Here’s How You Can Virtually Travel The World With Your Family

In the age of social distancing, keeping your kids engaged and happy seems like an impossible task. With little to no warning, parents were forced to take on additional roles such as that of homeschool teachers and counsellors while simultaneously managing their work responsibilities. To add to this stress, there’s the frustration of being cooped up at home for months with no end in sight. Under any other circumstances, this would be the perfect time to escape on a family vacation, but unfortunately, we are grounded for the foreseeable future. The good news is that thanks to the internet, you can take a virtual vacation and go on virtual tours with your family from the comfort of your couch.

Ways To Virtually Travel The World With Your Family

Plan Virtual Visits To New Cities And Countries

There are several ways to virtually visit new countries and cities and you can combine various methods to improve your experience. Rome is one of the best places for a virtual experience as it is chock full of historical monuments, ancient ruins and spectacular architecture. You can start with a virtual walking tour around the city and then move on to virtual tours of the various museums and landmarks. You can also use the Street View layer on Google Maps to roam the city at your own pace as you’re sure to be greeted with a beautiful statue, fountain or church at every turn. Japan, Australia and Sweden are also good virtual travel destinations.

Relax At The World’s Best Beaches

For most of us, school summer vacations are synonymous with family trips to the beach. Unfortunately, the 2020 pandemic has wreaked havoc on every aspect of our lives and for the first time in decades, beaches and parks around the country remained closed. On the bright side, with a little planning and preparation, you can still enjoy a relaxing day at the beach with your family. The first thing you need to do is make a list of the best 3D video tours of various beaches – it can be a popular beach such as Waikiki Beach, Hawaii or one that is not as well-known such as Tampa Bay, Florida. Next, set the scene at home by placing beach towels in front of your living room TV. You can use your indoor plants as well as souvenirs from past vacations such as sun hats and seashells to help set the mood. You can even set up a kiddie pool to get your kids excited about their day at the beach (make sure that you move your furniture out of the way). Fill a picnic basket with your family’s favourite beach foods to complete your virtual reality experience.

Explore World Heritage Sites, Museums & Galleries

From the archaeological ruins of Machu Picchu and the Great Pyramid of Giza to the ethereal beauty of the Taj Mahal, Google Earth allows you to visit 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Google Earth’s updated interactive map contains high-resolution imagery to help you get lost in this virtual world. You can also visit some of the best museums and galleries such as the British Museum in London, the Guggenheim Museum in New York or the Louvre in Paris. The added benefit of virtual museum and gallery tours is that you don’t have to deal with lines or crowds of noisy tourists with virtual reality travel.

The Reality Is Now ‘Virtual’

Virtual tours can take you pretty much anywhere in this big beautiful world. You can also use them to introduce your kids to different places and cultures. You can also choose virtual tours based on your children’s interests. For instance, if your kids are interested in marine life, you can check out the live views from webcams at aquariums such as the Georgia aquarium.

When it comes to virtual travel, the most important thing is to choose methods that suit you and your family. For instance, virtual reality headsets have become very popular as they offer unique and immersive experiences. However, they would not be ideal for a virtual vacation as users are advised to take a 10 to 15-minute break every 30 minutes which significantly diminishes the overall experience. Furthermore, many people experience motion sickness after using these headsets. Virtual reality visits cannot take the place of real life visits but when travel is not an option, virtual reality can help relieve our stress and enjoy new experiences with our families.