This story made me feel nostalgic about the first time I traveled completely alone, it brought back the nerves, the expectations, everything. Remembering those moments and seeing them from where I am now makes me feel good because I see that that trip taught me a lot and helped me grow. Like in the story, I felt that something had changed in me and now I'm sure it changed me for the better
I think travel is something that expands ones thinking along with the experiences that come from it. We learn new things and experiences can change how we perceive the same things and new things we're exposed to. Take that back into our every day lives and change is inevitable. As you say, it's for the better usually, travel makes a person more worldly which permeates all aspects of their lives usually.