There's something in what you say, but I've spent enough time in youth hostels to know that the connections you make with people while traveling, even if they appear very meaningful at the time, often turn out to be superficial. Travel is one way to end up a well-rounded human being, but there are many others. For example: http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/2006/11/how_to_be_...
Maybe, maybe not. I still keep in touch with most friends I've made and find them valuable. Also, travel doesn't have to equal hostels, the piece itself talks mostly about hiking, surfing, and writing.
I think the superficial-boozing aspect comes from youth, which is common but fades as the years take their toll. As I'm pushing forty I find myself in nightclubs much less and museums more. For example, I've spent a few days in the Louvre and Archaeological Museum in Athens. I've lived with a family in the Himalayas ... there is no book that can do these experiences justice, sorry.
The choices we make while traveling are as important as the travel.
