Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something... you can try and find your lockdown escape among the websites offering virtual travel experiences online. Take a walk around the Colosseum, a trip to Rio, dive into a reef system, or journey to the International Space Station
Go on field trips around the world
If you have a VR headset, Google’s free Expeditions app will take you around the world and into space. The app has over 800 destinations. It was originally built for students, as a virtual substitute for field trips, but has since been opened up to the public. You can explore saved tours, go on solo adventures or take a group trip with others hooked up to the same wifi network. Go on safaris and treks via live cam
Make your own VR headset
If you’re trying out virtual travel during this lockdown, crafting a VR headset from scraps around the house could be time well spent. Don’t expect Oculus-level output, but the DIY section on YouTube has a number of videos with recipes of varying levels of difficulty, including how to make the lens out of pet bottles and water. If nothing else, it’s a fun craft project to do with the kids.
Explore.org runs a large network of 24-hour live cam and cam trap feeds from sanctuaries, national parks, aquariums and zoos around the world. These include a reef aquarium in California, a reserve in Kenya, as well as a camera trained on the Northern Lights in Manitoba, Canada. You can see lions, tigers, manatees, jellyfish and great whites, among others, as they go about their business. Each feed also tells you about the place, and when to visit for a good sighting.
Travel with NASA
Virtual tours on the website of America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration let you take a trip to the International Space Station or visit the pyramids over breakfast. The Exoplanet Excursions app takes you even further, by several light years, on a guided tour through the TRAPPIST-1 star system, where seven Earth-like planets orbit a star a bit larger than Jupiter. The 3D visuals are based on data collected by the Spitzer Space Telescope launched into space in 2003 and retired in January this year. Many do resemble our planet.
Try a GPS treasure hunt
The Geoguessr game is another way of exploring the world. You will be dropped anywhere on earth, virtually, or in a general area of your choosing. You can walk around the place with a 360-degree Street View of your surroundings, and you have to guess where you are on the map. The language on the signboards, statues, the types of trees and other landmarks serve as clues. The game lets you explore how much you actually know about the world, and you won’t even notice how much you’re learning.
Head to Rio de Janeiro’s favelas
Google Arts & Culture has a travel section that lets you scroll through nooks and crannies around the world – the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the stone steps of thousand-year-old temples in India and fort ruins out in the middle of the Indian Ocean are among the options. Videos give you 360-degree views and, while they don’t take you far, they do let you get a really good look at where you’re virtually standing. There’s even an eight-part immersive documentary tour of Rio’s favelas or slums. Beyond The Map lets viewer experience the sights and sounds, meet some of the people who live here, and learn about the social architecture of the place. Best experienced through a VR or virtual reality headset, or the mobile app.