Virtual Reality Travel Videos are an inexpensive and fun way to see the world. With thousands of free 360-degree videos available on YouTube, almost any place you can imagine, and some places you can’t.
How I Discovered Virtual Reality Travel Videos
I recently discovered Virtual Reality Travel Videos, and they’ve had a profound effect on my life. But before we get into that, let me tell you about myself.
I’ve always wanted to travel the world, primarily because I’ve always been a voracious reader. Have you ever noticed how many novels are set in unique settings, such as the French Quarter in New Orleans, the Old City of Fez in Morocco, or the archeological dig sites of Egypt? These amazingly romantic places drew me to them, and I swore I’d see them in person one day. And then life happened.
As a young and energetic woman, I was busy raising a family, and money was tight. Then, when I neared retirement age, after all my children had grown, I found my body was no longer young or energetic, and money was still tight.
I realized the hard truth: my dream of traveling the world would have to remain just that—a dream—until last year. After Christmas, my husband and I decided to splurge and buy a Meta Quest 2 VR headset from Amazon, which changed everything.
VR Headsets More than Just Games
When you hear the words VR headset, you may think they are synonymous with gaming, like a PlayStation or a Nintendo Switch. It’s true, you can play games with it, but a VR headset offers so much more.
My Meta Quest 2 was not just a purchase but a gateway to the world. With this VR headset, I could embark on virtual journeys to any corner of the globe, all from the comfort of my home. And the best part? It’s accessible to anyone.
What are Virtual Reality Travel Videos?
Thousands of places worldwide are available as 360-degree videos on YouTube. Filmmakers use unique cameras to photograph a scene using several lenses pointing simultaneously in different directions. Each lens takes a panoramic picture of the scene, and these individual images are “sewn together” to create a full 360-degree image.
Right now, you are probably holding your mobile device or sitting at a desk looking at a computer. Look around. You will see walls, windows, doors, carpeting, furniture, and anyone else in the room. Just by turning your head, you can view your space from multiple angles. That’s how 360-degree videos work.
When you view a 360-degree video on a screen, it’s a 2D representation. You can interact with it using your mouse, which can be entertaining. But when you put on a VR headset, the experience transcends entertainment. You’re not just observing a scene; you’re part of it. This is what we call true immersion in the video.
My First VR Travel Experiences
The day after I got my VR headset, I visited the Coliseum site in Rome, where a helpful tour guide explained how it would have appeared in the Roman era. Next, I soared above Teotihuacan, Mexico, getting a birds-eye view of the temple pyramid. Then, I took a walking tour of Granada, Spain, all of which took less than an hour.
What is interesting about using a VR headset for Virtual Travel is that your eyes and ears experience the tour as real, and these sensory perceptions fool your brain into believing you are really there. The endorphins your body releases when you travel to a new place are also released with the novel sights and sounds you experience in virtual travel.
Even better, the headset itself, at least the Meta Quest 2 that I purchased, costs less than a round-trip ticket out of the country, and I can spend as much time as I like exploring the world in the comfort of my favorite chair.
Virtual Reality Travel Videos Let You Experience Things you Never Imagined
Days after the headset arrived, my husband and I watched a documentary about interesting places worldwide. One of the spots they highlighted was two huge rock formations in Fajinshan, China. The pillars rose side-by-side with a gully between them. Perched at the top of each formation was Buddhist Temple, connected to each other by a hump bridge that spanned the empty space between the two rocks. The narrator explained that this UNESCO World Heritage site could be reached by climbing nearly 9000 stairs.
“Wouldn’t that be something to see,” I told my husband.
But I knew seeing it myself was unlikely considering its location deep in China and those 9000 stairs.
However, it turns out someone filmed a 360-degree video of their trip to this wonder, and by using my virtual reality headset, I could go all the way up the stairs to the temples at the top. The view from up there was amazing.
Drawbacks of VR Travel
Although 360-degree cameras have come a long way since they became available in the early 2000s, they still have limitations. They get a little blurry when recording things at night, and objects closer appear clearer than those farther away. Some photographers are also better than others at providing a professional viewing experience, but overall, my virtual travel experiences have been exciting and very satisfying.
I can’t be the only person who wants to tour the Taj Mahal or visit Venezuela to see Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world.
My mission for this blog is to share what I’ve learned and spread the word to others like me. The world awaits exploration, no matter your health, finances, or current obligations. I hope to enrich others’ lives the way mine has been enriched.
Please help me get the word out by liking this post and following Ageless Journies VR on Facebook and Pinterest. While you are here, see my curated travel playlist and blog posts.
And feel free to leave a comment below.
