Currently, in the context of global integration, each individual has a demand for widening their knowledge in several ways. Several people are asserting that instead of visiting other places, humans could use books, documentaries and the Internet as a useful way to gain an understanding of the culture. In my view, while these features are informative and amenable nowadays, I believe that traveling still plays an important role in discovering culture.
On the one hand, reading books, watching movies and searching through the internet could provide users who cannot travel owing to their limited conditions with a large amount of information about subjects they are curious about. For instance, if one wants to know the customs of the Vietnamese, one could gain this information through many articles and videos after searching this topic on the Internet.
On the other hand, I believe that it is indispensable for each person to gain firsthand experience through travel. First, despite being amenable, books and documentaries were just manufactured in the exact context. However, the information on these features might soon be out-of-date as the constant change of society, leading people to be unable to know the current characteristics of the subject they are investigating. In addition, in spite of constant updates of the Internet, the accuracy of the updated information cannot be ensured. Second, without directly approaching it, even if people have numerous updated and authentic sources to explore, they cannot have true knowledge about a certain culture. Coming to the new area, exposing the strange customs that they had never known before, with strong curiosity, each traveler has their own experiences and assessments about the new culture without relying on others’ subjective standpoints.
To sum up, although it is possible to learn about diverse cultures and traditions simply by many features such as books, films and the Internet without visiting a country, I truly believe traveling could provide authentic knowledge to each individual.