I encourage everyone to take an extended trip to a country with a different culture if they can afford it by any means. The greatest effect it has on you is making it obvious which aspects of your personality and values are just picked up from your surroundings. Every time I moved to a different region it stripped away a little bit of the parts of me that weren't really me, and left me feeling much more confident in my goals and desires, and generally more comfortable with who I am. You really can't put a price on this.