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Virtual Traveling? The COVID-19 pandemic has managed to put the entire world kind of at a stop and most of us are still stuck inside our house or community. While we may have been able to keep busy with working from home, one thing that has been at a complete halt is traveling. Needless to say, the traveling industry is one of the industries that was affected the most by this pandemic. There are still tons of countries that are closed to others, no cruises, and even limited hotels.
Virtual Traveling: The new way to travel during the pandemic
A lot of businesses have had to pivot how they due things during the pandemic. The travel industry has also found a fantastic way to come back to life. The new phenomenon that has given a new meaning to traveling is known as virtual traveling.
But what exactly is virtual traveling?
Let’s be honest, we all are slowly losing our minds sitting inside all the time and not being able to go anywhere. We are desperate to find a way to get out of the house and see some fresh scenery or do some physical activities to pass our time.
This is exactly where the concept of virtual traveling comes in the picture. You don’t have to go out of your house and risk being infected to experience all of this anymore! Virtual traveling provides you with a way to use the latest technological discoveries to travel to your favorite places around the world. Just think of the zoos, museums, and world wonders like the Great Wall of China!
What benefits does virtual traveling bring to you?
Of course, through this kind of traveling, you don’t get the experience an area like you get when you physically visit a new place. But virtual traveling is the next best thing if you can’t go there yourself.
Some amazing benefits make virtual traveling tempting enough that you have to give it a chance.
- You get a lot of time to choose from all the traveling options you have and when exactly do you want to “go” on this trip.
- You can experience some of the most precious parts of the world from the comfort of your house.
- If you are interested, you can also visit places that don’t exist in the real world as virtual reality can make anything possible.
- Technically speaking, it is not as expensive as an actual traveling trip.
- You are your boss – There is no need to hire a tour guide and you can easily decide the entire schedule of your trip.
- In the middle of a pandemic where social distancing is a necessity, staying inside while traveling is the best thing you can do to keep yourself and loved ones safe.
These are some of the most significant benefits that make virtual traveling attractive. The major reason for doing this in the first place is the pandemic breakdown of the ability to actually venture out yourself, but virtual traveling is a blessing to travel lovers going through withdrawl. It is also a great way to plan for your next vacation! Narrow down areas that you would really like to visit in the future, when everything settles down.
How can I pick a good virtual tour for myself?
Not all virtual tours are free – many museums, etc are doing free tours, like the Louvre in Paris, but there are actual tour companies that charge to put together an”experience package”. While they pull together an itinerary for you, you might find several places on that list actually free if you had accessed it on your own.
The first thing we all do when we decide we want to travel is pick a destination that seems interesting to us. When it comes to virtual traveling, the first thing you need to do is to pick a virtual tour that is the best one according to your interest. To help you pick the best virtual tour, here are some things you should keep in mind:
- Consider all the tour options you have carefully before you decide which place you want to pick.
- Read online reviews about the company that is offering virtual tours to make sure they are genuine and trustworthy.
- Research about the place you want to visit virtually in advance to make sure you want to spend money to visit it…again, are some amazing things in that area free to see?
- Talk to a couple of different virtual tour companies so you get multiple options to choose from.
- Get a list of things you will need for the virtual tour from the company to make sure you have them and can enjoy the tour to the maximum.
- Know everything to expect before the tour itself so that you don’t get disappointed once you are doing it.
Get our List of Awesome FREE Tours!
Will this become the new norm even after the pandemic?
As said before, the main reason for finding ways to travel from your house is the pandemic outbreak in the world. Though restrictions are being lifted slowly, there is no guarantee when it will be completely safe to travel anywhere for awhile. People are just leery of being in a large crowd right now.
The virtual tour experience is far different than the normal traveling experience we all used to. It is purely based on the use of technology to feed our brain’s need of visiting new places and gaining new experiences. As it is the safest way to travel around the world, the word has it that virtual traveling will stay around for a long time. You certainly can’t try the food, get souvenirs, or take fun family photos.
There are multiple companies around the world are incorporating virtual traveling in their business. Some are offering free virtual tours while some tours have to be bought in advance. There are several ways to experience virtual traveling and new things are most probably going to be added to it soon.
It is a great way to battle with lock-down loneliness and unproductiveness by traveling around the world virtually.
Since technology has been the world’s most talked-about tool of pandemic life, virtual traveling is something that is expected to be around in the future as well. Not to mention the fact that it is great for anyone with mobility challenges. They can do it from the comfort of their own home instead of wondering how they would manage traversing the uneven cobblestone walks of Europe.
Let’s face it, traveling is something that has been people’s escape from the everyday struggle for years now. We certainly have all experienced our own bit of stress from the challenges 2020 have thrown at us, and 2021 seems to be starting out rough too! If you find you have hit the end of Netflix, are bored and want to do something new and interesting? We definitely recommend giving virtual traveling a chance!
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