With current travel restrictions, country lockdowns, and persistent waves of the coronavirus, tourism, and travel has become a distant memory for most people. If you love traveling, your best alternative now is local tourism.
Even for this option, you need to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines and wait in line for your turn to visit a local attraction. Gone are the days you could pack your bags and go anywhere. Even as traveling seems impossible with no clarity on when the world can return to normalcy in terms of travel, there is a way you can still see the world.
Technological advancements give people exceptional access to digital technology. Some of the best destinations around the world are using technology to allow people access to virtual libraries and tours of the greatest attractions, including parks, museums, wonders of the world, and galleries. All this without having to leave your home.
Here is everything you need to know about virtual tourism so you will come to know how to explore the world virtually amid a pandemic:
What exactly is virtual tourism?
Virtual tourism refers to a new-age method of using video, virtual reality, still images, and audio technology to give people access to attractions and experiences from their homes. With virtual tourism, you can travel to any location on the offering without leaving your home. You get a 360-degree view of a place, exploring it as you would if you were there in person.
Best ways to explore the world virtually from your home
Use virtual reality to visit a national park
If one of the things you wanted to do was go on safari before the pandemic hit, virtual reality will ensure you still get to visit a national park of your choice with the options of touring many others at your disposal. Today, most tour operators are availing live stream options for anyone interested in visiting a national park from home. From going on wild safaris in Africa to visiting your local animal sanctuary, the possibilities are endless with virtual tours.
Take a virtual museum tour
Thanks to a partnership between google art and culture, you can visit any of more than 2500 museums and galleries in different parts of the world without leaving your home. You get to see and experience different art pieces in high-resolution images. Some of the best options available include a virtual tour to MoMA in New York, the National Gallery of Art in DC, Art Institute, Chicago, the Casa Battló, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Other museums you can visit virtually include the Vatican Museums, the Louvre, the top-rated British Museum, the Russian Museum, the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Smithsonian Museums, and the Minneapolis Museum of Russian Art.
Stream travel channels
There are numerous subscription channels like the discovery channel, Disney+, and YouTube channel that show travel-related content and programs. These programs allow you to live vicariously through the host as they show you different parts of the world. Wherever you dream of going, you can be sure that a travel blogger is willing to take you there.
To ensure you enjoy unlimited access to different travel channels, you need a VPN. Using a VPN service on your device will help you bypass geo-restrictions e and gain access to some travel channels. A VPN is software that allows you to connect to a server location to change your virtual location. You can change your location easily with a click of a button and explore the world virtually.
Go sightseeing virtually
From birdwatching to gazing at the midnight sun and aurora lights, virtual tourism ensures you can enjoy sightseeing from anywhere in the world. You have the perfect opportunity to visit and explore any city in the world without worrying about hotel check-in, airport transfers, or costs.
Whether you want to tour London or Washington, virtual sightseeing allows you to explore landmarks and neighborhoods from your sofa. If you choose to tour Paris, remember to check out amazing locations like the Montmartre Sacré-Cœur Basilica or the Louvre museum.
Go on a virtual hike
Thanks to panoramic videos, it is possible for you to explore hiking trails and destinations in 360-degree high-resolution videos from your house. Get to know what to expect on different trails and use this information to plan your next hiking destinations once you are able to travel. Virtual hiking can take you to Angel’s landing or the odd defying G20 or both on the same day.
Visit each of the seven wonders
Touring at least one of the Seven Wonders of the World is always at the top of most people’s bucket list. With virtual technology, it is possible to visit all seven without worrying about travel expenses. If this sparks your curiosity, you can go further and explore other wonders that did not make it to the top seven list, like La Girarda, the Alhambra, and Easter Island.
Hike the Great Wall of China before going to Africa to see the pyramids in Egypt. Once you are done, you can take a tour to see the Pyramids of Giza to complete your tour. Some of the places you can take virtual tours include Google, AirPano, Panoramas, and New York Times.
Virtual reality scuba diving
For watersport travelers, you can enjoy scuba diving in VR technology. National Geographic offers 260-degree videos for different nature sports and dive sites that you can explore with a virtual reality headset. This will bring you close to some of the best corals, deep-sea diving, and a chance to swim with the sharks.
In the absence of a VR headset, you can watch the 360-degree videos on the National Marine Sanctuary for a chance to explore different marine ecosystems.
Travel to the North Pole without needing a coat
If your dream is to tour cold regions, you can check out one of the many 360-degree explorations videos of the North Pole or the caves in Antarctica for an interactive trip under and above the ice. If you love Frozen the movie, a live-cam tour to Bergen in Norway will take you to the city that inspired the movie, which is also one of the coldest places in Europe.
Conclusion
Whether you want to tour japan or scale the heights of a mountain, virtual tours ensure you can do so from the comfort of your home. While it is not clear when the world will enjoy free travel again, virtual yours will ensure you do not miss a vacation. Now you know how to explore the world virtually you can select any virtual tour of your choice and enjoy your moment from anywhere. If you are looking for more travel tips then don’t forget to check our other travel guides.
