Virtual Reality Travel is a terrific option for those who lack energy, time, and money but still want to see the world. This blog post introduces the various online virtual travel options and explains how to use them best.
Virtual Reality Travel or Virtual Travel is fairly new. Although the technology has been around for a while, this form of travel became popular during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has evolved into a viable travel option for those who wish to see the world but cannot due to financial, physical, or time constraints.
If you search Google or Pinterest for the term “Virtual Tours,” you’ll be amazed at the number of results.
To clarify terms, Virtual Travel describes the experience of viewing a place or activity using technology and can include a variety of multimedia formats.
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Virtual Tours - How do they work?
Web Cams
Cameras, set up in interesting places stream live-action videos. The run 24/7 for anyone who wants to watch. The California Academy of Sciences offers many of these. One webcam I like is focused on their African penguins and can be accessed through a mobile phone or computer. Check it out by clicking here.
There are many other webcams available if you search on the internet.
Google Street View for Virtual Reality Travel
Google World App allows you to travel anywhere using 3D terrain from a satellite image virtually. You can then zoom in on a street for a 360-degree neighborhood view. It’s really simple to use.
- Go to Google.com/earth on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.
- In the Search Google Earth field, type in a location. For this example, we can type “Eiffel Tower” and choose the first option.
- As the camera zooms in, you’re looking at the top of the tower from overhead.
- Click the human icon on the bottom right of the screen. All streets around the tower will now light up in blue.
- Choose a spot on the street and set the human icon down.
- You are now at ground level.
- You can move about the scene by following the white arrows superimposed on the ground. You can also use your mouse to view the scene from different angles.
If it’s been a while since you played with Google World, there have been many updates, so it’s worth another look.
Indoor Views
Much like the Google World App, these virtual reality tours use the same arrows and mouse controls to move around, except that you are indoors. Since we are already in Paris, let’s visit the Louvre Museum. Click here.
Many museums use this technology to offer virtual tours of their galleries.
Slide Show Virtual Reality Tours
I say slide shows, but these next virtual tours are much more than that.
Each photograph is taken using a 360-degree camera, and you can use your mouse to look in every direction.
In this Virtual Tour of Yosemite, you start at a scenic overlook with dozens of other places in the park you can visit. Click here to try it.
Virtual Reality Video Tours
Come with me and you'll be In a world of pure imagination...
The first time I experienced Virtual Reality Travel reminded me of the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. When Gene Wilder as Wonka opens the factory door and his guests enter, they leave the ordinary behind and step into a magical and fantastical world.
That’s how I felt when I first put on a VR headset to view an immersive 360-degree virtual reality travel video.
Touring with a Virtual Reality Headset
A Virtual Reality Headset fits over your head and eyes and uses digital technology to create a completely immersive, 3D viewing experience. It’s like you are in the center of a sphere, and the video is displayed on every interior surface of that ball. When you move your body or head, the headset’s view responds, letting you experience the destination in a very lifelike manner.
The visual and auditory experience in a VR headset fools your brain into believing you are there rather than watching a video from a chair in your living room.
In this way virtual travel is very much like real travel.
You can find a huge collection of 360-degree Virtual Travel videos on the YouTube VR App accessible through the virtual reality headset. To see my growing collection of curated travel destination videos, you can visit the VR Tour Guide Page on my website.
Viewing with a Computer Monitor
The best way to view 360-degree travel videos is through a VR headset, but they can also be viewed using a mobile device or a computer.
Special cameras used to record these virtual travel videos produce videos that allow the viewer to manipulate the direction of the view using arrows, a mouse, and even, in some cases, their hand. Although you won’t experience the immersive quality of a virtual reality headset, and the resulting picture is 2D rather than 3D, it can still be an interesting way to travel virtually.
It’s fun to look around as you move through your tour, and even observe other tourists that were captured when the virtual tour video was created. Try it out now using the video below.
Click here to see a 360-degree YouTube video of the San Francisco Pier created by Leo Hsiung.
Types of Headsets Available for Virtual Reality Travel
There are dozens of virtual reality headsets available, and you can use them for more than just virtual travel. Prices range from under $20 for a basic plastic or cardboard viewer to use with your smartphone to upwards of $2000 plus for the most high-tech computerized headset.
Read my blog post Pros and Cons of Viewers and Headsets.
I chose to purchase the Meta Quest 2 because it has a great reputation, excellent quality, and a reasonable price.
Using a headset changes your travel experience from seeing things to feeling like you are there.
The first place I visited using my headset was the Coliseum in Rome, Italy. I stood next to my tour guide as he described the architectural details. He painted a picture of what the massive building looked like when it was first built by the Romans. We toured an on-site museum.
When I removed the headset, I felt as if I had really spent the last fifteen minutes in Italy.
Why I’m so Passionate About VR Travel?
At the age of 60 plus, I won’t have the opportunity to travel to all the places I would like. Money is tight, and my knees are not as young as they used to be. But my Virtual Reality Headset has let me visit places I never dreamed I would be able to see.
I can explore far-flung places on the globe without ever leaving my favorite chair. It’s a thrilling experience that I want to share with anyone that will listen.
If you have a virtual reality headset, I’d love to hear how you use it for virtual travel. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
