Ya we travelled a good bit in our twenties before responsibilities like mortgages, kids etc came along and I would recommend it to anyone, spent some summers in Spain and California too in my late teens/early twenties. It helps you grow as a person to meet lots of people with varying opinions and cultures etc. I will encourage my own kids to travel before they settle down, as they were some of the best days of my life too.
RE: The aftermath and smallness