Educational value of travelling cannot be over- estimated. It gives us first hand knowledge of the places through which we pass. We can know their physical features, crops, minerals and natural beauty. It also brings us into contact with different ways of life. These lessons are more interesting and more effective than what we learn from books. Men travel for different purposes. Some men travel for pleasure, some men for business and some for education.
In ancient times, travelling was difficult and risky. There were no roads. A traveller had to pass through hills and forests. He had to face the fury of nature, wild beasts, robbers and many other obstacles. But all these could not daunt the spirit of ancient travellers like Fahien, Hiuen Tsang, Ibn Batuta and others.
Thanks to the triumph of science, travelling has now become easy, cheap, quick and pleasant. We can read in books of the majesty of the Himalayas and the vastness of the ocean, tribes like the Santhals and the Kolas, and the lives of the village people in the interior. But we cannot have any clear conception of them unless we see them with our own eyes. This is why educational tours are encouraged everywhere.
Travelling gives us pleasure too. Even a short trip to an ordinary new place relieves monotony and fills the mind with joy. We have different means of travel today. But the best way is to travel on foot or by bicycle. This enables us to get into direct touch with all people we pass through or meet, and study them thoroughly. Travelling helps us to see new faces, new lessons, new manners, new traditions and new customs. Travelling thus, can teach us what no book can, for it teaches through experience. It should, therefore, be made a part of education.
