Travel with Virtual Reality (VR) offers a stress-free method of seeing the world. There is no need to worry about heavy suitcases, the hassle and expense of air travel, or the discomfort of hotel beds. Once you’ve tried it, you may never want to go back.
My husband has always wanted us to travel to Spain. He spent a few years there after graduating High School, but we could never make the trip.
Two years ago, we decided to plan a two-week trip to Southern Spain for our 40th anniversary. I’m looking forward to the trip next spring, but I’d be dishonest if I said I wasn’t anxious, as well. Some things about real travel are challenging and stressful, like the 10-plus hour flight, probably in a middle-row seat, adjusting to jet lag when I get there, and hoping that the weather will cooperate.
That’s why, in some ways, virtual travel is a better option.
VR is better because it's CHEAPER
My husband and I have been saving money for a while to pay for our trip to Spain. Between airfare, hotels, food, and entry fees for museums and other sites and attractions, we anticipate a total cost of around $5000.
When I travel virtually, the only cost is the headset. True, you could spend several thousand dollars on a virtual reality headset, but I spent just a few hundred dollars on mine. The Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest 3 fully contained virtual reality headsets cost less than a round-trip ticket to Spain.
I know that this trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime treat. But using my VR headset, I can travel the world after dinner on a Wednesday night, be in bed early enough for work the next day, and do it all again next week.
Speaking of work, I’ll need to take two weeks off to see everything properly. Fortunately, I have paid vacation time I can use, but after this trip, that will be gone for the year. Then, when I get home, catching up on all the work I missed will take days.
Using my Meta Quest headset, I can spread my travels throughout the year by accessing immersive 360-degree videos from the YouTube VR App and never have to use vacation time.
VR is better because it's EASIER
Consider long lines at the airport security gate and more lines to get through customs. There are passports and visas to get, luggage to pack, and bags to carry around whenever we change hotels. If we rent a car, who knows the rules of the road will be like and if we take the train, we need to be careful to find the right platform and board the right train so we don’t end up in Marseille instead of Madrid.
It goes without saying that you need only a VR headset and a comfortable chair to view any 360-degree video you choose. And if the phone rings or you get interrupted, you can put the video on pause and come back later.
Sure, you can still end up somewhere you weren’t planning on going, but honestly, when it’s VR, that’s half the fun.
VR is better because it is FASTER
If I wanted to see the pyramids in Egypt, jump over to the Coliseum in Rome, and finish up at the Straits of Gibraltar, I could do that with VR in less than an hour and return to my favorite spots whenever I choose.
You can’t do that in real-life travel.
I earn commissions from my sponsored links.
VR is better because it is MORE COMFORTABLE
Using virtual reality, you don’t have to try to sleep in an upright chair during an overnight flight or bus ride. There is no chance of getting sick from the water or unusual food that doesn’t agree with your digestive tract.
With VR travel, the temperature is always how you like it, and you can get up and move around freely whenever you wish.
VR is better because it OFFERS DISTINCTIVE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
Let me share a story. A few weeks ago, I was researching videos to add to my playlist. I was trying to find a good VR video tour of the Terracotta Warriors of China.
The terracotta statues were discovered in the Guanzhong area in China’s Northwest. Over 2000 pieces have been discovered so far, and they are displayed, lined up in formation, inside the pit where they were excavated.
The Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum was constructed over the pit, and visitors can view the warriors from an observation deck built above and around the extensive trenches where the soldiers stand in formation.
While searching for the best VR travel video, I couldn’t find one good enough to recommend. They were all taken from the vantage of the observation deck looking down into the pit. Natural light from high windows at the top of the walls gave off a glare that didn’t work well with the 360-degree video cameras. The details of the warriors from that far away in less-than-ideal lighting made it difficult to see .
Then, I found an immersive video created by the China Global Television Network (CGTN). The CGTN had taken on a project to create virtual reality videos of some of China’s most amazing cultural treasures. The news team was allowed to record on the excavation floor, where no tourist would ever be allowed to enter.
As the video began, I found myself nose-to-nose with the warrior statues, able to examine them in detail.
I saw everything, including the infantry’s horses, up close. Each soldier’s unique features were clearly discernable. Even the lighting on the statues had been adapted to provide the best viewing experience. It was amazing opportunity that most tourists would never see.
VR is better because it is PERFECT FOR EDUCATION
If you are getting your education now or are simply a student at heart, you can travel to places through VR, which would normally be impossible. Take a tour of the human body with all its systems. Watch DNA threads expand as a human egg and sperm join to begin the process of creating a new human being.
Imagine going on a Spacewalk 250 miles above the earth or sitting in the trenches with a couple of Civil War soldiers, the sound of musket echoing in the air around you.
You can learn a lot by reading or watching documentaries. Still, it is a completely different experience when you are actually there watching those amazing events as they take place.
Traveling through time, space, and the human body is currently unavailable in the real world. But with VR, you can do it.
Summary
Immersive VR feels real because it mimics real-world sights, sounds, and natural movements. Because of this, your brain interprets what you see and hear as real and sometimes adds additional sensory memories.
For example, I was watching a virtual bonfire on a beach in Australia last night, and I could have sworn I smelled bonfire smoke in the air.
Like physical travel, when you virtually travel to new places and see new things, your brain builds new neural pathways to handle the stimuli. These additional pathways help you be more creative and accepting of new ideas. Moving beyond the familiar stimulates endorphins that make you feel happy and inspired, whenever you want.
Let me know what places you long to go to, or things you’d love to see in the comments below, and lets see if we can find great VR videos to take you there.
