Why is traveling important, you ask?

It's more than a leisure activity to create an escape from work, monotony, struggles, and daily routines.

Exploring the world around you, is an essential part of life experience.
To this day, I can't fathom how people can remain in the exact same place their entire life without moving a foot outside of the country.

Sure, Tahoe, Disneyland, and Hawaii are great. They are some of the most visited tourist attractions in the world actually. But what about the hidden gems of Africa, the various temples in Asia, the exotic tropical blue waters of the Caribbean, the indigenous culture of Latin America, and the intricate architecture of Europe?

It's easy to marvel over the beauty of pictures in travel magazines, or like your friends Facebook pictures of their semester abroad, but actually deliberately setting aside a time to go is easier said than done.

Going on a vacation is much more than all inclusive resorts, relaxing on the beach, and buying souvenirs. It's more than merely seeing a place other than where you live; it's about broadening your perspective of how you view the world.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with all inclusive resorts, lounging around the pool, or buying souvenirs, there is so much more to be taken from a trip abroad.
As humans, we tend be very ethnocentric, and can often get wrapped up in our own culture and the country we live in; so much so that we forget about the rest of the world around us.

For me, going to a foreign country is not about "finding yourself", but rather molding yourself into a wiser, culturally aware, and independent person.
Learning about other cultures and intercultural interactions are crucial for developing relationships, especially in such a diverse place as the U.S. While you can definitely establish intercultural friendships and relationships in your own country, it's not quite the same as going to another country and experiencing the culture and place first hand.

Many of us have heard St. Ambrose's famous proverb, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
And what better way to do that then to step outside your comfort zone, get familiar with the locals, and go to some of cities hidden local hiding spots.

Learning about the history, traditions, and daily life of a foreign countries can also help us become more culturally sensitive, which plays an important role in intercultural interactions.
Not only does it make us more culturally aware, but also less ethnocentric because we begin to see the beauty of other countries and cultures, other than our own.

Here is a few more reasons I read in regards to why traveling is not just beneficial, but necessary.
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-travelling-so-important-in-life