the variety in the world and the changes that take place all over it. If education is to serve its purpose as a support to lifestyles, it should provide us enough knowledge about the ways of our world. A reliable knowledge of people and places, to the extent possible, is necessary to ensure the security and welfare of our lives. This necessity establishes the importance of travel in education; because we can know our world properly only if we travel around it.

However, the importance of travel in making education meaningful has not been satisfactorily recognized. In the prevailing system, learning is based more on imagining and assuming ideas than on exploring reality. We conveniently ignore the fact that it is easier to learn about things, by observing and experiencing them, than by imagining about them. Though compared to that of other creatures, our ability to imagine is superior; we do not know how much of it we have. Owing to its uncertainty, it cannot be controlled, or channeled to focus on what we wish to understand. Furthermore, since the capacity for imagination varies from person to person, understanding of the same thing by different people will change widely. Such variations in inferences certainly lead to confusion. Travelling, as one of the means that enable learning by experience, reduces the chances of such confusion, and, therefore, should be part of those disciplines that call for observation and direct experience in their study.

History is one such discipline, in which travelling can make a useful contribution. It is much easier and more interesting to learn history by actually visiting the relevant historical sites than by reading about it in books. No amount of description or explanation can possibly match the experience students gain by such visits. The visits enable them to acquaint themselves with the past, as closely as possible. Travel benefits the study of geology and geography in a similar way. A rock’s characteristics are understood better by seeing the rock as it exists, in places where it is naturally found; than by examining its samples in a laboratory. Likewise, lessons in geography, particularly those on natural features, like mountain ranges and deserts, would be more interesting and useful if they are learnt after visiting their locations. The picture of reality will have a much better impression on the minds of students than any map or drawing. Travel is as useful to understand people living in different societies, as it is to learn about natural features and historical sites. Sociologists have to travel extensively to learn about the behaviour patterns of people living in different locations, as should archaeologists, to get a feel of lifestyles in ancient times. Travel has varying levels of importance in other disciplines, like Biology and Engineering also. While the variety in flora and fauna around the world is of interest to the biologist, engineers may gain inspiration for their profession by familiarizing themselves with the amazing achievements in construction and manufacture that mankind has made so far. Besides being an aid to education, as in the above cases, travelling is itself a form of education. Travelling of any nature, with any purpose, gives us an opportunity to meet various types of people, with customs, mores and languages, specific to each type. By being acquainted with different cultures, we gain useful knowledge about them and learn to appreciate them. Experience of dealing with a variety of people will improve our personality considerably, just as exposure to different cultures will enrich our own. Moreover, the experience of staying away from home can increase our confidence and make us more resourceful. Travelling also enables us to exchange our ideas with those of others, as well as to share experience and knowledge with them. It thus refines our thinking and outlook. By observing how people in different lands live, it may be possible for us to find solutions to the problems we face in our own region.

Though the importance of travel in education has been recognized in many societies around the world, its status in the Indian context is still unsatisfactory. Parents are generally reluctant to send their children far away from home for long periods, for what most people consider a useless exercise. The heavy academic curriculum, consisting of several subjects, is another factor that discourages travelling, because almost the whole of the students’ time is taken up for study in the classroom. Moreover, the vastness of the country makes travelling an expensive proposition, beyond the reach of many students.

Nevertheless, travelling has vital importance in the Indian situation, because it serves as an effective means for national integration. Institutions, like the Youth Hostels Association of India, are making commendable efforts to make travel-education economic and adventurous for the large number of young people in the country. Hopefully such institutions will inspire youngsters to travel and enjoy all the advantages the exercise can provide.