Have you ever thought about why traveling is important? It may seem obvious, but a good trip introduces you to a "new world". Geography matters: where you are going plays a huge role in how you think. About six months after I moved to China, I got the chance to travel with a group of friends to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This trip was great fun: I got to swim, cycle and stay in tree houses in the jungle. But more importantly, this trip was meaningful.  All of these three countries were bombed   by the US military   during the conflict   with the North Vietnamese, the Vietnam War. As someone with strong anti-war   opinions, I wanted to learn how the people of this area remember the war. I was not disappointed. When I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I got the chance to explore the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, which has the largest collection of anti-facts from the Vietnam War. One exhibit is especially memorable. It is full of photos and artwork showing the effects of Agent Orange, a chemical weapon used by the US military against the land and population of Vietnam.  The aim of the Agent Orange campaign   was to destroy plant life to make it more difficult for North Vietnamese fighters to hide behind trees. But ordinary Vietnamese were hurt the most. I had tears in my eyes as I looked around the exhibit. Ks5u Another time during our trip, my friends and I were arriving in a town in Cambodia on an overnight bus. As we got off the bus, taxi drivers came over offering rides. One of them asked me, "Where are you from, man?" I replied, "America!" And he said, "Ahh...the place where they make the bombs!" He laughed. I didn't. Ks5u Traveling offers perspective . There are few things more important than that. In what way did the writer think his trip to the three countries was meaningful?
It brought him to a different part of the world. It taught him how people live in those countries. It made him think of what changes he should make in his life. It helped him see how people in other countries view American wars.