Considering the state of the world right now, it’s hard to predict whether it will be safe to actively travel any time soon. The effects of COVID-19 have decreased the number of commercial flights by 41% worldwide. The numerous travel restrictions we are currently under are hard to overcome mentally for those of us who have caught the travel bug, but I want to encourage you to keep daydreaming, keep combing through your favorite travel blogs and Instagram accounts, and hopefully we will be able to travel before we know it!
Whether you travel for the art museums, monumental architecture, unforgettable nature experiences or the culture, there are virtual tour options for all of you! (I also travel for the food, but unfortunately you can’t quite experience that virtually, but I would recommend pairing these delicious international recipes with your virtual travels!)
Virtual arts & culture
Some of the most popular museums in the world also have their own virtual tours uploaded to their websites. Skip the lines and the crowds and check out The Louvre’s exhibitions. Another benefit of touring the museum virtually is you can spend as much time as you’d like on each masterpiece without having to feel rushed to go onto the next one.
If the Louvre was not enough, Google Arts & Culture has a vast collection of virtual museum tours. They offer tours of The Guggenheim, Musee D’Orsay, and many more. They also offer virtual tours of world famous libraries, soccer fields, Banksy street art, public sculptures, even the International Space Station! It is an incredible and revolutionary way to see the world from your couch, FOR FREE.
Besides museums, you can also experience Opera virtually as well. The Metropolitan Opera is offering FREE nightly opera shows which are available for one day after the show (If you find this article after they’ve stopped offering this, you can also have a free 7 day trial and stream past performances.) Grab your fanciest bottle of wine, make a charcuterie board, and enjoy this classy Opera experience from the comfort of your home!
Virtual hiking and exploring
Are you a hiker? Do you miss summiting mountains? A local nature trail cannot replace the satisfaction of climbing a mountain, but you can still enjoy the views of the world’s most beautiful parks and mountains virtually! A great resource for all of the nature junkies out there is the National Park Service! You can tour the Grand Canyon through their website for free! No need to buy expensive hiking gear. Imagine attaching your monitor to a big TV and immersing yourself in this beautiful canyon. If you have a treadmill, you can even recreate the hike in your own home! You can find virtual tours of Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, and Grand Tetons National Parks on their website too!
If you’re a past New Yorker and you miss frequenting Central Park, there’s even a virtual tour of that too! This would actually make a very romantic budget friendly date- you can set up a beach towel and “picnic at Central Park” (I will be writing a blog post about budget friendly dates in the future, make sure you sign up to get my newsletter!).
Google Arts & Culture also offers tours of national parks and international landmarks like The Taj Mahal, Hawaiian volcanoes, Machu Picchu, and many more. This tool allows you to travel the world through a “google street view.”
Another amazing virtual travel experience can be had using Fullscreen360. They have a collection of panoramic images from tourist destinations and events such as The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and New Mexico Balloon Festival (it really makes you feel like you’re flying in a hot air balloon!).
Besides these there are also hundreds of talented travel vloggers who capture the world’s beauty during their travels. Take a few minutes to search on YouTube for travel channels and find some great content! Here is a link to Priscilla Lee’s tour of Bali to get you started.
Virtual Zoo and Aquarium tours
Are you an animal lover? There are also virtual tours for you! You can tour the National Aquarium and if you’d like to watch live footage, check out The Georgia Aquarium’s webcams of sea otters and jellyfish. If you are interested in a guided tour of an aquarium, The Seattle Aquarium offers a 30 minute guided video tour!
There are also a number of zoos around the world that have live webcams set up so you can see their animals in real-time! The San Diego Zoo has live cams of baboons, penguins, koalas, and other animals! The Houston Zoo webcams show you flamingos, gorillas, and rhinos!
While we might be feeling cooped up in our homes, technology in today’s day and age allows us to experience the world from anywhere. Immerse yourself in the culture by going on these virtual tours, get lost in a new book about travel (here’s a list of some great options), and plan your next trip!
Traveling virtually will also allow you to vet out locations you might have otherwise been interested in! International travel can be a hefty investment to make, so if you can see some landmarks virtually, you will be able to prioritize the countries and sights you’re most interested in. Many of us have limited travel budgets and vacation time, so using this tool will allow you to get the most out of your future experiences.