Virtual travel - Where can you go without leaving home?
Where can you go without leaving home?
Covid-19 may have grounded our planes and forced us into isolation, but it has not dampened out spirit or our desire to travel. Physically this may not be possible now but with the miracle of the internet we can still virtually travel the amazing world we live in.
Some of the worlds leading museums, national parks and landmarks are just a click away. Below are some of the virtual links that can transport you from your lounge to anywhere in the world. Be brave start your exploration today from the safety of your home.
Museums
The Louvre in Paris is the world’s largest art museum and was the former residence of the Kings of France. Even though the Louvre has closed its doors to the public, you can still walk the halls of this amazing museum virtually and feast in a collection of over 35 000 works including the Mona Lisa and the La Venus de Milo.
https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
Goggle Art & Culture provides virtual access to over 2500 museums around the world. Google Arts & Culture’s collection includes the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and many more.
Zoos & Live Webcams
Many zoos around the world understand how addictive it can be to watch animals frolic and play. Knowing this many have installed live webcams for us to enjoy these animals at home. San Diego zoo allows us to watch polar bears, penguins, giraffes even Australia Koalas live.
https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
National Parks
Goggle Art & Culture also provides virtual access to National parks around the world. If you don’t have the energy to hike that trail today, don’t worry you won’t be getting any blisters whilst lying on your couch. Have you ever wanted to explore an Alaska Glacial Park or Yellowstone Park?
https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/kenai-fjords/exit-glacier-tour
Historical sites
Being a bit of a cultural buff myself I love the huge number of historical sites that have opened their doors to visitors virtually. Petra, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1985 is one of these. This was one of my travel highlights and I would have no hesitation in recommending this destination. I can clearly remember the heat and the 1.2km hike through the Siq, or canyon into Petra. Until you can explore Petra in person, escape the heat and the hike and explore the temples of Petra virtually.
The list of historical sites available to explore virtually is a long one, another couple of my favourites is Stonehenge in the UK. Alternatively, you could climb to the top of Blarney castle and kiss the Blarney stone.
https://www.blarneycastle.ie/pages/map-and-virtual-tour
It is amazing what the Natural world has to offer, and this is not forgotten by the virtual world. My family spent 4 nights in Sweden waiting for the Northern lights to appear. Viewing the Northern Lights can be in the luck of the gods, but you are guaranteed to see them when watching virtually.
https://lightsoverlapland.com/abisko-national-park-virtual-reality-tour/
Beaches
Hawaii is popular with families and even though you cant currently get there you can still take a leisurely walk along Waikiki beach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztdyua06jpA
Sport
The Melbourne Grand Prix was cancelled this year much to the disappointment of many fans. If you are a rev head and need to get your car racing fix, then this site is for you.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Formula1/videos?app=desktop
Theme Parks
And finally, if a theme park is on your wish list then check out this wonderful site.
In researching this article, I have collated over 45 different virtual travel sites and would love to share this with you all. Please contact me on tjohnson@mtatravel.com.au if you would like a copy.
Enjoy exploring the world from the comfort of your sofa.
Tina Johnson
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash