virtual travel destinations

The 12 Best Virtual Vacations You Can Take Without Traveling

While recent events may have kept us off planes and, well, on our couch, travel still remains one of the best ways to demonstrate our global interconnectedness and humanity. So for now, because we are all in this together (and separately from our individual couches), we’ll have to be armchair voyagers as we explore museums, libraries, and historical, religious, and cultural sites. Learning and discovery don’t have to stop. Keep reading to find out about the best virtual vacations from the comfort—and safety—of your own home.

Have a Virtual Adventure at the Grand Canyon

The National Park Service does more than educate sightseers in person when they visit any of the 61 national parks. You can view the Grand Canyon via 360-degree photographs on an archeology virtual tour, go on a virtual hike past layers of earth to the famous Phantom Ranch, or float down the Colorado River on a rafting trip.

Online: View virtual tours, maps, and photographs through the National Park System’s website.

See Llamas at Machu Picchu

Wendy Altschuler

High in the Peruvian Andes mountains sits Machu Picchu , an ancient citadel built in the 15th century. A visit here will reward you with stunning mountain views, llama sightings, and great hikes throughout olden ruins.

Online: Visit the citadel online through a 360-degree virtual tour , provided by You Visit.

Wander Through the Sistine Chapel in Italy

Located in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel is famous for the Renaissance frescos that brighten up the interior. In person, when open to the public, The Sistine Chapel is crowded, and it can be difficult to view all of the artwork. A virtual tour is not only a great way to appreciate the chapel without the interference of too many people, but you can also see the gardens, Pontifical Villas, and Vatican City museums.

Online: See the Vatican grounds, including the Sistine Chapel , by clicking on arrows to move up, down, left and right throughout each tour. You’ll also be able to zoom in to get a better look at the paintings.

Visit the Land of Creation

Jerusalem is home to three monolithic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most notable locations in Jerusalem . Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City in Israel, this religious site is said to be where Jesus was crucified, where his empty tomb is located, and where he is believed to have been resurrected.

Online: Experience 360-degree virtual tours of Jerusalem, including The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, Old City markets, Mount of Olives, and much more via Samsung XL.

Tour the White House

Visiting Washington, D.C. , is inadvisable right now, but you can still go on a virtual tour of the White House . See the Eisenhower Executive Office Building positioned next to the West Wing where White House Staff offices are located. Click through a 360-degree view of the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office, the Secretary of War Suite, the War Library/The Law Library, and The Indian Treaty Room. Learn about how the art and décor of the White House has changed with each Presidential occupancy. You’ll have the opportunity to view the Entrance Hall, Cross Hall, East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, State Dining Room, Vermeil Room, China Room, East Garden Room, and more.

Online: Google Arts & Culture offers a wide variety of virtual reality tours.

Visit the Guggenheim Museum in New York City

 Courtesy of The Guggenheim Museum

New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the most stunning Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures in the country. The white spiral ramp in the interior takes you from the bottom to the top in an organized and visually pleasing way.

Online: Google Arts & Culture will lead you through the museum’s multiple floors, highlighting 600 artworks along the way. You’ll be able to zoom in and out and rotate your view 360 degrees.

Understand the Natural World in Washington, D.C.

TripSavvy / Victoria Chamberlain

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History , home to 125 million artifacts, is one of the most-visited natural history institutions on the planet. Visit the exhibits—permanent, current, and past—from your desktop or mobile device on a virtual tour. You’ll be able to click on blue arrows as you navigate through each exhibit, located on the ground, first, or second floors. Be patient as pages load and click on camera icons to get a close-up view of a particular object.

Online: The museum’s website showcases a wide variety of exhibits via virtual tours.

Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York City

If you’ve never been to New York City, then the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island are likely high on your travel wishlist. Both islands, which are part of the same National Park System, are worth exploring. Go on a virtual tour of Ellis Island to see where more than 40 percent of Americans can find family history and climb inside of the Statue of Liberty.

Online: The National Park Service has virtual tours of Ellis Island , created by Heritage Documentation Programs, and the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Scholastic also has an informative Teacher’s Activity Guide that will allow you to see photos, listen to audio, and learn about Ellis Island on an interactive tour.

Smile Back at Mona Lisa in Paris

kwanchai_k photograph / Getty Images

The Louvre in Paris is the largest art museum on the planet, home to more than 35,000 displayed works, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. While this historic museum is usually congested, especially on the weekends, you can visit virtually, from the comfort of your own home, and see the museum’s most impressive works. If nothing else, this online experience can be valuable research for when you travel to Paris in the future.

Online: Immerse yourself in the museum’s galleries and exhibits via virtual reality. See Egyptian antiques, the Louvre’s moat, and, of course, Mona Lisa’s smile. The museum’s website also has a number of videos that you can watch to get a better understanding of the museum’s art. Note: You’ll have to download Flash Player. You Visit also has a great 360-degree virtual reality display of several museum galleries.

Witness the Treasures of England’s British Museum

 TripSavvy / Gautier Houba 

Home to the Rosetta Stone, Greek vases, Egyptian mummies, an Easter Island statue, an Aztec double-headed serpent sculpture, and n umerous other artifacts and artworks , the British Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. See impressive examples of human history, art, and culture through a virtual tour.

Online: See the British Museum via Google, where you can navigate a timeline to view specific artifacts.

Learn About Amsterdam’s History and Culture at The Rijksmuseum

Merten Snijders /  GettyImages

The Rijksmuseum is one of the most visited museums in Amsterdam, and for good reason. See works from the Dutch Golden Age by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ruisdael, Steen, and more. The building itself is also a work of art and worth viewing through virtual reality.

Online: Virtual tours, of the interior as well as the exterior, are available through Google Arts & Culture.

Float Along the Great Wall of China

Fortification walls, stretching thousands of miles, were built in northern China to protect the country against invaders and to control trade along the Silk Road. The Great Wall of China is known as one of the most impressive and significant archeological human feats in history.

Online: Wander through sections of the Great Wall of China through a virtual tour, provided by You Visit. Click on the camera icons to see close-up photographs.

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60 Virtual Tours To Travel The World During The Coronavirus Pandemic

• Written by Post author: Chloe Smulian
• Post last modified: Updated on April 2, 2024

A comprehensive list of free virtual tours that will intrigue and delight all types of travel lovers. Discover the Seven Wonders of the World, visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites and iconic landmarks around the world from the comfort of your home! Experience your first virtual travel experience with us.

With extensive travel bans, citywide lockdowns and strict social distancing measures, it’s hard not to eventually let cabin fever weigh you down. This is especially true if you’ve got a healthy addiction to travel like us. So we’ve found a way around the problem – virtual travel!

Obviously it doesn’t replace the real thing, but it’s better than nothing. It’s also a great way to get travel inspiration and learn some interesting facts about the destination until we can travel again.

It will give you something positive to look forward to while we all do the responsible thing and #stayhome. Treat it like Facetiming the world!

It’s also a great thing to do with kids at home. They’ll especially love the wildlife live webcam feeds! This list is guaranteed to keep them occupied for days if not weeks!

So whether you love city escapes, exploring museums or learning interesting facts about the natural and man-made wonders around the world, there’s something for everyone.

Make sure you share this with your friends and family who love travelling too.

What Do You Need To Virtual Travel The World

Virtual touring the world is easy. All you need is a laptop, cellphone or tablet and an internet connection. You don’t need a VR set (virtual reality set), but if you have one it’s a bonus.

We recommend using Google Chrome web browser because some of these virtual tour websites are not in English. Chrome makes it really easy translating foreign languages to English or whatever language you prefer.

Lastly, have a little patience as some of these virtual tours take a bit longer to load.

New Seven Wonders Of The World Virtual Tour

Everyone’s heard of the Seven Wonders of the World. But did you know that there are two different lists for the 7 Wonders of the World?

No? We didn’t either. The list most people know is the New Seven Wonders of the World. But there’s also the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World.

Are you one of the those rare humans that can list all New 7 Wonders of the World?

1. Great Wall of China

Often cited as the only human-made structure that is visible from space. The Great Wall of China is probably the most well known Wonder of the World. It captures over 2,000 years of history and stretches more than 21,000 km across several provinces in China. That’s as long as 5 times the length of Australia!

This iconic landmark is usually teemed with tourists all year round. But you can visit it crowd-free on this Great Wall of China virtual tour.

2. Chichen Itza, Mexico

The ancient city of Chichen Itza is one of the most well restored Mayan sites in Mexico and also its biggest tourist attraction. El Castillo may be the most famous pyramid of Chichen Itza, but there are many other ancient ruins to explore.

If you love astronomy, you’ll love learning how each structure was intricately designed to align with specific planets and stars. Sounds fascinating?

You can virtually tour Chichen Itza and explore some of its most popular sites and facts right from the comfort of your own home.

3. Christ The Redeemer, Brazil

The cultural icon of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a symbol of Christianity across the world. The Christ The Redeemer statue is the largest art deco statue in the world. It stands 38 meters tall (around 13 storeys high) and stretches 28 meters wide.

It was built by the Roman Catholic community of Brazil following the end of World War I. The community was concerned about the growing ‘godlessness’ when Brazil officially became a republic and the church was officially separated from the state.

You can skip the 200+ step climb to the top on this stunning virtual tour of Cristo Redentor .

4. Petra, Jordan

Also known as the ‘Carved City’ or the ‘Lost City’, Petra is known as one of the oldest cities in the world. It is estimated that the city was established in the 4th century (312 BC) but was only discovered by Western civilisation in the 1800s.

Only 15% of Petra has been explored by archaeologists, so not much is known besides it being home to about 800 tombs.

It’s simply one of those places that you have to see to believe that it exists in real life. Petra is still on our travel bucket list, but this virtual tour is probably one of our favourites!

5. Taj Mahal, India

One look at the Taj Mahal and it’s easy to see why it’s a wonder. It’s considered to be one of the most magnificent masterpieces of architecture in the world. Besides that, it’s also a symbol of love. Don’t believe us? See the Taj Mahal in VR for yourself.

The emperor built it in remembrance of his third wife who passed away giving birth to their 14th child. Today the couple remains buried together beneath the main inner chamber of the Taj Mahal.

It took more than 22,000 workers, 1,000 elephants and 22 years to build this incredible structure. Now there are concerns that it will crumble into pieces as its wooden foundations are rotting away.

6. Rome Colosseum, Italy

Did you know that Italy has the most number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world? There are a total of 51 World Heritage sites within Italy of which the Colosseum is the most famous.

Historically, the Colosseum was a place where gladiator fights and executions took place in Ancient Rome. Today it stands as a symbol of power and majesty of the Roman Empire. It’s also one of the most popular tourists attraction in the world.

7. Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is famous for being the Lost City of the Incas. It is believed that this is where the Incas escaped to when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.

Besides its historical significance, Machu Picchu also showcases the Incas’ incredible mastery of stone. The stones used to construct some of the most beautiful structures in Machu Picchu were cut so precisely and wedged so closely together, that a credit card cannot be inserted between them.

Not only was this more aesthetically pleasing, it also has engineering advantages. The stones were designed to bounce through earthquake tremors and fall back into place. This was only possible because no mortar (or cement) was used and the reason why Machu Picchu still stands today.

Virtual Tours of Top UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Top unesco sites in africa.

8. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the most famous landmarks around the world. Its sheer colossal size and perfect symmetry makes you wonder how this world icon was constructed more than 4,500 years ago.

Today, the Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving members of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World.

9. Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

Kilimanjaro is one of the largest volcanoes in the world and also home to Africa’s highest mountain.

If you love hiking as much as we do, then Kilimanjaro is probably on your bucket list too. Close to 35,000 people attempt to hike Mount Kilimanjaro every year. But only 40% of them successfully reach the summit and around 5 to 15 people die every year attempting it.

There isn’t a proper virtual tour of Kilimanjaro , but you can get some awesome 360 panoramic views using Google Map street views. Just drag the little yellow man to the circles on the map to ‘explore’ the area.

Save Me For Later

10. Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa

Not only is the Drakensberg Mountains a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, it’s also a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site. Drakensberg is culturally significant because it hides more than 20,000 San rock paintings inside its nooks and crevices.

These rock paintings are important because they represent the earliest form of human creativity. They also symbolise the beginning of art in the world today.

We’ve had the privilege of hiking the Drakensberg Mountains when we lived in South Africa. If you plan to hike it too, make sure you read our top Drakensberg hiking trails of the Royal Natal National Park . We also share tips on how you can hike the Drakensberg with children .

Since that’s not possible right now, you can enjoy the magnificence of the Drake nsberg on this beautiful virtual tour.

Top UNESCO Sites in Asia

11. Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan is known as the ‘sea of temples’ because it has the largest concentration of Buddhist temples in the world. There were originally 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries built here in the 1000s and 1100s. But only 2,000 of them still exist today.

Needless to say that the entire Bagan Archaeological zone is too vast to explore by foot alone. You can compliment your walk with a ride on old rickety bicycles, hot balloon rides or on this mind blowing virtual tour of Bagan .

12. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is famous for being the largest religious monument in the world. Yes, it’s even bigger than Bagan! Before the fall of Angkor Wat in the 15th century, it was actually the largest city in the world.

Unlike Bagan, most of Angkor Wat still exists today. It was built with durability in mind because it was designed and dedicated to the immortal gods.

13. Terracotta Army, China

This World Heritage Site isn’t a temple, but a mass grave. It’s the burial ground for the First Emperor of China and his world renowned Terracotta Army.

No one knows exactly how many terracotta warriors were made. But it’s been estimated that more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses were sculpted. And if that wasn’t amazing enough, each soldier has its own distinct facial features and were all built to life-size.

It took around 40 years to ‘build’ the entire army and its sole purpose was for protecting the emperor in his afterlife.

You can wander between these soldiers yourselves on this Terracotta Warrior virtual tour.

Top UNESCO Sites in Europe

14. Acropolis of Athens, Greece

‘Acropolis’ translates into ‘high city’ in Greek. Most cities in ancient Greece had their city centres built on a mound or a hill. This is where they would build their important temples and where citizens could retreat to if under attack.

The most famous acropolis of Greece is, of course, the one in Athens with the iconic Pantheon dominating its skyline. The Acropolis of Athens has withstood the test of time, including bombardments, earthquakes and vandalism. Yet it still stands today as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.

15. Stonehenge, United Kingdom

Also known as the Bronze Age Ring of Standing Stones, Stonehenge is one of the UK’s most unique sites and visited attractions. It’s a prehistoric monument steeped in all kinds of myth and speculation because no one knows its true origin or purpose.

Some believe that Stonehenge was a Druid temple, built by ancient Celtic pagans as a centre for their religious worship. Others believe it to have astronomical significance as the light from sunrise and sunset aligns with the stones during summer and winter solstice.

Why don’t you decide for yourself based on the interesting facts you’ll learn on this Stonehenge virtual tour.

Top UNESCO Sites in North and South America

16. Mesa Verde National Park, USA

Mesa Verde is the largest and one of the most spectacular archeological sites in the USA. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it encapsulates how Native Americans once lived by carving their homes into the cliff.

It’s one of the most well preserved ruins of the Ancestral Pueblo people in North America and you can virtually explore Mesa Verde right from the comfort of your own home.

17. Mayan Ruins of Tikal, Guatemala

At first glance, the Mayan Ruins of Tikal appears to be quite similar to the ruins of Chichen Itza. They were both major cities in the history of the Mayan civilisation and are both declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The biggest difference between the two is that Tikal is less visited and often less crowded compared to the more popular Chichen Itza. That’s because Tikal is located in the remote Guatemalan forests whereas Chichen Itza is much easier to access.

Some areas of Tikal remain unmapped or excavated too. So if you love hidden gems, make sure you visit the Mayan Ruins of Tikal , even if it’s only by virtual tour for now.

18. Easter Island, Chile

Easter Island is a Chilean island in the south Pacific Ocean. It’s famous for its 900+ giant statues known as Moais, which are scattered around the entire island.

It is believed that the Rapa Nui natives built these Moais to honour chieftains and important individuals from their village. They believed that by doing this, the spirit of the person would forever watch over the tribe and bring good fortune.

Today, Easter Island is believed to be the most remote inhabited island in the world. That’s why it’s also very expensive to get to. But have no fear, you can admire Easter Island virtually until then.

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings Around the World

Some of the most iconic and recognised landmarks and buildings around the world that you can explore for free from home.

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in USA

19. The White House, United States

Anyone can visit the White House free of charge. But you have to register and request a tour online and wait between 3 weeks to 3 months to visit. Skip the wait on this White House virtual tour.

20. Statue of Liberty, USA

More than 130 years ago, France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States to celebrate the friendship the two endured during the American Revolution. Today it represents freedom and democracy in the USA.

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in the United Kingdom

21. Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom

The official residence of The Queen and a must-visit when in London. Skip the long 3 month wait and the €30 entrance ticket and see Buckingham Palace virtually.

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in Italy

22. The Vatican, Italy

Vatican City is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and the seat of government. More than 5 million people come to Rome every year to feast their eyes on the prized paintings and sculptures of the Vatican and to experience the most religious and cultural site in the world. Check out youvisit.com/tour/vatican for the tour.

23. Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most recognised landmarks in the world. The intention was to build the tallest bell tower for that era in order to show off Pisa’s growing wealthy and prosperity. The ‘leaning’ part of the equation was actually an engineering mistake.

24. Doge’s Palace, Venice

More than a 1,000 years ago, Doge’s Palace was the home to the ruler of Venice and the seat of power for the Venetian Republic. Today it is one of Venice’s must-see museums. Wander around the corridors of the Doge’s Palace or along one of its many surrounding canals on this beautiful virtual tour.

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in Germany

25. Reichstag Parliamentary Building, Berlin

The Reichstag is one of the most important buildings in Berlin today. Built to symbolise the reunification of Germany. It’s one of the few parliamentary buildings in the world that allows the public to watch over government processions. Similar to the White House, it’s free to visit but you have to book months in advance for a tour. Wait no more as this virtual tour of the Reichstag is pretty awesome.

Wondering how travelling in Berlin and Germany has changed since COVID? Find out what it’s like to visit Berlin during the coronavirus pandemic .

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in France

26. Palace of Versailles, France

Did you know that the Palace of Versailles was a mere hunting lodge before it became the world’s largest palace? It’s one of the most important landmarks in French history because it symbolises the power and downfall of the French monarchy.

Explore its opulent, regal interior and admire its intricate details on this Palace of Versailles virtual tour.

27. The Louvre Museum, Paris

The Louvre use to serve as the royal palace for the French monarchy. It only became an art museum after the royal family moved their residence to Versailles. Today it is the world’s largest art museum and an iconic historical monument in Paris.

28. The Catacombs of Paris, France

It’s no coincidence that the word ‘catacombs’ rhymes with ‘tombs’. The Catacombs of Paris is the world’s largest underground burial site. The city was growing too fast for its cemeteries to handle the bodies of the dead. The solution was to move the bodies and bury them underground. Archaeologists estimate that around 6 to 7 million bodies were buried down there. Creepy…

Iconic Landmarks and Buildings in Israel

29. The Holyland, Bethlehem and Jerusalem

Also known as the most sacred place on earth. It is here at The Holyland that the main religious faiths believe that God first entered into a relationship with the human race.

Virtual Tours of Top Natural Wonders and Attractions

30. Niagara Falls , Canada – see live video feeds of these world famous falls on EarthCam.

31. The Northern Lights , Canada – another great live webcam to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Remember to watch this in the evening Canadian time.

32. Victoria Falls , Zambia – a magnificent virtual tour of the world’s largest waterfall.

33. Sahara Desert , Africa – explore the world’s largest desert without getting sand in your eyes.

34. Mount St Helens , USA – travel back in time and witness the day Mount St Helens erupted back in 1980.

35. Mount Everest , Himalayas – the only way to trek the world’s highest mountain without training is going on this virtual tour. Remember to click on the arrows to explore around.

36. Cliffs of Moher , Ireland – discover the most beautiful natural landscapes of Ireland on this gorgeous virtual tour.

37. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park , USA – one of our favourite virtual tours from the whole list. Not only is it mesmerising, but you can also learn so many interesting facts on this tour.

38. Grand Canyon , USA – enjoy a virtual hike and explore one of the most famous national parks in the USA.

39. Yellowstone National Park , USA – a nature lover’s paradise. Make sure you use Google Chrome for this tour.

40. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park , China – otherwise known as ‘Avatar Mountain’. The mesmerising, otherworldly landscapes that inspired the ‘floating mountains’ in one of our favourite movies, Avatar.

41. Galapagos Islands , Ecuador – A scuba diver and nature lover’s idea of paradise! This is right on the top of our travel bucket list.

42. Raja Ampat , Indonesia – The epitome of utopia. Hundreds of jungle-covered islands as far as the eye can see and some of the best beaches, coral reefs and scuba diving spots in the world.

Virtual Tours From The Top: City Skylines

43. New York Skyline – New York, New York! Head up to the 102th floor of the Empire State Building on this virtual tour and admire the city that never sleeps from above.

44. Tokyo Skytree , Japan – Teleport yourself to the highest structure in Tokyo and admire the vibrant capital city of Japan from the top. We hope you aren’t afraid of heights because the Tokyo Skytree is 634 meters tall which is more than double the height of the Eiffel Tower.

45. The Eiffel Tower , Paris – Head to the top deck of the Eiffel Tower and marvel at the City of Love on this breathtaking virtual tour.

46. The Peak , Hong Kong – Ever heard the phrase ‘A New York minute is a Hong Kong second’ before? Discover one of the most populous and expensive cities in the world from its highest peak. When you’re ready to visit Hong Kong in person, make sure you read our 7 tips to travel Hong Kong on a budget before you go.

47. St Paul’s Cathedral , London – Admire London’s epic skyline from the top of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Free Virtual Museum Tours

You should download the Google Arts and Culture app to your phone if you’re a museum lover. You’ll find tons of stunning virtual tours and interesting things to learn from the arts and culture world. Here are some of our favourite free virtual museum tours.

48. The British Museum , London – The famous British Museum is dedicated to human history, art and culture. Their permanent collection consists of more than 8 million pieces of artwork. Making it one of the largest and most comprehensive compilations in the world.

49. Musée d’Orsay , Paris – If you love French art whether that’s paintings, sculptures, furniture or photography, you’ll love the Musée d’Orsay Museum.

50. Pergamon Museum , Berlin – Explore one of the largest and most visited museums in Germany. The Pergamon Museum is known for its antiquity collection and Islamic and Middle Eastern artworks.

If you love history and want to learn more about the story behind the Berlin Wall like why it was famous and so important. We’ve explained it simply (i.e. Story of the Berlin Wall for dummies) in our Berlin Wall by Bike guide.

51. Rijksmuseum , Amsterdam – The national museum of the Netherlands that holds some of the world’s most famous artworks from artists like Vermeer and Rembrandt.

52. Van Gogh Museum , Amsterdam – Another jewel from Amsterdam. The Van Gogh Museum needs no introduction.

53. The Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York – Also known as The Met. This is one of the largest museums in the world. You can easily spend days if not weeks here admiring everything from antiquities, paintings, sculptures to modern art and fashion. A museum that has something for everyone.

Live Webcam Feeds for Wildlife Watching and Scuba Diving

We saved the best for last. Watch wildlife and underwater sea life from home via live webcam feeds! If you didn’t know you could do that, now you know.

54. Tau Game Lodge in Madikwe , South Africa – The beautiful Madikwe Game Reserve is located on the edge of the South African border close to Gaborone, Botswana. They have a 24 hour live webcam looking over one of the water reservoirs where the animals come to drink.

55. Kruger National Park , South Africa – Have you always dreamt of going on safari? Wait no more! WildEarth is hosting daily safari rides, twice a day so you can see some of South Africa’s most beautiful wildlife live with their awesome rangers! This is definitely one of our favourite wildlife webcam feeds! Support WildEarth with a donation if you can during these difficult times.

56. African River Wildlife, Kenya – There are more than 10 live webcam feeds here so you’re spoilt for choice. Head over to Explore.org and enjoy ‘Facetiming’ these amazing creatures.

57. Virtual Dives with National Marine Sanctuaries – Discover the underwater world with virtual scuba diving! There’s a host of coral reefs waiting for you to explore. Just click on the video and use your mouse or VR set to look around.

58. Underwater Cave Diving – Even certified scuba divers like us are not allowed to explore underwater caves without the right technical qualifications and training. So whether you’re a scuba diver or not, you’ll most definitely enjoy this cave scuba diving virtual tour.

Want to learn how to scuba dive? Check out our Beginners Scuba Diving guide where we share how you can save time and money getting certified.

59. Georgia Aquarium – ‘FaceTime’ with the residents of Georgia Aquarium via their live webcams. See sea lions, puffer fish and even the elusive beluga whale.

60. Monterey Bay Aquarium – Another amazing aquarium with an array of live webcams. Spy on sea otters, jellyfish, penguins and even turtles and sharks.

Virtual Tours: How To Travel For Free From Home

We had a lot of fun looking for different ways to ‘travel’ the world from home. We hope you enjoyed your first experience of ‘armchair travel’. We’d love to hear which one was your favourite.

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10 of the Best Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

  With the time and expense required to travel being prohibitive to many, there are alternative ways of indulging your wanderlust – including via the burgeoning world of Virtual Reality.

(Photo: Cubicle Ninjas)

There are a huge number of VR companies all vying to create ever more unique experiences for consumers – and one of the biggest growth categories has been travel. And what better time to get a taste of exploration and adventure from the comfort of your living room, equipped only with a VR headset, than now, when travel is a luxury that many just can’t stretch to? We’ve picked out 10 of the best virtual reality travel experiences currently on the market.

So which VR headset should you go for? Our favourite is the Meta Quest 3, which launched onto the market in mid-2023 and is the successor to the Meta Quest 2. For immersive games and travel experiences, we believe the Meta Quest 3 is destined to become the leading VR headset over the coming years. It’s pretty affordable, too, and unlike other headsets, doesn’t require cords or a computer. You can purchase the Meta Quest 3 at Amazon.com.

Guided Meditation VR

Developed by Cubicle Ninjas, Guided Meditation VR is designed to bring peace, joy, and calm back into your daily life by teaching you ancient meditation practices in a cutting-edge way. It features over 40 lush environments to escape the everyday, 30-plus hours of guided meditations on anxiety, depression, maternity, resilience, sleep and zen, and hundreds of hours of calming musical audio tracks to help enhance your meditation experience. Users can also customise their sessions to their own specific preferences and needs, including the option to switch into Motion mode and gently float through beautiful vistas like you would on a lazy river, leaving the worries of your life behind before returning calmer and stronger.

PRICE £10.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

Be anywhere in the world with anyone, instantly, in this captivating game developed by Wooorld Inc. Visit hundreds of cities, architectural landmarks, natural wonders, and vacation spots in incredible 3D detail, and get tips about the best places to visit, the hidden gems, where to get the best food and all the tourist traps to avoid. You can also create your own 3D avatars with face and body tracking and test your worldly knowledge by guessing where you are after being teleported to 5 random locations, with only the landscape, flora, architecture, and road signs for clues. The game can played as collaboratively as you wish, with options to explore the world with friends and meet new people, or hop into a Solo World without any distractions.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Wooorld Inc.)

Blueplanet VR Explore

(Photo: Blueplanet VR Explore)

Highlighting sacred and fragile locations of natural beauty and cultural heritage, Blueplanet VR Explore  is a collection of remarkable places across the world. With freedom to move around and explore, the virtual reality experiences are captured in volumetric 3D with great detail and accuracy. The scenes look and feel like these places do in real life, and enable you to freely move around to enjoy and explore these remarkable, fragile, and priceless environments. Concern for the environment often comes from direct experience, and being as close as we can get to experiencing a sense of actually being there, Blueplanet can help encourage people to appreciate and protect these treasures.

PRICE £18.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

BRINK Traveler

Travel to some of the world’s most amazing natural wonders in fully immersive 3D and feel like you’re really there in this awe-inspiring game by Brink XR. Step into a scene akin to a postcard as you visit a total of 28 (with more on their way) of the most breathtaking places on Earth. In-game highlights include room-scale walkable areas in each destination, a virtual guide and assistant to learn about where you’re visiting, and the chance to shoot photos to share with friends. You can either play the game solo or with friends and family in multiplayer mode.

PRICE £11.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: BRINK XR)

National Geographic Explore VR

Created in partnership with National Geographic, a world-leading society in the fields of geography, cartography and exploration, this magical VR experience invites you to discover two of the most iconic locations on Planet Earth. Don your explorer hat and head to Antarctica for an exhilarating expedition. Navigate around icebergs in a kayak, climb a vast ice shelf and survive a snowstorm as you hunt for a lost emperor penguin colony. Visit the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru and get immersed in amazing digital reconstructions of the legendary site. Witness mummy worships, raise a cup of sacred chicha and encounter cute and furry alpacas as you match Hiram Bingham’s photographs from when he rediscovered the citadel. Be sure to take a camera as your best snaps may even make it into the prestigious National Geographic magazine.

PRICE £7.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Force Field Entertainment B.V)

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Fans of the hugely popular TV blockbuster The Walking Dead can now join the world of zombies in this new VR adventure. Travel through the ruins of New Orleans as you fight, scavenge, and survive, each day unravelling another mystery lurking within the city’s historic quarters. Encounter desperate factions and lone survivors who could be friend or foe. Whether you help others or take what you want by force, every choice you make has consequences. What kind of survivor will you be for the people of NOLA? Scavenge for anything that you can; weapons, food, tools, and clues. Be wary of the living and the dead, with spatial audio drawing attention to any loud noise. Craft makeshift gear out of scrapped material; blades, guns, medicine, and more. Test your morals and make difficult choices for yourself and others. It’s all here, bringing the small screen to life in a big way.

PRICE £29.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Skydance Interactive)

Narrated by award-winning actress Anna Friel, this trail-blazing VR series opens the door to some of the planet’s wildest environments while redefining the limits of 3D-180 cameras. Meet the humans protecting our most precious wildlife, explore the great savannahs of Kenya, discover the ancient jungles of Borneo and dive into the rich coral reefs of Raja Ampat. Encounter elephants, orangutans, manta rays and some incredible humans, all in stunning cinematic footage filmed from the air and deep into the ocean. The series was produced in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),

(Photo: PHORIA)

The world is your oyster with this interactive, immersive VR experience that’s designed to be played by the whole family. There’s global travel and adventure in which your friends and family can join city tours, hot air balloon rides, back-country road trips, and plenty more. Or you can simply kick back and relax, practice meditation and get back to nature – all in the company of a guide or going solo, if you prefer. Other features include photo sharing, soundtracks, a range of fun games and media customisation.

(Photo: AARP Innovation Labs)

Rome Reborn: The Pantheon

Created by Flyover Zone, an American company specialising in virtual travel applications that present the world’s most important cultural heritage sites and monuments, Rome Reborn is one of five applications that present different areas of ancient Rome. This particular one transports users over the entire ancient city, focussing on the Pantheon, perhaps the best-preserved building from antiquity. In the company of two virtual guides, you’ll get to explore the exterior forecourt and interior sanctuary of the reconstructed complex as you listen and learn about the Pantheon’s design and decoration, as well as the nature of the religious cult once housed within it.

PRICE £3.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift

(Photo: Flyover Zone Productions)

Monte Fitzroy is Argentina’s most famous mountain landmark and is even used as the logo for outdoor retailer, Patagonia. It is a place that immediately evokes a sense of adventure. At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful and remote glacial lake known as Laguna Sucia. Most people who visit Monte Fitzroy view it from a location that is much easier to access. Laguna Sucia requires a much tougher hard-to-access trail that culminates in one of the most beautiful and remote glacial lakes in existence. You are rewarded with a sense of almost meditative stillness as you approach this untouched natural amphitheatre. This VR experience utilises Pterovision, a 3D technology that integrates computational photography, 360 Video, and gaming and allows you to take off like a bird, fly around the lake, visit the waterfalls along the edge, and fly over glacial formations beneath the mountain peaks. Numerous narrations will tell you about the challenges we faced when filming in this location, as well as educate you about the geology, culture, and history.

PRICE $2.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift 

(Photo: Specterras Productions)

Gala360 – Travel & Relax

Taking you on awe-inspiring virtual adventures across the globe, Gala360 is the result of the magic touch of an array of exceptionally talented photographers who have captured their globe-trotting trips in all their glory before being rendered into VR form. In professional 6K resolution, more than 300 tours around the world are featured, with some also including narration which allows you to listen to the stories behind the trips. Most of the tours are free, but you can pay a small fee to unlock more.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Go (soon available on Quest 2)

(Photo: Gala 360)

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A new wave of virtual trips let you travel the world from your living room

By Jenny Southan

As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the travel industry – forcing countries to close borders , cancel flights and place populations on lockdown – going on holiday has had to be postponed . However, the need for escapism is more acute than ever, as is our curiosity, which is not satisfied by being housebound. Instead of bingeing endless Netflix shows, the answer could lie in virtual travel. (If people are paying to see a hologram of Whitney Houston perform in concert, then why not?)

In the USA , video games are, apparently, being played at record levels, while sales of home consoles such as Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 are rocketing in South Korea . The same can be expected in the UK while people are quarantined – but instead of playing shoot-’em-ups, how about taking a walk around the Academy Ruins in Anthem or nosing around the White House in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 ?

At the beginning of 2020, Rough Guides published a guide book to virtual Xbox worlds, proving that gaming tourism – whereby people play to explore, rather than win – is now a legitimate trend. The book provides sightseeing guides to eight Xbox One X Enhanced games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4 and Metro Exodus , with sections on getting around, etiquette, shopping and things not to miss, just as it would with a physical city.

The Rough Guide to Xbox states that game graphics are now so immersive and all-consuming that the ‘thrilling feeling of being somewhere new is no longer the exclusive domain of real-world travel’. It adds that the rise in popularity of in-game photography – gamers sharing images of the places they’ve discovered on Instagram – demonstrates that there is still social kudos attached to visiting a digital destination. The only thing you won’t come back with is a tan.

Using a virtual-reality (VR) headset – either a stand-alone unit or one that connects to a gaming PC or console – is a way to be transported to other realms in 3D. The wireless Oculus Quest has partnered with National Geographic to offer disembodied hikes around Machu Picchu and even kayak around Antarctica, while PlayStation 4’s headset can plunge you into the stunningly beautiful and seemingly endless No Man’s Sky (the idea is to travel through galaxies discovering new resources on alien planets).

Although not currently accessible due to temporary coronavirus measures, London’s futuristic Otherworld gaming arcade is a thrilling example of how VR is evolving as a form of entertainment. Here, punters enter sci-fi gaming pods where they can climb Mount Everest in hyper-real immersive 3D, or walk through the beautiful landscapes of Iceland inspired by Björk’s Vulnicura album.

Otherworld says: ‘Free from physical and spatial constraints, it can provide a limitless number of impossible and exhilarating experiences.’ (If you have seen Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One , you will have a good idea of what it's like.) Sure, VR is never going to replace travel but that’s not the intention. It’s about providing perfect moments – the kind we talk about on our return from a trip – like watching a sunrise from the top of a volcano. And the best thing is, it’s relatively cheap, plus you don’t have to worry about jet lag, getting ill or mosquito bites. This is travel for the mind, not the body.

Laura Fowler

Charlie Hobbs

Olivia Morelli

Connor Sturges

Another example is Google Arts & Culture, which has compiled virtual tours of hundreds of the world’s best museums and galleries – from MoMA in New York and Florence’s Uffizi to the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and Tate Britain. It works on desktops but the tablet/smartphone app is best – and for those who have a Google Cardboard headset (phones slot straight in), it will be even more immersive.

As cultural institutions such as these are shuttered during the pandemic to help facilitate social distancing, Google’s endeavour means that not only can people explore their famous halls, but they can also do so without queues and crowds, with the option to zoom in for high-definition examinations of colours and brushstrokes.

It doesn’t end there. With Google Street View, you can poke around backstage at the Paris Opera, stand on top of the Taj Mahal and step inside Hong Kong’s Blue House, a living time capsule. Google Earth VR, meanwhile, lets you fly like a superhero around some of the world's most amazing sites, from the Hoover Dam to the Matterhorn. (An HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset are needed to experience these.)

At the end of March 2020, the British Library launched a series of virtual historic globes that have been digitised over the course of two years by imaging specialists. Described as ‘one of the most beautiful but fragile subsets in the British Library’s vast maps collection,’ the terrestrial and celestial globes date between 1600 and 1950, and represent centuries of knowledge about our planet and cosmos. Although seeing them in person is not possible as the library is temporarily closed, the public can explore them in detail from afar online .

Of course, being grounded is frustrating, and it’s shocking to see hotels closing and airlines slashing entire networks, but it’s an opportunity to get perspective on everything we’ve taken for granted. As problems such as overtourism are solved overnight, at least in the short term, giving the planet some breathing space, now is a time to embrace overlooked technological possibilities. We can spend evenings having virtual FaceTime-and-wine hangouts with friends, and even stream opera and classical music concerts from global institutions.

For example, during the coronavirus outbreak, the Berlin Philharmonic has opened up its digital concert hall to give access to its performance archives, while New York’s Metropolitan Opera has aired past productions filmed for its Live in HD series for cinemas. Plan the rest of your self-isolation staycations as you would a holiday, and you’ll soon feel part of the world again – watching La Traviata in Teatro Massimo Palermo one night, followed by a morning meandering around Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum. And you don’t even need to pack a suitcase.

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Bucket list travel: the world’s best virtual tours.

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Although the pandemic abruptly halted international travel, wanderlust never ceased. Forced to stay home, many people felt even more of an itch to explore new places and get out into the world. As a result, virtual tours surged in popularity over the past year as a welcome escape from life in lockdown. And while people are tip-toeing into travel again, there’s still a large portion of the population that loves to take a virtual experience from home without compromising safety.

A range of travel companies adapted during the course of the pandemic, acknowledging our collective reality. They began morphing guided trips into digital experiences available to anyone with a Wi-Fi connection. “We’re in an explosive period of virtual tourism,” says Bernard Frischer, founder of Flyover Zone , which isn’t new to the field. Flyover Zone has made a name for itself by creating “teletours” of cultural heritage sites. But with the pandemic, according to Frischer, people have gotten “used to these remote technologies that bring the world to their office or living room.”

Major event companies like Eventbrite, which connects creators with a broad community, introduced new technology to move events from in-person to online, and to attract and reach new audiences. “When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, Eventbrite’s customers were put to the ultimate test—in-person events were paused and the world was told to stay home and apart,” says Tamara Mendelsohn, CMO at Eventbrite. “Yet, from March to April last year, we saw events related to virtual travel and virtual tours increase eight-fold on Eventbrite and show continuous growth throughout the year.”

Now with a virtual tour from Flyover Zone called Baalbek Reborn, you can tour one of the most ... [+] important locations in the Roman Empire. Pictured here: Baalbek's Temple of Jupiter.

By transitioning their events to virtual, event creators generated revenue they might have otherwise missed during the pandemic and they connected with new, global audiences. “In fact, of the virtual events hosted in the U.S. in 2020 on Eventbrite, one quarter of the audience came from overseas locations,” says Mendelsohn.

And while the pandemic won’t last forever, Flyover Zone’s Frischer sees virtual tours as a lasting effect that will whet people’s appetite for real-world tourism going forward. “We compare a virtual tour to a sample chapter of a book that you can download for your e-reader. It’s not designed to make you not want to explore the whole book,” says Frischer. “It’s designed to make you want to read it all.”

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This seems to be the sentiment across the virtual travel industry. “Even as conventional travel resumes, we continue to see a rise in Amazon Explore experiences booked and anticipate that the new service will continue to grow in popularity,” says an Amazon Explore spokesperson.

Travel the world from your couch through one of these fantastic virtual experiences.

An image from the virtual tour of Baalbek Reborn.

Flyover Zone

If history is your thing, you can’t miss one of Flyover Zone’s teletours—virtual visits to some of the world’s most important cultural heritage sites. Led by experts in the field, these teletours allow you to see details up close and show you the renderings of how the heritage sites originally looked through 3D modeling.

Try: Baalbek Reborn . Part of the ancient Rome Empire but built thousands of years before Rome, Baalbek is an historic site in Lebanon that is as significant as places like Pompeii and Machu Picchu (but far less well-known). Flyover Zone partnered with the German Archaeological Institute and the Ministry of Culture - Directorate General of Antiquities, Lebanon to create this free virtual experience, which is available on a number of platforms, from iPhone to Oculus. You can see areas that are off-limits and even travel back in time and see what this incredible site looked like in the year 215. The tour is hosted by the very people who excavated the site, bringing the ancient world to life. Cost: free.

With Amazon, you can explore Berowra Valley National Park in the North Shore region of Sydney, ... [+] Australia.

Amazon Explore

The company that sells pretty much everything recently added Amazon Explore —live virtual travel experiences like landmark walking tours and cooking classes—to its inventory. The experiences are livestreamed one-on-one with a host who is on location, and two-way audio allows for plenty of dialogue and question-asking. You’ll be able to browse by a variety of filters to find the virtual experience of your wanderlust dreams. Many experiences allow users to purchase artisan-made products, which supports small businesses and allows guests to shop for one-of-a-kind “souvenir” items. 

Try: Explore the Australian Wilderness . Find hidden natural treasures in the wild valleys that surround Sydney. You’ll learn about native flora and fauna and discover majestic sculptured cliffs and caves at Berowra Valley National Park. Cost: $40.

Now you can view the Aurora Borealis in Iceland on a virtual tour.

Airbnb Experiences

When the pandemic hit, Airbnb migrated its popular Experiences concept to a 100% virtual travel platform. Now, Online Experiences offers hundreds of sessions, allowing entrepreneurs from around the world to connect with and share their passions with the travel-hungry over Zoom.

Try: Aurora Hunting in Iceland . Spend two hours with your on-location host in search of the Northern Lights. As you go, your host will teach you all about the natural spectacle with enthusiasm and expertise. Cost: from $30.

Get a peek at Tutankhamun’s Tomb with Eventbrite.

Eventbrite allows businesses to share their events to a broad community. The service is home to millions of global events and experiences, but swiftly worked with event creators to add online experiences to the its platform. In 2020, Eventbrite’s digital platform soared for virtual experiences with over 1 million online events and over 75 million attendees worldwide.

Try: Tutankhamun’s Tomb: Ancient Egypt Virtual Tour . Interested in the story—and the curse— of Egypt’s most famous king? A licensed tour guide hosts this live event from Egypt with a local expert. Together, you’ll explore King Tut’s tomb, the Golden Mask, and treasures at the Cairo Museum. Cost: $10.

Have a virtual wine tasting in California.

 Indagare launched its Global Classroom to offer private classes for people seeking new experiences. The company offers a myriad of options, from cooking lessons to guided wine and mixology tastings to history tours.

Try: Wine Tasting with Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards . Virtually travel to Schramsberg, the second-oldest bonded winery in Napa Valley, and meet a second-generation vintner. He will talk you through a few bottlings and highlight the history of the vineyard, set in California’s North Coast. Cost: pricing upon request.

Listen to the sounds of Motu Tane Island in Bora Bora with Unify Cosmos.

Unify Cosmos

Listen to the most relaxing sounds in the world with Unify Cosmos , a new interactive soundboard featuring audio clips from faraway locales. Some psychologists assert that taking the time to stop and listen to the sounds of your surroundings can boost well-being, increase generosity, and enhance life satisfaction. So step away from the stresses of the pandemic and listen to natural, peaceful sounds from Bora Bora to Barbados.

Try: Motu Tane Island, Bora Bora . Drift away to Polynesia with the sounds of the sea. You’ll hear storm clouds roll in and the waves crashing down. The powerful hums of nature will take you far away. Cost: free.

Learn about green tea in Japan.

Arigato Japan Food Tours

 Arigato Japan Food Tours launched Online Experiences with local hosts and discovered that this is a great way to connect with future travelers. In fact, the company views these virtual tours as the newest way of travel planning and research—more than just a one-time experience. With each experience, you’ll make new friends in Japan and great local connections for future travel.

Try: Green Teatime in Shizuoka . Learn the magic of green tea, its important role in Japanese culture, and why Shizuoka is so famous for its green tea. You’ll also get all the tips to brew the perfect cup at home. Cost: $15.

See pierogis being made in Krakow, Poland.

Intrepid Urban Adventures

Intrepid’s new Urban Adventures online tours allows families who have been working and learning remotely to connect virtually with local tour guides and their families around the world through hands-on experiences that give a glimpse of local culture and traditions. The collection currently includes four experiences, with plans to expand to other experiences and destinations in the coming months. 

Try: Online Krakow Experience: Traditional Pierogi Cooking Class . Learn to make authentic Polish pierogi from scratch. You’ll join a Krakow-based cook from your own kitchen to learn the tricks of the trade. Along the way, you’ll pick up some tidbits about Polish culture and language. Cost: from $29.

See street art in New York City.

Google Arts & Culture

Partnering with over 2,000 museums and archives around the world, Google Arts & Culture is an online platform that allows viewers to experience some of the world’s art and artifacts. High-resolution imagery, augmented reality, and interactive experiences bring these cultural highlights to life online.

Try: 9 Amazing Street Art Murals in New York. Visit the locations of stunning works of art along the streets of New York City. After all, there is no shortage of great street artists in the Big Apple. You’ll be able to “walk” along the streets with the virtual reality features. Cost: free.

Experience Tokyo's cherry blossoms with Tours by Locals.

ToursByLocals

This marketplace of tours connects travels with local guides in 193 countries. Until international travel is safe again, ToursByLocals has 175 live virtual private tours to choose from. You’ll be able to chat with a local guide in real-time over the course of your cooking class, history lesson, or walking tour.

Try: Tokyo Cherry Blossoms Tour . Japan’s national flower, Sakura (cherry blossom) is a symbol of renewal and optimism. Much of Japanese culture has been influenced by these beautiful flowers. Join your Tokyo-based guide as you virtually roam under cherry blossom trees followed by a virtual picnic as she shares her experiences in Japanese culture and cuisine. Cost: $125.

Tour Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton, England, from home.

Jane Austen’s House Museum

In some cases, individual tourism sites have transformed their usual tours into virtual reality. Jane Austen’s House Museum in the United Kingdom took matters into its own hands when the government ordered nonessential sites to shutter. Over many months, the site’s trustees discovered inventive ways to keep Jane Austen fans engaged with online events and a virtual tour of the famed writer’s home.

Try: 360-Degree Virtual Tour of the Jane Austen House. Launched last October, now anyone can explore Austen’s home without having to travel. The guided tours give avid fans an exciting resource to learn more about the life and times of Jane Austen. Cost: $7.

Take a virtual gog sled ride in Fairbanks, United States

Explore Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska, is among many cities around the world that have digitized some of its leading attractions—including, in Fairbanks’ case, dog sledding and the stunning Northern Lights. With Explore Fairbanks , these attractions are now available to explore as 360-degree “tours.”

Try: 360-Degree Dog Sled Ride . Available to view on YouTube, this digital dogsled ride can feel surprisingly life-like. Set it up to play on the biggest screen you have, and you’ll feel transported into a snow-covered forest. Cost: free.

A scene from The Other Art Fair LA in 2018. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The Other ... [+] Art Fair)

The Other Art Fair Virtual Editions

The leading artist fair for discovering emerging artists has launched a new series of innovative virtual reality art fairs, The Other Art Fair Virtual Editions . These VR art fairs offer highly experiential programming for fair-goers, including the chance to explore artist booths, take part in a live video chat with artists for a one-on-one about the artist’s process and their work, and participate in live fair tours, workshops and lectures. Virtual Editions is making a worldwide tour in 2021, including dedicated VR art fairs in Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, and Toronto, and each fair will feature artists and VR programming unique to that city. With Virtual Editions, you can now attend local art fairs from around the world, be in-the-know about new emerging artists, and update that Zoom background with new artwork while supporting local talents.

Try: At The Other Art Fair LA (March 30 to April 4), you can explore a curated selection of over 115 independent and emerging local artists with thousands of pieces to suit every budget. Next up after that is The Other Art Fair Brooklyn (May 6 to 9). Cost: free.

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52 Places, Virtually

While you’re stuck at home waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted, we invite you on a virtual visit to each and every one of our Places to Go in 2020.

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By Paige McClanahan and Debra Kamin

• Published April 14, 2020 Updated July 27, 2020

When we published our list of 52 places to visit in 2020 three months ago, no one could have guessed how much our world would change. And now, given our stay-at-home circumstances, we’d like to invite you on a series of virtual journeys: You can wander into the belly of an Egyptian pyramid, explore the house where Mozart was born, or fly over the rocky peaks of Glacier National Park. Sure, you’ll be looking at a screen, but you’ll see new places, hear new languages and pick up some interesting tidbits about other cultures. Call it a warm-up for that moment when you’ll actually be packing your bags and heading out for your next adventure.

[Sebastian Modak, the 2019 52 Places Traveler contacted friends he met on his journey around the world to see how they were doing during the pandemic. ]

1) Washington D.C.

The U.S. capital makes for an engaging and varied virtual destination. Without leaving your sofa, you can commemorate the 100-year anniversary of American women winning the right to vote by visiting the Library of Congress’s online exhibition about the suffrage movement, then click through another informative exhibition from the National Archives . To explore the city further, tour the buildings around the Capitol, wander through the National Museum of Natural History, and explore the many online resources offered by the National Air and Space Museum , the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of African American History and Culture . The annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which was due to run through April 12, has gone completely virtual. Visit the festival’s website to take a video tour of the tidal basin and watch highlights from previous years.

2) British Virgin Islands

Anyone dreaming of white sand beaches might enjoy browsing the views from this collection of webcams scattered around the British Virgin Islands. Admire the shifting light over Scrub Island Marina, or just watch the breeze wafting through the palms in front of Soggy Dollar Bar. You can also sail around the islands with a group of friends who visited last year.

3) Rurrenabaque, Bolivia

The Amazon jungle is about as remote as you can get, but you can get a sense of the place from home by reading the remarkable story of the tourist who spent nine days lost in the region’s dense rainforest (he said that monkeys helped him survive). Or skim around the waterways and look out for birds, turtles, caimans and other wildlife.

4) Greenland

Get a bird’s-eye view of Greenland’s stunning frozen scenery in this elegant nine-minute video from the Swiss filmmaker Stefan Forster. Without leaving your sofa, you can also watch the Northern Lights shimmer over the country’s snowy mountains, or even learn a few words of Greenlandic (Aluu!).

5) Kimberley Region, Australia

Australia’s wild northwestern corner is another out-of-the-way region that offers a gorgeous natural escape. To visit from afar, start with Tourism Australia’s guide to the Kimberley , then dive into a vivid photo gallery of the otherworldly Bungle Bungle Range, and wrap up with a fun video tour of some of the region’s most popular spots.

6) Paso Robles, Calif.

Paso Robles is known for its wineries, and good news: You can now visit many of them online , while enjoying a glass of whatever you have on hand at home. The area’s vast and dreamy Field of Light at Sensorio installation is closed to visitors, but this collection of images and videos gives a vivid sense of the place.

Embark on your own Sicilian adventure by exploring this series of panoramic photographs and videos from around the Italian island. (Just click on “Sicilian tour map” to get started.) Gape at the ceiling of the Monreale Cathedral, admire the ruins at the Valley of the Temples, or take in the sweeping coastline at Cefalù. For a loftier perspective, spend a few minutes watching this impressive footage of a recent eruption of Sicily’s Mount Etna.

8) Salzburg, Austria

Get an online taste of Austrian tradition through some entertaining snippets offered up by the Salzburg Puppet Theatre. Start with 10 minutes or so of The Magic Flute — composed by Mozart, Salzburg’s famous native son, then skip over here to take a virtual tour of Mozart’s birthplace.

Tokyo’s MORI Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless offers a range of immersive videos that take you inside the museum’s trippy and wonderful exhibits. Start in the forest of resonating lamps , then move on to the universe of water particles , or the weightless forest of resonating life . Want to get “outside”? Head over here for a virtual rickshaw ride around the city.

10) Caesarea, Israel

The Roman ruins of Caesarea occupy a beautiful stretch of Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Enjoy the landscape, as well as a lofty view of Caesarea’s impressive amphitheater, in these sweeping aerial shots . Then head over to the Jewish Virtual Library to find more detailed images of the ruins and to read about the history of the site.

11) National Parks, China

The world’s remaining giant panda population is set to get a helping hand from China’s proposed new Giant Panda National Park, which will spread over five mountain ranges and more than 10,000 square miles. You can read about the development of the park here and here . Or just get straight to the point and enjoy the highlights of these panda cams , which offer a glimpse into a panda center that lies within the proposed park.

12) Lesotho

One of the top sights of this tiny mountain kingdom is Maloti-Drakensberg Park, which straddles part of the country’s border with South Africa. The park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is home to the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in sub-Saharan Africa. Check out these images from around the park, then enjoy some drone shots of the country’s dramatic landscape.

13) Colorado Springs, Colo.

There are a number of ways to get to the top of Pikes Peak, the 14,115-foot mountain that rises above Colorado Springs, without leaving your house. You can ride the cog railway (which — in real life — is scheduled to reopen next year after major renovations). You can hike . You can drive yourself up the Pikes Peak Highway . Or, if you’re maybe a little bit crazy, you can even try to run .

14) Krakow, Poland

This ancient city in southern Poland can be fully explored through an extensive virtual walking tour . Go for a guided stroll through the Old Town, admire the ornate interior of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, or visit the peaceful grounds of the Old Jewish Cemetery. Then head over to the National Museum in Krakow to peruse its collection online.

15) Jodhpur, India

The 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, which stands at the top of a cliff above the city of Jodhpur, can be visited online . Wander through the ornate rooms and admire the views down to “the blue city” spread out below, then visit the Mehrangarh Museum Trust to learn about the history and architecture of the site. You can also check out these highlights from the international folk festival that the fort hosts every year.

16) Western Sweden

Good news, nature lovers: Without leaving home, you can spot a moose in the forest, go for an evening swim, or enjoy the views from the top of a spectacular waterfall. These 360 videos of the Swedish outdoors allow you to choose your own perspective as the scene unfolds. Enjoy.

Explore some of the great pyramids of Egypt with this panoramic video , or this clickable virtual tour . Then have a look inside the Pyramid of Giza with this 360 video from the BBC. You can also watch this video or read this story about the development of the Grand Egyptian Museum, an enormous complex that is nearing completion.

18) La Paz, Mexico

La Paz sits on the coast of the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California), which has been described as “the world’s aquarium” because of its extraordinary biodiversity. The region’s islands and protected areas have been recognized by UNESCO, although the site was added to the organization’s “in danger” list last year because of ongoing threats to the vaquita, an endemic porpoise. Learn more about the region, then check out UNESCO’s gallery of images . You can also get lost in this mesmerizing scuba-diving video .

19) Grand Isle, La.

Get to know this tiny barrier island off the coast of Louisiana with this short video , then read about how environmentalists are working to protect the island’s remaining maritime forest, which serves as a critical habitat for migratory birds. Finally, get a sense of the size of the place with these flyby shots along the coast.

20) Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit neighborhood is home to one of the most popular markets in the city. Following along with an American family, you can wander among the stalls loaded with pineapples and plantains and plucked chickens. Then take a few minutes to learn some words of Malay , the native tongue of more than 33 million people .

21) Jevnaker, Norway

You can explore the many sculptures of Norway’s futuristic Kistefos Museum and Sculpture Park by clicking your way through this interactive map . You can also watch this video of the museum’s emblematic “Twist” structure taking shape (and get a taste of the Norwegian language at the same time).

22) The Bahamas

So brilliant is the sunshine on display in this panoramic tour of the Bahamas that you might be tempted to put on sunglasses (or at least dim the brightness of your screen). Gaze at the turquoise waters of Pipe Cay, stroll across the boardwalk through Lucayan National Park, then gape at the size of the ships in the cruise terminal in Nassau.

23) Kampot, Cambodia

Ride along with two young travelers as they explore Cambodia’s riverside city of Kampot and tour a nearby pepper plantation . Or just enjoy some drone shots of the city and nearby Bokor Mountain, which is home to a waterfall, a Buddhist temple and a towering statue of Lok Yeay Mao , whom locals revere as the protector of the mountain and sea.

24) Christchurch, New Zealand

The largest city on New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch offers a range of cultural attractions, some of which are available on the web. Start with a tour of the online exhibitions of the Canterbury Museum, including a look at the evolution of New Zealand’s tourism posters. Then head over to the website of the Christchurch Art Gallery, where you can browse the artwork and even create your own gallery .

25) Asturias, Spain

The Asturias region in northwestern Spain is home to dramatic mountain scenery , sacred sites and even an extensive network of ancient Roman gold mines . Asturian dairy farmers continue to produce the region’s celebrated products, including cheeses and various types of milk, cream and butter. You can browse a photo gallery of local farmers at work, and other lovely images from the region here .

26) Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

Get your first taste of this remote Canadian archipelago with this panoramic video from Parks Canada. You can also take a close-up look at some of the area’s bald eagles with this GoPro footage , or learn about the proud history of the Haida nation .

27) Austin, Texas

Austin, the capital of American cool, is packed with quirky landmarks, vibrant street art and sparkling green spaces. Dive into all of them thanks to YouVisit, an immersive virtual reality platform whose Austin tour will take you from the elegant grounds of the Texas Capitol to the summit of Mount Bonnell and even to the packed, smoky barbecue pit of Salt Lick BBQ . And for a taste of Austin’s celebrated live music scene, take a look back at last year’s Austin City Limits music festival.

28) Sabah, Malaysia

Amid the volcanoes, dense rainforest and fluorescent blue water on this corner of Borneo, Sabah’s Mount Kinabalu, with its distinctive granite peaks, sits like an imposing crown. And now you can hike to its summit from home, thanks to Google Street View, whose trekkers captured sweeping panoramas all the way to the top. Want more thrills? Follow along on the world’s highest via ferrata (a mountain pathway of bridges and cables), which sits on Kinabalu.

29) Churchill, Manitoba

Wildlife enthusiasts head to Churchill, Manitoba, the Polar Bear capital of the world, for a glimpse of these incredible white mammals. Get to know some special sea bears , then climb into a Tundra Buggy, an all-terrain vehicle that can handle snow drifts, via an on-dash webcam, whose stunning footage can be viewed from home.

There is perhaps no better spot on earth to see gorillas than Uganda, home to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Park , a habitat for half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. And the virtual reality house VR Gorilla will take you right into the dense forest to meet them up close.

In the City of Light, it’s the world-famous cultural treasures that shine the brightest, and chief among them is the Louvre, the largest art museum in the world. But while this iconic Parisian landmark is closed to the public, several galleries, including Egyptian Antiquities and Galerie d’Apollon, remain open for online exploration. And for those who prefer art of the wearable variety, Paris’s fashion museum, the Palais Galliera , has an annotated online library of 10 collections, with vivid photography to click through.

32) Lake District, England

With craggy fells, rolling hills, glacial landforms and more than a dozen ribbon lakes, it’s no wonder that the natural wonders of the Lake District served as muse for William Wordsworth and all of English Romanticism. Meander through Dove Cottage , where Wordsworth wrote some of his most seminal works. And you, too, can be inspired by the charming district’s beauty, thanks to municipal webcams offering live feeds on a number of its lakes.

33) Tajikistan

For roadsters and adrenaline junkies, the remote Pamir Highway, a spectacular, high-altitude passage marked by yak sightings, gargantuan potholes and jaw-dropping mountain views, is the ride of a lifetime. And if you can’t drive it yourself, you can still ride shotgun with the travel blogger and videographer Pete Rojwongsuriya , who did. Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt.

34) Antakya, Turkey

Antakya, also known as Hatay, overflows with rich treasures of Christian history, both below ground in its current archaeological excavations, and above it in stone churches carved into mountainsides. Explore the city in this time-lapse tour , then step into one of those treasures, the Church of St. Pierre, to explore frescoes and mosaics dating all the way back to the fourth century.

35) Leipzig, Germany

There’s no doubt that Leipzig knows how to party. The city has a long musical legacy; Bach wrote some of his best works here, so treat yourself to his great organ works , as performed in Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church. Then get a bird’s-eye view via a sleek drone video of the city that will show you its Renaissance architecture, its bustling market square, its arenas, green belts and cultural spots.

36) Lima, Peru

Lima is a triple threat kind of city, with riches in gastronomy, culture and history. Plan a 36 hours itinerary with the help of this video , then satisfy a craving for Lima’s abundant museums, including the National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru , which is open for virtual visits thanks to the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.

37) Molise, Italy

Pastoral Molise, home to the traditional Transumanza ritual , remains blessedly undiscovered but has a notable artistic pedigree. At its foundation is the Praitano-Eliseo collection, the most significant collection of Molise art from the 19th and 20th centuries. You can now explore it online, thanks to a project, “From the Invisible to the Visible,” created by the Regional Directorate of the Museums of Molise. The site is in Italian; click on “i ritratti” in the upper right corner to navigate to the paintings.

38) Copenhagen

Spend one day in modern, sustainable, efficiency-focused Copenhagen via a virtual tour through its landmarks, then zoom in further. The city is home to CPH:DOX , one of the largest documentary film festivals in the world. And this year, when the coronavirus forced the city to cancel its physical event, it offered a virtual stand-in as substitute. Visitors can stream conferences, meetings and workshops, and even rent competition films for their own home viewing.

39) Richmond, Va.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture, a state history museum and research library operated by the 190-year-old Virginia Historical Society , is currently closed to visitors. So it’s made more than 250 hours of lectures (spanning women’s history, popular culture, the lives of famous Virginians and more) available online, as well as virtual tours, links to videos like this one on Pocahontas, podcasts, and interactive games for kids.

40) Mount Kenya

On Mount Kenya, the sleeping volcano that is Africa’s second-highest peak, you might see wild elephants and white-tailed mongoose . You’ll most certainly see glaciers and grasslands; bamboo and peat-filled bogs. YouTuber Milosh Kitchovitch has captured all the wonders in 4D so you can explore it yourself, from home.

41) Minorca, Spain

Dive into a virtual tour of the pristine beaches and rugged wilds of beautiful Minorca with VR Menorca, whose 360 degree panoramas of the Balearic Island’s landmarks come with vivid captions and details. The new arts center on Minorca’s Isla del Rey, from top gallery Hauser & Wirth, is now delayed until 2021; for an extra cultural kick in the meantime, you can explore their extensive online exhibitions.

42) Oberammergau, Germany

Oberammergau, a tiny Bavarian village with colorful frescoes, unspoiled Alpine views and a centuries-old woodworking legacy, is best known for its once-in-a-decade Passion Play , now canceled for 2020. But its other charms can still be enjoyed from home, including a webcam feed of its adrenaline-spiking Kolbensattel Alpine Coaster.

43) Plymouth, England

The year 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s journey from Plymouth to the New World. And while the southwestern English city has had to cancel many of its commemorative events, the Mayflower Trail App , which is meant to turn your phone into a mobile tour guide while on the ground, offers an excellent window into history from home, as well.

44) Atlantic Forest, Brazil

The breathtaking biome that is Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is ground zero for global conservation efforts, and for good reason: one of Earth’s richest and most diverse ecosystems, it’s home to a stunning variety of wildlife. The Rainforest Trust has captured footage of 11 of its most elusive mammals , including the southeastern common opossum and the capybara — the largest rodent in the world.

45) Belle-Île, France

On Brittany’s “beautiful isle,” there are grottoes, jagged cliffs and colorful rock formations, making the Tour de Belle-Île, its annual yacht race, particularly thrilling. The next Tour de Belle-Île will be held in May 2021, but you can enjoy footage of the 2019 contest now. Belle-Île was also beloved by Claude Monet; his Belle-Île collection , rife with daydream blues and moody shadows, can be enjoyed on Wikimedia Commons.

46) Val D’Aran, Spain

Val D’Aran is at its finest in the snow, when its magnificent slopes and valleys become a pristine escape for those armed with skis and snowboards. See for yourself via this webcam of the ski resort Baqueira/Beret. But this Catalonian valley is also thrilling on two wheels and in warm weather; take an armchair ride through its cycling routes to see why.

47) Mongolia

Google came to Mongolia in 2014, intent on opening up the proud nomadic culture and rugged, dramatic vistas of this Asian country to the world. Today, those riches are online and waiting to be explored. The National Museum of Mongolia can now be visited via the Google Cultural Institute; Google Street View has also captured many of its sites in stunning 3-D.

48) Juliana Trail, Slovenia

Slovenia, a pint-size nation of quaint villages, green rivers and gorgeous glacial lakes, is a wonderland for trekkers and adventurers. To get a taste of i ts new 166-mile hiking loop, you can explore the virtual reality zip-line up Mount Triglav , the highest peak along the Juliana Trail, and also savor views from its summit.

49) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s colorful and chaotic capital has a thriving food scene and a gleaming new international airport. Until you can visit in person, watch the traditional Ethiopian dancer Melaku Belay move rhythmically through the city; join YouTube food vlogger Mark Wiens as he eats his way through Addis’s street food stalls, and then cook a feast yourself with help from the Ethiopian Swedish celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.

50) Transylvanian Alps, Romania

Just looking at the multitude of hairpin turns along the Transfagarasan , a paved mountain road loop-de-looping over the Transylvanian Alps in Romania, is enough to give you butterflies. But thanks to Google Street View, you can up the adrenaline from home, navigating them yourself with nothing more than a few clicks of the mouse. After your stomach calms, enjoy 360 panoramic views of Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park, then savor this meditative drone footage from above the Faragas Mountains.

51) Urbino, Italy

The year 2020 marks 500 years since the death of Raphael, the great Renaissance painter who was Urbino’s favorite son. Take a virtual tour of the major Raphael show at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome marking that anniversary. Much of the important ideas of the Italian Renaissance were hatched from within the studiolo (study) of Duke Federico III da Montefeltro, who served as Lord of Urbino in the 15th century, and you can also drop into its hallowed hallways, which sit within Urbino’s imposing, magnificent Ducal Palace.

52) Glacier National Park and Whitefish, Montana

Part of Montana’s Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park is an American treasure under threat from climate change. The park is currently closed, but thanks to both Google Earth and Smithsonian Magazine, its more than one million acres, dotted with over 100 lakes, are still open for online exploration. Want more? Meditate on some of the park’s most captivating views, which can be seen here.

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Virtual tours: 35 destinations, museums and attractions you can experience online.

Stuck at home amid the coronavirus outbreak? Enjoy museums, performances and nature from the comfort of your couch.

35 Virtual Tours to Experience Online

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The British Museum has an online museum complete with numerous artifacts from all over the world.

Coronavirus has rapidly spread throughout the world, forcing many to practice social distancing, work remotely and forego highly anticipated vacations. But even if you're confined to your home, you can still explore the world's greatest attractions.

Galleries, museums, concert halls, national parks and zoos have virtual experiences that are free for users to experience. Read on for a list of where to find some of the best online escapes.

For Museum and Art Lover s

Run by the Google Cultural Institute, Google Arts & Culture provides free, virtual access to a number of museums and cultural heritage sites worldwide. In a matter of seconds you can explore selected works in the Tate Modern's London museum collection then take a virtual tour of the Colosseum in Rome. Here are a few highlights:

• Musée d'Orsay in Paris: See works by Degas and Renoir, and take a virtual tour of the museum here .
• The White House in Washington, D.C.: Take virtual tours of different sections of the White House and see some of its art collection here .
• Doge's Palace in Venice: Explore a selection of the Venetian treasure's artworks here .
• Museum of Modern Art in New York City: See an online exhibit, paintings by Cézanne and images of the museum's installations here .
• Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: View two online exhibits and learn about more than 100 pieces by Van Gogh here .
• Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy: Learn about Botticelli's famous "The Birth of Venus" painting and take a virtual tour of the gallery here .
• The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles: View nearly 16,000 pieces from the Getty's collection here .
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City: Peruse 26 online exhibits and over 200,000-plus items from the Met's collection here .
• Château de Versailles in Paris: View an eight-part exhibit and learn about nearly 400 works of art here .
• Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam: See works by Dutch greats like Rembrandt and Vermeer here .
• See a full list of museums, exhibits and sites here .

[Read: Coronavirus Travel: What You Must Know .]

Versailles Palace is one of many global attractions you can experience online.

The British Museum in London offers a comprehensive exploration of its collection. Its interactive software allows users to view the collection based on topic (such as art) or region (like the Americas). What's more, exhibits include audio commentary users can listen to for additional insight. View the items here .

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has curator-led tours and discussions of its exhibits. Check them out here .

The National Gallery in London offers virtual tours of nearly 20 different rooms in the museum. Take the tours here .

The Louvre in Paris runs virtual tours of three of its exhibits: "Egyptian Antiquities," "Remains of the Louvre's Moat" and "Galerie d'Apollon." Explore them here .

New York's Guggenheim has much of its collection online, complete with high-resolution images of the art and information on the works and artists. See it all here .

[Read: Can You Cancel Your Flight Because of the Coronavirus? ]

The Vatican has 360-degree virtual tours of its museums and the Sistine Chapel . Explore its art and majesty here .

And if you want to get the kids involved, the Boston Children's Museum has a virtual tour of its facility. Check it out here .

For Performing Arts Patron s

The Berliner Philharmoniker is providing free, digital concerts for one month. Sign up by March 31 for access to more than 600 concerts from the last 10 years.

The Kennedy Center , located in Washington, D.C., has a digital library filled with clips of theater, dance and music performances as well as full-length performances. Access the full library here .

New York's Metropolitan Opera is running "Nightly Met Opera Streams;" filmed performances from its "Live in HD" series. The operas begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and will remain online for 20 hours. The series started March 16. Find more information and a list of upcoming operas here .

Beluga whales are one of several species you can see through the Georgia Aquarium's cameras.

For Science and Nature Enthusiast s

NASA runs virtual tours of its Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina, and Mission Operations at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington provides virtual tours of its exhibits (including some exhibits no longer on display) here .

[Read from U.S. News Health: Travel in the Time of Coronavirus .]

Zoos and aquariums nationwide have animal cams that livestream what the critters are doing. Some of the institutions include:

• San Diego Zoo
• Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington
• Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta

Meanwhile, Google Arts & Culture has 360-degree virtual reality tours of several national parks, including Bryce Canyon in Utah, Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It also has several online exhibits from parks nationwide. Check it all out here .

Should you need a museum break, hop on to your favorite streaming service to check out a nature documentary. "Our Planet" (on Netflix ) explores different environments all over the world and the "Disneynature" series (on Disney+ ), offers a few family-friendly options.

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360° Panoramic Creations:

We create high-quality stabilized video having 8k and 4k resolution, 48 or 24 frames per second together with high-quality post-processing. Videos are supported by the most advanced technologies, such as virtual reality headsets (including Samsung Gear VR), different electronic devices and YouTube channels.

We use different types of moving and fixed objects (tripods, monopods, cars, helicopters, building cranes, etc.) to record videos. For aerial shooting we usually use drones with fully gyro-stabilized unique suspension. Panoramic video covers up all the space around the camera 360x180 degrees without black spots at both nadir and zenith viewing angle.

360° videos are available in any format you choose: .mp4, .avi, .mov, etc. All the videos are made and kept in frames, making it possible to encode them into any available format and bitrate with the resolution up to 8k.

360° PHOTOGRAPHY

Our team creates high-quality 360° photo-panoramas with 35000x17500 pixels resolution (in the equidistant projection) and carries out professional post-processing and corrections of any complexity. We develop virtual tours which are suitable for all browsers, support both Flash and HTML5 technologies and are compatible with different mobile devices and virtual reality headsets (including Samsung Gear VR).

We use different types of moving and fixed objects (tripods, monopods, cars, helicopters, building cranes, etc.) to record videos. For aerial shooting we usually use drones with the fully gyro-stabilized unique suspension. Panoramic video covers up all the space around the camera 360x180 degrees without black spots at both nadir and zenith viewing angle.

Ready 360° photo-panoramas cover up all the space around the camera 360x180 degrees without black spots at both nadir and zenith viewing angle.

Info-points (description buttons that can be placed in the panorama), embedded pictures, video and audio can be added to the virtual tour.

360° GIGAPANORAMA

Our team creates high-quality 360° photo-panoramas with resolution from 1 to 3 gigapixel and carries out professional post-processing and corrections of any complexity. We develop virtual tours which are suitable for all browsers, support both Flash and HTML5 technologies and are compatible with different mobile devices and virtual reality glasses (including Samsung Gear VR).

Info-points (description buttons that can be placed in the panorama), embedded pictures, video and audio can be added to the ready virtual tour.

360° TIMELAPSE

We can make panoramic timelapses with the given viewing angle and resolution up to 12k with professional post-processing and without black spots at both nadir and zenith viewing angle. 360° timelapses are supported by the most advanced technologies, such as virtual reality glasses (including Samsung Gear VR), different electronic devices and YouTube channels.

360° timelapses are available in any format you choose: .mp4, .avi, .mov, etc. All the timelapses are made and kept in frames, making it possible to encode them into any available format and bitrate with the resolution up to 12K.

Content sales:

VIRTUAL TOURS

On the basis of 360° panoramas we create virtual tours of any complexity, branded with logos and design elements of the company’s website together with embedding interactive elements, such as photos, slideshows, videos, descriptions, switch-points to other panoramas, audio descriptions, 3D sounds.

Our clients receive a fully functional virtual tour developed in HTML5 and supported by any computer or mobile device (iOS, Android, Windows Phone).

360° Photo    Price List

STOCK PHOTOS

For almost 10 years of travelling around the world our team has gathered an extensive stock of pictures, taken from both flying devices and the ground.

Any picture presented at our stock can be licensed for any kind of possible use. We can also offer the photos of ultra-high quality (the longer side up to 103,000 pixels).

You can also take a look at the spherical panoramas published on the website www.airpano.ru . Any of the 360° panoramas represented on the website can be converted into a printed image of very high quality.

Photogallery    Price List

STOCK 360° VIDEOS

By filming 360° video since 2011, our team has gathered an extensive stock of clips, taken from both flying devices and the ground.

Any video presented on our website can be licensed for any kind of possible use.

360° videos are available in any format you choose: .mp4, .avi, .mov, etc. All the videos are made and kept in frames, making it possible to encode them into any available format and bitrate.

360° Video    Price List

APPLICATIONS

We are one of the software developers of applications based on 360° photos and videos. Currently, there are 7 applications in our portfolio. One of them was top-rated in 84 countries and listed among the best applications of the year 2014 according to App Store.

These applications can also be used for demonstration of panoramic content with the help of virtual reality devices, such as Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard and analogues.

Exhibition installations:

EXHIBITION INSTALLATIONS

AirPano team has the experience of creating panoramic cinemas and video-walls, making it possible to demonstrate our panoramic content at different kinds of events, exhibitions and in museums. The size is only defined by the premises, the quality of projector and the dimensions of plasma screens. Such solutions usually make a deep impression on visitors.

The control is carried out by a tablet or Kinect devices.

TOUCH SCREENS

We are ready to create applications with panoramic content working on touch screens of any size. Both AirPano panoramas and the client’s material can be the basis for this kind of software.

We create virtual tours of any complexity, branded with logos and design elements of the company’s website together with embedding interactive elements, such as photos, slideshows, videos, descriptions, switch-points to other panoramas, audio descriptions, 3D sounds.

VR HEADSETS

Our virtual tours and 360° videos are supported by all the types of virtual reality headsets (VR): Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Sony Morpheus and others.

We can also develop special software for operating on Samsung Gear VR, if required.

AirPano in cooperation with Polden Studio carries out the installation of the binocular usage of the client’s or our own content. With the help of binoculars, the client can present the panoramic content at different kinds of events, exhibitions and in museums. This kind of devices usually attract a lot of visitors and leave a deep impression on them.

10 Virtual Travel Ideas That Will Transport You to Another Place

Travel to the destinations you love—or would love to visit—from the comfort of your couch..

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Explore world landmarks from the comfort of home.

Photo by Shutterstock

Although there’s no true replacement for getting on a plane or in a car and visiting a place in real life, many travel industry professionals and digital creatives have banded together to create some remarkable virtual travel experiences. We’ve been sharing many of these with the AFAR audience over the past few weeks as many Americans shelter in place at home , using them to fulfill our wanderlust.

These virtual travel experiences are proof that even while at home, you can still learn something new about a place, meet and interact with the locals who live there, and see some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders. If you, like us, are feeling the travel urge but unable to go anywhere IRL, use some of these 10 virtual travel ideas to explore, learn, and connect with a new (or old favorite) destination.

Visit a museum without the crowds

From the Musée d’Orsay to the MoMA, Google’s Arts and Culture has collaborated with some of the world’s most famous museums to digitize their galleries so you can still visit and tour galleries while their doors are (physically) shut. Outside of Google’s initiative, other museums are also offering their own virtual tours. Five of our favorite virtual museum tours include:

• The Louvre Museum in Paris
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City
• The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
• The San Diego Museum of Art in California

Read more: Virtual Museum Tours, Performances, and Tutorials to Keep You (and Your Kids) Entertained at Home

You can take a virtual tour of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Photo by Joyce Marerro/Shutterstock

Explore and learn about a U.S national park

While you normally wouldn’t want to go on a hike in your slippers, The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks series lets you explore several of the United State’s national parks without lacing up your boots. A collaboration between Google Arts & Culture and the National Park service, these interactive, 360-degree virtual national park tours immerse viewers in an awe-inspiring, yet educational, tour of the parks. Through Hidden Worlds, you can watch the sunset and go stargazing in Utah’s Bryce Canyon or swim through the corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas —all while learning about each one with a park ranger by your side.

Read more: How to Visit a National Park Without Actually Visiting a National Park

Learn more about this school of sweetlips in the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough.

Photo by Tracey Winholt/Shutterstock

Travel to the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough

As one of the most incredible yet at-risk natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef sits high on the list of many travelers’ must-see lists. While we can’t go there in person right now, David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef: An Interactive Journey gives the next best thing: a virtual, multimedia experience aboard the Alucia research expedition vessel in which viewers can see, hear, and learn about the unique underwater ecosystem with the acclaimed Planet Earth host.

Read more: This Virtual Tour of the Great Barrier Reef With David Attenborough Is the Escape We Need

Explore Venice virtually with I Love Venice’s live cams.

Photo by Dimitry Anikin/Unsplash

Wander around Venice’s canals

Venice may not be inviting outside visitors back to the city yet, but you can still tour the city’s streets and canals virtually through 19 live streams on YouTube channel, I Love You Venice . From the Rialto Bridge to Campo Santa Maria Formosa, the channel lets viewers explore some of the city’s most scenic areas—without bumping elbows with the crowds that normally frequent them.

Read more: Live Streams of Cities, Beaches, and Wildlife for Virtual Travel

Meditate with monks or learn how to make ricotta cheese with dairy farmers through Airbnb Experiences and Indagare’s Global Classroom.

Courtesy of unsplash

Connect with locals in other countries

While virtual tours and livestreams let you see places around the world from home, there is one part of travel they miss: meeting and connecting with the people who live there. Fortunately, travel companies such as Indagare and Airbnb have created online opportunities that foster these experiences.

Recently, Airbnb launched an online version of Experiences, which is hosted over Zoom so travelers can still connect with local hosts around the globe during quarantine. Sign up for a 90-minute session to learn how to make ricotta cheese with Sonoma dairy farmers, or spend an hour meditating with Buddhist monks in Japan , all without leaving the house.

Similarly, Indagare Travel, a luxury travel agency, has launched a Global Classroom series where you can join virtual lectures, such as “Behind the Scenes at Changing of the Guards with Andrew Wallis,” or more hands-on courses, such as an Irish soda bread baking class—all for free. They also have additional, paid offerings .

Read more: Airbnb Launches Online Experiences Via Zoom

Missing Rome? Recreate a day in the Italian city with a virtual travel itinerary.

Photo by Cosmin Serban/unsplash

Recreate a day in your favorite destination

If you need more than just a quick fix, use one of these creative at-home travel itineraries to recreate a day in another destination. AFAR editors have curated hour-by-hour guides that take you through virtual tours, sightseeing adventures, recipes to help you whip up a taste of each destination, and recommendations for music, books, and films that will make you feel like you’re there.

Spend a full day recreating a trip to one of these popular destinations at home:

• Explore a food-and-art filled day in Paris
• Take an urban adventure in Tokyo
• Tour Rome ’s streets, history, and food
• Experience Honolulu ’s island flavors
• Dive into New York City ’s music, theater, and food
• Drink and learn about Napa Valley ’s wine
• Get to know New Orleans ’s history, culture, and Creole cuisine
• Go from jungle to dance floor in Puerto Rico

Trade in the safari jeep for a couch and tag along on a game drive online.

Photo by Hendrik Cornelissen/unsplash

Go on a safari game drive

If you’ve always dreamed of seeing the Big Five, you can now trade a bumpy jeep for a cushy couch and tag along with world-class safari guides through Singita’s virtual game drives in countries like Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Tune in to see if you’re lucky enough to catch a rare glimpse of a leopard climbing a tree or family of lions feasting on freshly caught prey, all while learning about wildlife and conservation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa .

Read more: 5 Virtual Travel Ideas You Can Do Right Now

Watch a film or TV show set in another country

For a more classic virtual travel experience, watch a movie or TV show that takes place in a location you love—or would love to visit. To help you out, the AFAR editors listed their favorite films set in Paris , movies based in New York City , and flicks that will take you to Rome (figuratively, of course) that you can stream right now.

Read more: The Best Travel Shows to Stream Right Now

You can order NYC’s famed bagels from Zucker’s with Goldbelly.

Courtesy Goldbelly

Eat an iconic dish from another city

Whether you’re a home cook or not, there are lots of options for bringing some of the world’s most iconic drinks and dishes to your home—just try your hand at one of these cocktail or meal recipes from around the globe.

Not in the mood to cook? No problem. Food delivery service, Goldbelly , delivers some of the United States’ most iconic dishes nationwide . With just a few clicks, you can have authentic Charleston biscuits or pastrami from New York City shipped to your door.

No matter which way you choose, don’t forget to order yourself a bottle of wine (or three)—delivered straight to your door—to enjoy with your global delicacy.

Read more: You Can Get America’s Most Iconic Foods Shipped to You, Wherever You Are

Turn your home into a wellness retreat

If you’re craving rest and rejuvenation more than adventure, consider turning your home into the world’s most exclusive wellness retreat. We reached out to several experts at spas and hotels around the world to learn how to create an at-home wellness retreat . Here are their top tips, as well as some of their favorite little luxuries (all under $50) to give your place a touch of that authentic spa mood.

>> Next: How to Recreate Your Canceled Europe Trip at Home

• Get One: Tornado Alert Apps
• The Best Tech Gifts Under $100

7 Great Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

Try VR travel to fulfill your bucket list without leaving the couch

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Who says you can't see the world if you stay home? Virtual reality (VR) tourism experiences let you see places all over the world without ever leaving your couch. These aren't games; they're experiences, so the pace may be slower than you expect, but they are worth your patience. Here are some of the best VR tourist destinations to help you decide on your next virtual adventure.

Make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle the demands of virtual reality technology.

The Grand Canyon VR Experience

Very relaxing experience.

Excellent visual and sound quality.

Impressive attention to detail.

Predefined with little control.

Requires powerful hardware.

Short experience.

In The Grand Canyon VR Experience ($2.99 by Immersive Entertainment), you sit in a virtual motorized kayak ride through the Grand Canyon. Tailor the tour to your preferences by selecting either a sunlit or moonlit experience and controlling the ride's speed.

While you cruise along, you'll enjoy the sights and sounds of procedurally generated, artificially intelligent wildlife. Attract and feed the virtual fish as you navigate the waterways.

The ride is on rails, so you can't steer the kayak. However, you can stop at various points and enjoy the scenery by using the throttle speed controls of your motorized kayak or by exiting at scenic rest stops.

The tour is short, and there's no historical background information for history buffs. Still, it is a fun ride perfect for someone new to VR.

This tour requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift , or Valve Index .

Explore amazing places.

Impressively detailed.

More locations are added to the library regularly.

Not updated recently.

Realities (free from Realities.io ) is a VR travel app that allows you to explore scanned and modeled real-world environments. The environments aren't just 360-degree photos; these locations were captured with specialized scanning equipment, allowing for immersive rendering in virtual reality.

The user interface is a giant globe you rotate with your VR controllers. Once you decide on the place you want to visit, tap the area on the virtual globe, and you are instantly whisked away to the exotic locale.

One interesting destination is a cell in the infamous Alcatraz prison. When you arrive, you're greeted by an unseen narrator, presumably a former prisoner in the cell next to you, who recalls their experiences. It's museum-like and an educational adventure worth having.

There are other destinations of varying size and complexity, and the experience is updated with new realities regularly.

This experience is compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality .

Titans of Space PLUS

Great soundtrack.

Detailed 3D visuals.

Impressive sense of scale.

Flying through space makes some users feel nauseated.

No improvements since late 2019.

Do you like planetariums? Have you always wished they were more realistic? If you've ever dreamed of riding in a spaceship and exploring the solar system and beyond, Titans of Space PLUS ($9.99 by DrashVR LLC) helps make this a reality—at least a virtual one).

The original Titans of Space was one of the first polished virtual reality experiences available; it created a lot of buzz about all the potential VR had to offer.

This app provides a theme park-style ride through the solar system and beyond, allowing you to control the pace of the experience. Factoids about the planets and moons are provided throughout your journey, as are distances and other measurements of interest.

The sense of scale of the planets and moons is truly awe-inspiring and gives a unique perspective only astronauts usually get to have.

This title runs in both standard and VR modes. It does not require a VR headset. It is compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Impressive rendering technology.

Auto-tunes for your GPU.

Stunning visuals.

Can feel slow.

Mostly narration with little hands-on time.

Everest VR ($9.99 from Sólfar Studios ) is an interactive Mount Everest VR tourism experience.

You'll experience Mount Everest in five iconic scenes. Prepare for your expedition at Basecamp, traverse the terrifying Khumbu Icefalls, spend the night at Camp 4, ascend the perilous Hillary Step, and finally conquer the summit of Everest.

After completing your first summit attempt, unlock God Mode to reach a unique vantage point of the Himalayas that's only possible in VR. Towering over the mountain range, this is a stunning VR diorama.

EVEREST VR is a must if you're into mountain climbing but don't like its possible death and frostbite aspects.

Requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Valve Index.

The VR Museum of Fine Art

Lots of content.

Educational experience.

Hasn't been updated since its initial release.

No voice narration.

Only takes about 20 minutes to experience.

If you've ever wanted to peruse a museum at your own pace with no limits on how close you can get to the artwork, then The VR Museum of Fine Art (free from Finn Sinclair) is for you.

This free app holds amazing educational value with incredibly detailed scans of some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Look at the brushstrokes of Monet's Water Lilies or take a 360-degree tour of Michelangelo's David. This is an art lover's delight.  

The experience makes you feel as if you're visiting a museum, complete with a pamphlet map to help you navigate your way around the exhibits.

Great VR experience.

Incredibly realistic.

Contains three episodes.

theBlu ($9.99 from Wevr INC .) is a collection of virtual reality-based underwater experiences that make you feel as if you're literally in the tank of a huge aquarium exhibit.

Stand on the deck of a sunken ship while a gargantuan whale swims by and looks you straight in the eye or swim in a sea of bioluminescent jellyfish. There's no need for expensive scuba equipment or diving classes, or even to leave your living room, for that matter.

The level of detail in this app is amazing, and the sense of scale (especially during the whale encounter in the first episode) is jaw-dropping.

Compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Google Earth VR

Amazing street view VR.

Travel the world virtually.

Impressive, vast experience.

Can be slow to load.

Lacks a search feature.

May cause motion sickness.

When Google Earth was released many years ago, everyone marveled at the novelty of finding and viewing their house from satellite imagery. Now, Google Earth VR (free from Google) lets you see your house from space and virtually fly to it and stand in your front yard or on your rooftop.

Change the sun's position, scale objects to any size you like, and fly around the world. The detail levels depend on what you're trying to view. For example, tourist destinations are likely to have more detailed geospatial imagery than rural areas. There is so much to see, and Google offers virtual tours to help you get started.

Google has even added several comfort features to prevent virtual travel sickness in this must-see virtual reality app.

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The 12 Best Free Virtual Travel Experiences Worth Checking Out

Don't have the means to travel the world? You can still visit stunning locations via virtual travel. Here are some of our favorites!

Do you want to travel, but circumstances are preventing you from doing so? Thankfully, the internet enables you to visit multiple destinations around the world in real time. No plane tickets, visas, or long flights necessary!

If you have a laptop, a smartphone, or a VR device and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, you are all set to take these virtual tours for free.

1. African Safari

WildEarth relies on safari vehicles, guides on foot, drones, balloons, rovers and remote cams to capture some of Africa's most iconic animals in their own habitats. You can interact with an expert game ranger hosting the safari while you watch.

Related: Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking

2. The White House

At 55,000 square feet, the White House has 6 floors, 132 rooms (16 are family guest rooms), 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, 412 doors and 147 windows.

Thanks to Google Arts and Culture, you can enjoy a walk through the most famous residence in the US without having to worry about the Secret Service.

Related: Virtual Field Trips That Make History Come Alive

3. Discover India

You can visit the Taj Mahal and other iconic Indian sites via the official Indian government's immersive Audio Odigos app.

Once the app is downloaded Audio Odigos does not require Wi-Fi or an Internet connection. You can choose a destination and download all the chapters of the destination you are visiting in one go and enjoy your tour offline.

Download: Audio Odigos for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House offers exclusive live streams of their performances, inclusive of original new digital programming direct from Sydney Opera House. It's free when you sign up.

5. Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

The Northern Lights most commonly appear between 5:00 pm and 2:00 am.

A good display may last for no longer than 15-30 minutes at a time, although if you're really lucky, they could last for a few hours. Norway's lights over Lapland project enables you to experience the Northern Lights via VR.

6. The Grand Canyon

The most popular hiking trail into the Grand Canyon is the Bright Angel Trail. Google's Street View Trek enables you to virtually hike it.

7. Paris Catacombs

Beneath the City of Paris is a 200 mile series of macabre tunnels containing the bones of 6 million people. As photographer Felix Nadar put it, the catacombs are one of those places "everyone wants to see and no one wants to see again". You can see the catacombs for yourself with this virtual tour.

Related: The Best Virtual Tours of the Human Body for Interactive Anatomy

8. Christ the Redeemer Statue

Located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue is the largest art deco statue in the world. You can skip the 200-step climb to the top via this stunning virtual tour set to soothing jazz by Kenny G.

9. Roman Colosseum

Fans of the Gladiator movie will no doubt recall the legendary fight scenes in the colosseum.

In real life, the colosseum was used as an entertainment venue for 390 years. During that time more than 400,000 people and 1 million animals died inside the Colosseum. You can virtually visit the real colosseum on AirPano.

10. Brooks Falls, Alaska

EXPLORE is the largest live nature cam network on the planet.

If you are a fan of bears, the livestream of Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park is the best place in the world to watch brown bears feasting on salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. EXPLORE offers a multicam experience of various virtual tours both on land and under the sea.

11. New York Times Square

Would you like to visit Times Square in New York right this very moment? EarthCam takes you on an aerial and street-level tour of the square, complete with audio.

12. Marine Life Virtual Dive

America's National Marine Sanctuary System is a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters, and now you can visit these amazing places in the blink of an eye through virtual reality.

If you're on a desktop, click and drag to experience in 360 degrees, or pair your phone with your virtual reality headset. For the best viewing experience, watch the video in high-definition: click the gear symbol in the lower right corner, then select any of the HD options that pop up when you click "Quality."

Related: Google Earth Tour Guide: Virtual Tours You'll Want to Check Out

Hot Tip: Amazon Explore

Amazon Explore enables you to virtually tour the world's cities and experience local culture with the help, or rather the company, of local guides or hosts.

Amazon Explore experiences are not free. However, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, your first experience of up to $50 is free with the promo code FREEFUN for a limited time.

How to get a free Amazon Explore experience:

• Visit Amazon Explore .
• Select and schedule an experience that is $50 or less. Use the code FREEFUN at checkout. This will reduce your cost to zero.
• Meet Your Host: When it’s time for your livestreamed session, show up at your computer and meet up with your host.
• Explore: The session is private and just for you, so ask questions, take pictures, and focus on what interests you the most.

Virtual Travel Is Here to Stay

For travelers who have various physical impairments—mobile, visual, auditory—virtual tours are a great way to visit destinations that were once off limits. Needless to say, those with financial limitations are equally empowered to visit places they otherwise could not afford.

If you are worried about global warming, traveling via internet is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and avoid flight shaming while seeing the world.

And of course there are the time savings. You may not have the time to see the world in your lifetime. With virtual travel, you can visit a new continent every day.

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Take a Glow-in-the-dark Tour of an Australian Forest, Enjoy Teatime in Japan, and More With This New Virtual Travel Company

Beeyonder offers more than 350 virtual travel experiences in nearly 50 countries.

Jessica Poitevien is an international storyteller and regular contributor to Travel + Leisure.

The idea of connecting with people and places online is nothing new, but virtual experiences have undeniably gained a higher level of popularity since the pandemic forced almost everyone around the world to stay home. Familiar companies like Amazon and Airbnb began offering online tours, classes, and other digital travel experiences, but new names also sprung from the hardships over the past year.

Beeyonder is one of them.

Launched in December 2020, Beeyonder brings people on virtual adventures around the world, exploring nearly 50 countries, plus Antarctica. And though the company was established in the midst of the pandemic, its inspiration and purpose stems from its founder's experience as a bilateral amputee.

"While being a bilateral amputee doesn't prevent me from traveling, I do have joint issues that prevent me from walking long distances without a significant amount of pain," Beeyonder founder Brittany Palmer told Travel + Leisure . "I thought how wonderful it would be to be able to see things I may never get to see in person through virtual experiences."

She also thought of her husband, who suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2013 and spent weeks in the hospital and several months at home in recovery.

"Based on [those] experiences, I started looking into how many people in the U.S. have disabilities and other conditions that prevent or inhibit travel, and found that there are [more than] 40 million people in that category — limited mobility, hospital/homebound, those who have degenerative diseases, agoraphobia, a fear of flying, those on parole," Palmer explained. "I wanted to provide the ultimate equal access to travel."

With that, Beeyonder was born. Now, anyone can sign up for the company's 350 virtual experiences, which include glow-in-the-dark tours of an Australian forest to see biofluorescent and bioluminescent wildlife, fungi, and leaves; a dive into the world of the Vikings in Norway; and teatime in Japan. Beeyonder offers both private and group options, each led by a qualified guide. The experiences are also interactive, so guests will be able to speak with their guides and ask questions.

According to Palmer, the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

"We've had families from across the country, a rehabilitation center for adults suffering from brain injuries, a nonprofit working with adults and kids with developmental disabilities, and many more, all of whom have had wonderful experiences," she said.

And although countries are reopening their borders and travel is picking up again, Palmer believes that virtual experiences are here to stay .

"Based on surveys we've conducted, most people plan to continue to do virtual tours, even after the pandemic subsides. There are millions of people in the U.S. alone that have disabilities that prevent or inhibit travel. They will still need virtual tours to see the world."

Jessica Poitevien is a Travel + Leisure contributor currently based in South Florida, but she's always on the lookout for her next adventure. Besides traveling, she loves baking, talking to strangers, and taking long walks on the beach. Follow her adventures on Instagram .

Why virtual tours are here to stay

Jul 14, 2020 • 4 min read

Once a niche, virtual travel is now a necessity. Can it last? © Westend61 / Getty

As countries closed their borders to stop the spread of COVID-19, Maja Campelj and Tina Hudnik did the unthinkable – they traveled around the world. 

"We've been to Norway, we really liked Bilbao, and we've been to China," boasts Maja. "We went to Uganda to see the mountain gorillas, which I haven't seen before. Last week, we were immersed in Moldova. This week, we're really looking forward to Mexico." 

Maja and Tina, co-founders of the sustainability-focused tour guide academy G-Guides , aren't hopping on planes, mind you – they're traveling from their armchairs.

In March, the Slovenia-based team launched a new digital course tackling the travel industry's final frontier – virtual tours. The five-day course, certified by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations , has attracted students from over 50 countries around the globe, and "the numbers are just increasing," Tina beams. Because of their students' tours, Maja and Tina are circling the world faster than Phileas Fogg in his wildest dreams. 

"More people are attending our course because more people realize that virtual tours are here to stay," adds Maja.

With travelers embracing a new normal and tourism professionals preparing for an uncertain future, G-Guides is at the forefront of a global revolution. Virtual tours are quickly becoming the antidote to wanderlust and the answer to questions about how the travel industry can weather the pandemic.

Connecting people around the world

Before the ongoing health crisis upended global tourism, virtual reality (VR) gained traction as both a marketing tool for travel companies and a way to vacation through visually immersive simulations. Platforms like Google Earth VR sprang up to offer virtual escapes 365 days a year, and headsets like the Oculus Rift now provide 360-degree views of the world's most famous sites. 

Still, while much of the technology supporting these virtual adventures is groundbreaking, it can't replace the autonomous, all-sensory experience of in-person exploration. There's no way to feel the force of an Icelandic waterfall , smell a field of tulips blooming in the Netherlands, or taste a traditional Mexican torta while staring at a screen. That's why Maja and Tina are training guides to do much more than show sites and regurgitate facts; they're transforming tour guides into what they call “cultural immersion facilitators.”

"We really train them hard on how to transmit the five senses over the screen," notes Maja. But that's not all – through the course at G-Guides, industry professionals learn to create trips that inspire what globetrotters are missing most while stuck at home – personal connection.

"Intercultural communication skills and engaging storytelling – that's what it's all about," says Maja. "It's not about the place - every single place in this world can be exciting if someone can make it exciting." What matters most when a virtual tour ends is that participants "feel like they're connected with someone at the other end."

The virtues of virtual tourism

The benefits of virtual tours extend far beyond the interpersonal. "If we're ready to embrace this change, we have a unique opportunity to make tourism work for the majority of people," says Maja.

For travelers with mobile, visual, or auditory impairments, virtual tours allow them to experience destinations that were once off-limits. For environmentally-focused vagabonds, traveling via technology is a new way to reduce their carbon footprint and avoid flight shaming without forgoing a foreign excursion. When it comes to money and time, the benefits are equally evident. "I'm a busy woman," Maja admits. "I don't have time to go to all these places. If I have a knowledgeable guide who can really immerse me in the culture, I can have an experience in a shorter, cheaper time."

In cities like Amsterdam and Venice , which are usually overwhelmed with sightseers in the summertime, virtual tours may also provide relief. "I think virtual tours will contribute to the dispersion of people around the globe," says Maja. With unparalleled access to a diverse array of people and places, she’s right. The travel industry’s latest pivot may make this a small world after all.

Maja and Tina could talk about virtual tours all day long, but there isn’t much wiggle room in their busy schedules. "In one hour, we're going to St. Petersburg," Tina laughs. Today’s adventures already took them to the United States and China . 

Their itinerary might inspire envy, but lucky for us, we're only one click away from a virtual journey all our own.

Want to check out more virtual tours? The Lonely Planet Guides app has over a thousand 360º videos of destinations all over the world.

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What I have learned from travelling the world with a wheelchair These Black hiking groups are changing the outdoors Why I believe we need to start traveling internationally again

Get more travel inspiration, tips and exclusive offers sent straight to your inbox with our  weekly newsletter . For more on virtual experiences around the world, check out our Virtual Vacations page .

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Virtual Walking Tour

Select a city to walk in:.

Don't want to walk? Click here to drive, fly or view live cams!

Berlin, Germany is the central technolgical, cultural and tourist center within the nation of Germany.

Milan resides in the Lombardy region of Italy. Enjoy it's nature, fashion, views, parks and much more.

San Francisco is the tech hub of California and currently has amassed a population of 800,000 people.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, as well as the most densely populated region within Russia's border.

Barcelona is one of the most densely populated regions within Spain, it sits just behind Madrid.

Beijing is the most populated region within China. In 1949, the name was reverted to "Peking".

Damscus, Syria has a population of 1.7M+ and is the most dense location within Syria.

New York is the most populous city within the United States, with a 8.3M population.

Filled with interesting monuments, Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region.

As the most populated in Illinois, it is situated by Lake Michigan, one of the great lakes.

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and is the most populous, ahead of Busan. Busan tour coming soon.

Helsinki is the capital of Finland. It sits on a penninsula and is the most populous and dense city within Finland.

As the State Capital of Hawaii, it is situated on one of the five islands. The island it is on is named Oahu. (2nd Largest)

Paris is the most populated city in France, and is famed for its Seinne River, coffeeshops, and architecture.

The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco County and Marin County. It was completed on April 19th, 1937.

Venice is famed for it's canals and powerful Italian Culture & Cuisine. Is Rome or Venice better?

Tokyo Japan is famous for it's neon advertisements, capsul hotels, and fast bullet trains. (300MPH+)

Tehran is the capital of Iran. Previously, it was the center of power for the famed Qajar Dynasty.

Right over Tokyo, Osaka is the second most known city. It is also known for it's bright billboards!

Montreal Canada is famed for it's cold weather and green roofs that once previously used to be golden!

Toronto, home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors is one of the largest cities within the nation of Canada!

Reykjavik is famous for it's hard to spell name and cold weather. Did we mention it's Icelands's Capital?

Some say that Naples is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy? Start walking and see if you agree with them!

The Louvre in Paris is basically a glass pyramid. Also, a famous painting is stored within it! Come check it out!

New Delhi is the capital of India. It remains as a center for international trade, commerce, and business in India.

Mumbai is one of the coolest cities in India! It's famed for it's street life, motor bikes and fast moving scooters!

The Republic of Singapore is a city-state located just under Malaysia. It boasts a population of nearly 6 millon.

London is the capital of the United Kindgom! If you every stop by, ask a local for some tea. Hopefully no tax!

The city of angels they call it! Take a walk through and you'll know why they call it the "city of angels!"

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. You'll enjoy viewing some Bangkok Streetlife and Night Life!

Click the button below to head to the homepage. After that, you'll be prompted to view more modes of travelling. We currently support, walking, driving, flying and live video. Choose wisely! The choice is yours!

Take a Sunday Drive in the city of your choice! As you take in the scenery, try to think admire the cultures of each location. See how the leadership and culture directly corelate into the prosperity of their people and lands.

Monument Explorer lets you experience the wonders of monuments around the world. For example, take a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Or even experience a 1,070 foot skyscraper building!

View the city of your choice from above and enjoy a magnificent sightseeing adventure. As you watch, think of the differences in culture, wealth, and prosperity in each country you view from above. Each skyline tells it's own story.

Click the box to view live footage from around the world. While viewing, you'll be able to see the true face and culture of people around the world. Have fun and admire the scenery!

Enhancing destination image through virtual reality technology: the role of tourists’ immersive experience

• Published: 27 April 2024

Cite this article

• Davood Ghorbanzadeh   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3238-8241 1 ,
• Ahmad Qasim Mohammad AlHamad   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7083-5375 2 ,
• Kuicthok Yak Deng 3 ,
• Ahmed Alaa Hani Alkurdi 4 , 5 ,
• K. D. V. Prasad 6 &
• Mohsen Sharbatiyan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7941-7655 7  

This study investigates the relationship between the immersive VR experience, destination cognitive image, destination affective image, and tourists’ travel intention. The sample of this research is 167 visitors of three tourist attractions of Isfahan Province in Iran, through 360-degree virtual reality videos. In order to collect research data, an online survey and convenience sampling methods were used. PLS-SEM was utilized to assess both the measurement and structural models. The findings indicated that among factors of external technical environment stimuli, media richness has a stronger effect on the formation of the destination’s cognitive image than the affective image. Also, perceived interactivity compared to media richness has a significant impact on the formation of the destination’s affective image. In addition, vision consistency as an internal technical environment stimulus has a positive effect on the formation of the cognitive and affective image of the destination. Finally, the affective image of the destination resulting from the immersive VR experience has a stronger effect on travel intention than the cognitive image.

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Department of Management and Social Science, Islamic Azad University of Tehran North Branch, Tehran, Iran

Davood Ghorbanzadeh

Department of Business Administration, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE

Ahmad Qasim Mohammad AlHamad

Department of Business Management, Lincoln University College, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Kuicthok Yak Deng

Department of Information Technology, Duhok Technical College, Duhok Polytechnic University, KRG, Duhok, Iraq

Ahmed Alaa Hani Alkurdi

Department of Computer Science, College of Science, Nawroz University, Duhok, KRG, Iraq

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Hyderabad, India

K. D. V. Prasad

Department of Executive Master of Business Administration, Faculty of Management, Islamic Azad University of Tehran Central Branch, Tehran, Iran

Mohsen Sharbatiyan

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Ghorbanzadeh, D., AlHamad, A.Q.M., Deng, K.Y. et al. Enhancing destination image through virtual reality technology: the role of tourists’ immersive experience. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06007-3

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Accepted : 11 April 2024

Published : 27 April 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06007-3

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