Safer Vacations Through Virtual Options
With warm weather on the doorstep, attention is turning toward that time-honored tradition of the summer vacation. We plan, save money, look forward to new scenery and time with our family, and just plain relaxing. But with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted the entire globe, many are opting not to travel this summer.
When physical travel isn鈥檛 desirable, our age of technology puts that vacation 鈥渧irtually鈥� at your fingertips.
Even before COVID-19 travel restrictions, travel companies were experimenting with Virtual Reality Vacations as a way to market real life travel.
A recent article by notes 鈥淣ew Jersey-based marketing firm Travel World VR launched its new app in December. Through the app, users will be able to view 360-degree VR videos of destinations, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, and tour operators. This is all aimed at encouraging potential customers to book real holidays.鈥�
With whole-country lock downs and travel bans due to COVID-19, the transportive nature of Virtual Reality can offer a solution for those with wanderlust.
P1 Group Senior Project Manager Zach Kittle said his boys, Liam and Grayson, have gone on a number of virtual field trips during the last quarter of school, and as a family they are definitely planning some virtual vacations this summer, especially since they had to cancel a trip to Ireland.
鈥淭he nice thing about a virtual vacation is that there's no traveling required. You can travel in your robe from your couch with a cocktail in hand,鈥� Zach said.
So exactly what kind of adventures are out there?
Museums
Many of the top tier museums have gone digital and offer ways to view their most famous offerings from the comfort of your home.
Google has partnered with over 60 museums and galleries worldwide and offer virtual tours with their . The Guggenheim in New York City has made some of their collections and exhibits , and The Louvre in Paris offers a of some of their most popular exhibits.
Kansas City鈥檚 own Nelson-Atkins gallery has a virtual tour that can be found at and they recently partnered with the Kansas City Zoo to produce this with some art-loving birds.
Zoos
Speaking of zoos, a whole host of zoos offer to various habitats of their animals online. You can check out the Houston Zoo's , or the Pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo's .
Even our local Kansas City Zoo has joined in with their site, with animal cams to watch the residents daily (like penguins), hands-on educational activities the kids can easily do at home, and even 鈥淶OO鈥檓鈥� backgrounds to spice up your next virtual meeting with creative animal-themed landscapes.
Trains
Ready to move on to your next destination? How about going by train through the Swiss Alps or 12 other trips from around the world? offer the chance to see new and amazing landscapes without having to worry about train fare, so make a beverage to fit the destination and hop aboard.
National Parks
The train just pulled into the station so jump out get ready to explore a National Park. Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with that feature different climates and environments from across the country, including famous desert vistas and snowy terrains. also gives you information and stunning visuals on all the national parks so you can note which ones you may want to visit in the future.
Theme Parks
Many families look forward to a vacation at a big theme park and if that destination was on your summer 鈥渢o do鈥� list, you can still bring the thrill of the theme park rides to your living room. Rides like Hollywood and many others can be experienced through your computer or TV screen.
P1 Group Digital Media Specialist Tiffany Oldham and her eight-year-old daughter Lily recently spent an afternoon 鈥渞iding鈥� some of the roller coasters on YouTube and she said they loved all of them.
鈥淟ily really loved Jurassic World and it was funny how we wanted to move along with the rides. We kept leaning into the turns,鈥� Tiffany said.
From Harry Potter to Star Wars, check out this article from on for links to virtual theme park rides.
Arts & Culture
Don鈥檛 forget to inject a little culture into your virtual travel extravaganza. After a whirlwind day of 鈥渢raveling鈥�, top the evening off with a Broadway show or a concert from the Metropolitan Opera or the , without the formal suit or dress and heels.
BroadwayHD offers a seven-day free trial so you can choose from a huge catalog of theater productions. There is also a wide array of symphony鈥檚 and concerts available for whatever your listening tastes may be.
There you have it: Just a few of the virtual travel experiences available within a couple clicks. So why not give the Netflix binges a rest and 鈥済et outta town鈥�!
Sources:
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
Insider.com,
