Some people believe that in order to learn about other countries, people should travel there, while others are of that it is unnecessary as everything is available on the internet or TV. Although both notions have valid points, I think that learning about other countries is a task, which can be accomplished without travelling, so the internet is enough for that.
One argument towards learning through real-life experience is that people can remember information for longer periods. Compared to its counterpart, experiencing a trip will provide a total immersion into the culture, traditions and other aspects of a country. The effect it has on the efficiency of learning is significant. People remember data for longer when they experience feelings, that are rare in our day-to-day life. Take special occasions such as getting a diploma or graduating a school as a striking example. These events happen to people only once or twice in a lifetime, therefore making them special and memorable. Through reading articles or watching videos, people cannot have a sense of presence, thus putting it at the same level of importance as regular events in their memories. The reverse is true for the travelling to a foreign country, as it is not done as often as reading books or listening to podcasts. It is therefore effective to learn through having a journey to the countries.
However, TV and internet are better spurces when it comes to learnig about a country. There is no denying that travel is far more memorable than watching videos, but it only gives a surface-level information about the country and it is feelings what is saved in people’s minds. In other words, travellers learn about the country through making impressions about the visit, and the data is forgotten after a certain period of time. A completely different situations is with the arcticles and documentaries. They focus solely on the information about the country, leaving no room for emotions. When it comes to memorability, learners can simply repeat the information regularly, so they do not forget them; just the same as regular academic learning.
In conclusion, while travelling can provide unforgettable mwmories and feelings for people, the quality of data is low. TV and the internet, on the other hand, put the main purpose first and focus on the quality and depth of data, therefore making this method far more efficient, I belive.