Virtual travel, one of the newer creations of the 21st century, is a modern way to explore the world and experience different cultures, all without needing to leave your house, let alone your couch. With virtual travel developing faster than ever, it has created the virtual vacation, a new way to unwind and break the repetitiveness of everyday life.
COVID-19 ushered in an unprecedented era where home was your only safe space. Enter virtual travel — a way to take a trip without breaking the bank or leaving behind a hasty footprint of carbon emissions. Interested? Here are some virtual travel options you can try immediately (no packing needed!).
Virtual Tours — Traveling has Never Been Easier
Everyone has dreamed of spontaneously flying to a place of their choice. Virtual Tours allow you to move to a location that has been captured with a 360° camera, surrounding you with an image of the place of your choice. However, these tours only provide you with a ‘view-only’ experience, as actual interactions are not possible.
Google Earth and Google Maps have half-heartedly scratched that itch for a long time, focusing on practicality over enjoyment. Nowadays, websites like AirPano and TRAVEL LEADER offer high-resolution first person 360° panoramic images, as well as 360° aerial views of over 300 locations worldwide.
360° VR Travel — A Quick n’ Easy View of the World
Sometimes you just need a quick break from the monotonous pattern of daily life. Take a time-out from your surroundings with VR travel footage from IRL travel live streamers, or websites like AirPano and VIRTUALVACATION.
Choose to watch different travel modes for a Virtual Vacation to experience over 100 cities from either a walking, driving, or flying perspective. If you’re looking for virtual travel games, try out their “City Guesser” mode to guess city locations based on their video clips.
Enjoy these virtual tours from any browser or, if you want to take a step towards realism and immersion, try going on an ultimate 360° video tour using VR headsets like the VIVE Focus Vision or VIVE XR Elite. (Travel tip: prepare some snacks on the side, as travelling the world can get you a little peckish!)
Realistic 3D Metaverses — immersive Travel and Vacations
Vacations aren’t just about sightseeing — they’re also about taking part in activities, interacting with people, and exploring cultures. This is why full virtual travel experiences belong in 3D Worlds from platforms like VRChat and VIVERSE.
Entering these 3D Worlds, created to deliver the excitement of travelling, provides the immersive element of virtual vacations. The best parts: you don’t need to spend hours on end planning travel routes or forking over the costs to physically travel to the locations!
Here are some virtual travel destinations in VIVERSE to get you started! (Virtual travel tip: you aren’t just limited to real destinations, but you can also experience seasonal events or concept Worlds.)
3 Must-See Virtual Destinations
Toripolliisi Statue (Oulu, Finland)
The Toripollisi statue is one of Finland’s most iconic public sculptures. Created by Kaarlo Mikkonen in 1987, this grand bronze statue shows a jolly police officer standing guard of the market square of Oulu. Erected to show the influence of police officers throughout the 1900’s, this sculpture is a must-see when you visit Finland, now both physically and virtually!
La Plaza: Celebrate the Day of the Dead
Virtual vacations can break the physical limitations of travel, as this destination isn’t a real-life location, but a complete cultural experience of one of the most famous Mexican traditions. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead in English, is a multi-day holiday that remembers everyone that has passed.
In La Plaza, you can experience all the traditions of this amazing holiday, including hitting Piñatas, paying your respects at Orendas, enjoying the festive music, and seeing the symbolic character of La Catrina. Experience tradition now!
Stellarium: A Virtual Journey into the Cosmos
A steampunk-inspired planetarium that walks you through the story of the universe sounds like a wacky Chat-GPT prompt, but the amazing creators who use VIVERSE can build 3D spaces one can only dream of visiting in the real world.
Stellarium is a breathtaking virtual world that includes a mechanical orrery of the solar system, dazzling constellations, and other amazing exhibits that will pique your curiosity.
Journey the cosmos!
Start Your VIVERSE Vacay in Seconds
Virtual travel in 3D Worlds like VIVERSE and VRChat really captures the magic of travel because it keeps the essence of community and social interactions. Simply choose an Avatar that represents you, pick the virtual World you want to jump into, and share the URL for friends and family to join your adventures. (Virtual travel tip: you can also travel solo and meet new people in VIVERSE!)
The Future is Virtual
A virtual vacation to the Bahamas to enjoy the warm sun and cold drinks sounds like heaven on Earth, but we aren’t there yet. Virtual vacations cannot fully replicate real-world sensory experiences like touch, scent, and taste (just yet...). So, keep your eyes peeled for a virtual Bahamas vacay in the future!
Until then, enjoy virtual spaces, make unique connections, and redefine how you experience the world in VIVERSE today.