Elizabeth Drew once said about travel,

 

          "Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversations."

 

    Unfortunately, Ms Drew is frequently correct. Many people travel without truly experiencing the culture they are in, without interacting with people in their travel destinations. When they return, they offer no insights, they remain unchanged, although they are able to relate the details of their trips to anyone who will listen. The subjects of this quote are the shallow people who travel because it is a status symbol, or "everyone else is doing it."

    The travel that she is talking about is basically "passive," while anyone who is truly committed to travel realizes that travel must be "active," with an effort at immersion in a culture to truly experience it. This type of travel also requires research prior and during a trip to attempt to understand the historical and cultural context of the destination.