[Points: Man's natural desire for travel—educational travelling has pleasures too—the best means of travel.]
In the Arabian Nights Entertainments we read of the strange adventures of a sailor, Sindbad by name.. He had an indomitable wander-lust which would take him out on his voyages again and again. Every time he met with the great dangers and every time he took vow not to go out again if he would escape. But after a few days rest at home, his wander-lust got the better of him and he went out again. In fact, Sindbad's lust for travel represents the natural wander-lust of man. He is curious by nature. He wants to know the unknown, to see the unseen. Books and pictures do not give him full satisfaction; he wants to know, see with his own eyes. This is why he is so fond of travelling.
The educational value of travelling cannot be over-estimated. It gives us first hand knowledge of the places through which we pass : their physical features, their crops and minerals, their natural beauty. It also brings us into contact with different ways of life. These are lessons more interesting and more effective than what we get from books. We read of the majesty of the Himalayas and the vastness of the ocean of the aboriginal tribes like the Santals 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 pleasures too. We go to Darjeeling to enjoy the beauty of nature. We go to Puri to see the majestic ocean and the famous temple of Jagannath. Even a short trip to an ordinary new place relieves monotony and fills the mind with joy.
We have now different means of travel. But the best is to travel on foot or by cycle. This enables us to get into direct touch with all we pass through or meet, and study them thoroughly. Thus is com bined the joy of adventure with the joy of knowledge and experience. Besides, it is a good lesson in bearing hardships of all sorts--hunger, sun, rain, fatigue, etc. And this is a good training of success in the struggle of life.
