Tanja KUOWere you forced to cancel your trip this year because of Covid-19? 360° Virtual Tours can make up for the disappointment a little. What is a Virtual tour and why it becomes a new popular way to travel without traveling?
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If you gave up your trip this year due to the virus situation, then you definitely need to read this post.
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Pretty much everyone on the earth was made to change their plans this year. Regardless of whether they plan to travel domestically or internationally or even plan to change a new job or move to a new house, many of these plans were put on hold or had to be cancelled.
What is a Virtual Tour?
A Virtual Tour is a simulation where you can see a place remotely, located somewhere in the world by virtually walking, still image, or online exhibits. Viewers can see it through a computer, phone, or other devices, that can connect to the internet, and it can sometimes including audio.
What is different Between Virtual Tour and Virtual Reality?
The biggest difference between these two is Virtual Reality requires special equipment such as a Headset; therefore Virtual tours are easier to do, as long as you have a device that can connect to the internet.
Why should you take a 360° Virtual Tour?
There are a couple of reasons why I recommend you to take a 360° Virtual Tour. You see, the whole world has been in lockdown and many people have changed their plans because of Covid-19. But does this mean that you also need to cancel your original plans? For example, visiting the Louvre Museum or Hawaii National Park.
The 360° Virtual Tour can make it up to you and some of the tours provide the background sound with a local tour guide who will tell you the background story and introduction.
The second reason is that the 360° Virtual Tour is a good start for you to connect to people. Some of you might live in different places than your family or friends, however, the 360° Virtual Tour can bring you all together.
360° Virtual Tour Advantage :
- Most 360° Virtual Tours are free
- It is always good to learn something new, even when you are living in lockdown
- You can schedule your own tour at any time, anywhere, and the most important thing is, the tours are open 24 hours which means nobody will kick you out if you stay too long
National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, U.S.A
The volcano is a symbol of Hawaii. There are currently five active Volcanos in Hawaii and two of them in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii island (the big island).
- Related Post: Only Volcano Island in Taiwan – Guishan Island
For those of you have never been to Hawaii, the Volcanoes National Park Tour will take you with a local guide to the Botanic Garden, lava tube and, the most important and interesting part of this virtual tour, the chance to stand on the edge of the Kīlauea Caldera to take a closer look at the magnificent active volcano.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Recommend rate : +++++
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, U.S.A
The Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a large park located in New Mexico. The park has a number of caves which are the highlight of the tour. During the tour, you get to explore the caves in the park.
To add an interesting element, the camera takes you to the point of view of a bat living in the cave. Viewing the caves from that unique point of view is an unbelievable experience which I highly recommend.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Recommend rate : ++++
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, U.S.A
The Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Utah, United States. On this tour, a local guide will take you on horseback to explore the canyons giving the tour a unique experience which is different from most virtual tours.
During this tour, the camera will shake making it more realistic, it is just like you are right there, riding on a horse. If you have seen the movie 127 Hours, the location of this virtual tour is very reminiscent of the locations seen in the movie.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Recommend rate : +++++
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A
If you are sick of land and national park, let’s explore under the sea.
The Dry Tortugas National Park is comprised of seven coral reef islands located near Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. If you like water sports, you will enjoy this trip a lot.
Under the sea, you will follow the local guide to explore the beauty of the sea. Do you know if coral are animals, plants, or rocks? Go on this virtual tour to find out.
Dry Tortugas National Park, Recommend rate : ++++
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, U.S.A
On the Virtual Tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park, you will stand above the Exit Glacier, which not many people have a chance to see. The local guide will then take you to explore how they chisel the ice and tell you why they do it.
On the journey, you will find out how much the glaciers have retreated over the years and what we can do to protect the environment. During the tour, you will get to kayak through the icebergs and listen to the sounds of the ice dropping into the water. Remember, you do not need to do it yourself, so just relax on the sofa and chill.
Kenai Fjords National Park, Recommend rate : +++++
Opera House
Sydney Opera House, NSW, Australia
The Sydney Opera House provides virtual performances, unlike other virtual tours that show you around the physical places. There are many different kinds of virtual performances such as plays, or music performances of different styles of music; there will be something suitable for everyone.
You will find all sorts of performances from classical music to contemporary music and many more. Some of them are even live-shows, so let’s get dressed up and invite your friend to live stream together.
Sydney Opera House, Recommend rate : +++++
Museums and Galleries
The British Museum, London, U.K
The British Museum is one of the greatest museums in the world. There you can see different museum pieces that have been collected from different continents over the years. This virtual tour is quite different than other virtual tours, it catalogues the historic pieces by year from 2,000,000BC to AD2000 as well as the continent that they came from.
Do you know what the oldest chopping tool in the world is? Visit the British Museum and find out.
The British Museum, Recommend rate : +++
The Louvre, Paris, France
The Louvre is one of the most famous art museums in the world and it is located in Paris, France. One of the most well-known pieces in the museum is the Mona Lisa.
However, besides the Mona Lisa, there are more than 380,000 pieces in the building. Exploring the Lourve museum is like a hunting game, you are on a seemingly endless search for beautiful art.
One of the best things about taking a 360° virtual tour of the Lourve is that you no longer need to wait in line. This has become a serious problem when visiting the Lourve in real life. Another advantage is that you can visit the Lourve at any time, regardless of opening hours.
The Louvre, Recommend rate : ++++
The Vatican Museum, Vatican
Visiting the Vatican Museum is like travelling to the best moment of the Roman Empire. There are plenty of Renaissance art pieces, Roman sculptures and even the museum itself is also a piece of art.
The museum does not only display pieces from the Roman period but it is divided by different collections, from different regions and historical myths. If you are a fan of history or mythology, this is a great place to enjoy it.
The Vatican Museum, Recommend rate : +++++
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the United State. In the museum, you will see different pieces of art from different continents. One thing I need to warn you is that the image quality is not as good on this tour compared to some of the others.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Recommend rate : +++
National Museum of the United States Air Force, Ohio, U.S.A
If you are a fan of aviation, luckily for you, the National Museum of the United States Air Force has a 360° virtual tour of its own.
There you will find many aircraft that were used in different wars over the years. Besides the 360° virtual tour, you also can find information about the museum on their podcast and Youtube channel that provides much more information.
One of the highlights of the tour is the model COCKPIT360. If you are interested in The United States Air Force history, you should check this museum out.
National Museum of the United States Air Force, Recommend rate : +++
Nasa Museum, Virginia, U.S.A
After viewing the Air Force museum, you might wonder about NASA; Well, the NASA Museum also have their own 360° Virtual Tour.
The coolest thing about visiting NASA is that you get to learn more about outer space, and you will also have a chance to see the Tube where the rocket is stored before launch.
NASA Museum, Recommend rate : +++
Special section
Catacombs of Paris , France
** Warning, if you are afraid of skulls and human bones, you might want to skip this part.**
The Catacombs of Paris is not just a museum but it is also the most well-known ossuary. Initially, it was an underground mine, but due to the public health problems, it was transformed into an ossuary.
At the time the government decided to transfer the city’s cemeteries from Saint-Innocents to the Catacombs of Paris. In the Catacombs of Paris, there are more than six million people buried.
With this 360° Virtual Tour, you will be able to see one of the most magnificent places you have ever seen in your life.
Catacombs of Paris, Recommend rate : +++++
Due to Covid-19 there are more and more aspects of our daily lives that had to adapt and working from home is one of these changes. Since you can work remotely why not travel remotely too?
There are some tools that can help you find more 360° virtual tours.
Google Art & Culture.
With the Google 360° street view tool, you will feel as if you are literally in another place. For any of us not able to travel abroad, Google Art and Culture is definitely a great tool to try out.
360° Virtual Tour – Google Earth
Google Earth provides more details of the earth’s surface, the difference between Google Maps and Google Earth is the topography.
Using Google Earth you are able to see what the world looks like, and you can play games too. If you are a fan of Carmen Sandiego, you should check out this game and find Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.
One last thing: search for “the place+virtual tour”.
There are a lot of museums, national parks and even more places that have released their own 360° Virtual tour for us to explore. The only thing you need to do is simply type [the place you want to see]+ “virtual tour”.
For example: Van Gogh Museum + Virtual Tour. Is that not easy? *Some places might not offer 360° virtual tours.
Conclusion:
360° Virtual Tours and VR are becoming massive new trends. People can enjoy traveling through these tools, especially during this lockdown life. Compared with VR, 360° Virtual tours are easier to take since you don’t need special equipment, all you need is a device that connects to the internet.
I hope this article will help you to find some enthusiasm for lockdown life. It will be awesome if everything goes back to normal again, but in the meantime, Virtual Tours and VR are great tools to keep busy.
Do you miss traveling now? Where do you want to go to the most after the pandemic is over?
Travel tools
*Both offer cheaper entry tickets to many attractions, such as museums and theme parks. You can even get discounts on sim cards, transportations and much much more.
When I look for flight tickets I usually go to:
Skyscanner is the biggest flight ticket search website
When I look for accommodation I usually go to:
- Agoda (Tip: if you book a non-refundable room, you usually get a very good deal).
- Booking.com (my favorite one, easy to manage bookings).
- Hotels.com (If you book more than 10 nights, you will get one night for free).
Read more about Taiwan
- Taiwan Street Food Guide, How To Eat Like Local People
- 15 Things You Should Know Before Travel To Taiwan
- Top 10 Most Attractive Places In Taiwan | How To Get There
- Where Are The Top 5 Popular Nature Destinations In Taiwan
- Travel Taiwan Guide | A Taiwanese girl telling you why
- 10 Amazing Places To Go In The Most Ugliest City Taipei
- Why Everyone Love Kenting After Visiting
Anything you would like to know about Taiwan? share with us and share this post with anyone who interested in it.
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