According to a recent article published in the English newspaper, The Telegraph, the travel industry could be in trouble as technology evolves. Findings from a recent study state that more children will be less apt to travel in the real world because it can so easily be accomplished in a virtual world. The findings come from a study commissioned by travel firm LastMinute.com and the Future Foundation titled “The Future of Free Time,” which followed trends in Japan.

Results from the study state that a new generation of children who choose not to leave the home could get so wrapped up in gaming and social media that travel could altogether be abandoned, The Telegraph reports. While I’m not quite sure to what degree I support or believe in the study’s findings (just look at all the great networks of travel bloggers on Facebook and Twitter!), if it proved to ever be true, it could cause a serious problem within modern society.

For as much as we can learn about other cultures on the Internet and media outlets, it does not pale in comparison to what can be learned through the first-hand experience. Travel is the type of profession or hobby that requires the use of all senses, something that would clearly be lost in translation through the advent of 3-D television, online chats and the gaming that allows armchair travel. While you can “travel” to France through documentaries about the Eiffel Tower or imagine the tastes of a dumpling in Hong Kong through Anthony Bourdain, it is not the same as climbing the steps to the top of the Tower or actually smelling and tasting the food from a street cart vendor.

Aside from the iconic sights and tastes of another world, travel should remain a necessary pleasure — not to be replaced by technology — to broaden perspectives and improve relations with other countries and cultures. The best way to maintain a relationship is through interpersonal interaction and stepping into an alternative way of life. Only so much can be learned and understood from television and books. Media is a great way to stay informed, but to truly understand there is nothing like immersing oneself in a culture and how it lives. Understanding is the key to learning favorable relations, and the understanding comes only with the experience of being there. As a recent example: everything I’ve read in international media about the political crisis in Bangkok has been in stark contrast to what I’ve read and seen myself while living in the country.

So what makes travel important and why this study needs to be proven wrong for years to come?

Travel gives people a basic understanding of the great big world in which we live. It allows us to appreciate other societies, forms of government and even cuisines. We can experience diversity in all its forms while relaxing us, exciting and teaching us all at the same time. Travel — in any of the many forms in which it occurs — makes us a cohesive whole.

Do you think technology could ever replace the need or desire for travel? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!