Not saying you are wrong, but could you give some examples? There are always zillions of options in life - to choose one, a little more than "currently unknown" would be nice?
This is one of those things that is incredibly difficult to explain to people that haven't done it, while the people who have, instantly get what you're talking about.
I disagree with the author that you shouldn't just travel, but you should actually live in different places. You hardly learn anything from staying in a place for a few days but you learn much more if you stay in a place for at least a few months.
Living abroad challenges you in ways that are very hard to find at home. Everyday things like buying groceries or ordering food in a restaurant become challenging (as long as you don't go to an English speaking country). You start to discover beliefs that you didn't even know you had because the local people believe and act in totally different ways. You're always questioning 'why?' Why do people push to the front here and not line up properly? Why do people shake your your hand again when they see you even though you've met them a bunch of times before? Why do people not understand sarcasm like in North America? Why do the people sit around drinking coffee all day? Why is this person giving me a gift? What are the reasons behind this? Why did that person say they would do something when it was obvious they weren't going to do it? Is this representative of the whole culture or just this one person? Why do so many people believe in superstitions and tradition? and so on...
You start to recognize your own culture and, especially upon returning home, start to see things that you don't really like about your own culture - things that you weren't even aware about before.
Living in another country is a great opportunity to learn more about yourself, about others and have a rewarding experience consisting of ups and downs.
"Living abroad challenges you in ways that are very hard to find at home."
Totally agree. Once you've done a job interview in another language, or worked with foreign colleagues, you'll have new insights into the way companies work in your home country and confidence to tackle things you wouldn't have dreamed of doing before.
One downside to living abroad: In some industries you lose some networking juice and connections that you would have otherwise built had you stayed at home. That's mainly a concern for people who work in industries which don't value overseas experience or connections.
Great question. I don't know. I have done both, but a lot more working than travelling.
Building stuff is as much creative as it is scientific or task oriented. That creativity has to be fed somehow. For me, putting myself into a situation I'm normally unaccustomed to really gets the juices flowing. Travel is great for that.
I have done very little international travel, but I have done a lot of RVing. Although I never actually did much work while out on the road, I was never more relaxed and introspective. Often couldn't wait to get back to work to try something out.
Reading, surfing, and watching video are all good methods of feeding your brain. But nothing comes close to actually being there.
Stop comparing. Do both, do neither. During the dotcom craze, I "traveled" to a foreign country and worked at a startup. The experiences were very rewarding. Your mileage may vary.
Advising people to travel is a bit like giving advice to learn Lisp. And, I know that hearing "well you just don't get it unless you do it" is not very helpful. But, I am learning Lisp anyways.
By planting seeds that you have no other way of getting into your brain. You can reap the (currently unknown) harvest later.