Estelle
- May 15, 2020
- 4 min read

How To Travel Virtually While In Quarantine!

For the past couple of months, we've all been home with the itch to get on a plane or a car and go on an adventure, but due to travel bans and for our own safety it is not possible. Even though certain places are opening up and going through their many phases, it will be a while before international destinations open their doors. With that said, there is no reason not to explore the world from the comfort of your bed. Instead of Netflix and Chill, let's call it Travel and Chill.

With the world being at our virtual fingertips, there are many different ways to discover new and exciting destinations, and here is a couple of them:

1. Cooking

The best way to experience a new culture is through food. Think of a place you've always wanted to visit and look up a local recipe. You can find numerous recipes online that will fit any dietary restriction. Youtube is always a good place to see what the cook is doing if you are more a visual learner. There are also plenty of cooks hosting online classes or hosting Instagram live sessions, and Airbnb has started to host online experiences including cooking.

2. Virtual Tours

If you are the traveler that is into museums and exploring new places, take advantage of virtual tours. Many of the world's most venerable art institutions have opened their doors to the digital world by offering free access to their expositions. Thanks to Google's Art and Culture project, more than 2,500 spaces are available. A couple of these museums include the MoMa in New York, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, A Garden tour of the Taj Mahal just to name a few.

3. Google Earth

Google earth is offering 3D virtual tours of 30 iconic World Heritage Sites. Sphinx? Yes! Alhambra? Yes! And 28 more!! You can choose whatever you want. First, you see a zoomed out picture of the planet Earth where you click on any of your desired locations. Another option is to scroll through the list and it will take you right to the selected site. The first one you’ll see is the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt; click it and there you are, on the street at the Great Pyramid’s base, right next to the mule carts.

4. Reading

Reading is the cheapest and easiest way to travel from your couch, your bed, etc... Books have a way of transporting you to a whole other plane and make you experience feelings you never thought you would with only the power of words. Here are a couple of books that will take you around the world and/or give you wanderlust: