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100 Virtual Travel Ideas

So many people are feeling “COVID Fatigue” (we are too!) after such a long time of being asked to stay at home and limit our outings. 

The strangest part for me has not been the self-isolation (I’m an introvert so I don’t mind as much as Jeff “the extrovert” does)…but I’ve been feeling a strong longing for Paris. It feels like Saudade (a Portuguese word meaning a longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost). It’s strange to feel this so strongly because I know I’ll go again when the pandemic is under control. In the meantime we can all travel virtually!

To help take your mind off it, we’ve rounded up 100+ ways you can distract yourself until you have the ability to travel again.

One of the interesting side effects of the pandemic is how quickly we have adapted to the technology available to us. I’m embarrassed to say that I was pretty much a Zoom newbie when the pandemic started…and now I’m joining virtual parties and learning how to make gin cocktails from an English Bartender and hanging out with sheep in New Zealand! I’m proof that it’s easier than ever to travel from your couch! 

7 Wonders of the World Virtual Tour

See Famous Attractions Around the World

1. Great Wall of China

See one of the wonders of the world, The Great Wall of China. You can see a portion of the wall for free, or pay $5 USD for the entire tour, or pay $15 USD to join a zoom meeting to do the virtual tour with a guide who will explain what you are seeing and answer questions.

2. Eiffel Tower

Take a tour of the top of the Eiffel tower and see what Paris looks like from above. If you are afraid of heights, this is a great way to see it from the safety of your living room.

3. Wilson Island

Explore Wilson Island and the coral reef in Queensland, Australia. This is a really interesting version of google street view that goes underwater to let you see the coral reef. No need to bring your snorkel for this one.

4. Mount Everest

Have you ever dreamed of climbing Mount Everest but you just don’t have the physical stamina, the time (12 to 18 months), or the wads of cash ($60,000 USD) needed for a trip like that. Here’s a way to spend some time exploring without risking your life. If you want to add to the experience, turn your air conditioner on high and soak your feet in a tub of ice water while . Just kidding. Don’t do that.

5. Palace of Versailles

We’ve been to The Palace of Versailles in France and its gardens are one of our top recommended day tours from Paris. While taking this virtual tour, make sure you click and drag upwards to see the ceilings. As outstanding as the hallways and rooms are, the ceilings are spectacular too.

6. The Catacombs of Paris

If you love Paris, want to experience something a bit more unusual, we recommend this virtual tour of The Catacombs.

7. The Pyramids of Giza

Harvard University’s Digital Giza Project let’s you explore The Grand Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt and learn about them in an interactive environment. Check out the videos in the Explore section.

8. Buckingham Palace

If you fancy a trip to meet the Queen, you can take a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace in London, England. You probably won’t run into her, but you’ll be amazed by the beautiful rooms.

9. The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy is on many people’s bucket lists. Wander around inside, and then head outside to see the iconic view that most tourists recognize.

10. Times Square

We will always have a soft spot for New York City. It’s a fun place with great energy. Here are two links to iconic landmarks. Tip: you can use the interactive map on google streetview to see other parts of the city. You can even go inside places like Union Station stores and theatres and explore.

11. The French Alps

The French Alps are gorgeous and this live camera in Menuires, France can give you a sense of being there. Due to the time difference, it may be dark when you visit. Don’t worry, just click on the date and time at the bottom of the screen and pick a time during the day from the archives.

12. Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo

Another fun place is Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan. If you’ve heard of it, you know that when the lights change during rush hour, the pedestrians flow out onto the road in multiple directions. It looks like organized chaos. It certainly has been quieter during the pandemic.

See the 7 wonders of the world from your couch!

13. Temple Bar in Dublin

We visited Dublin before the pandemic started and one of the many places on our list to visit while we were there was The Temple Bar. At the time of writing, the bar is closed due to the pandemic, but you can still have a look inside. Save the link to use when the bars in Dublin open again. You’ll feel like you are sitting in the bar enjoying a pint.

Being Canadians, this live view of Niagara Falls, Ontario had to be on our list. Did you know that 6 million cubic feet of water go over the falls every minute during the summer?

14. Niagara Falls

15. Prague

We love Prague in the Czech Republic and will be back to visit one day. To the left on this live video you will see the beautiful medieval Astronomical Clock. It was installed in 1410, making it the third oldest astronomical clock and the oldest still operating.

16. Abbey Road Crossing

Are there any Beatles fans reading this? If so, you’ll enjoy this live cam of the infamous crossing on Abbey Road from their studio album of the same name.

17. Antarctic

I will probably never visit Antarctica, but we can all visit the Mawson Research Facility in Antarctica virtually. There is also a two day timelapse. Watch the bottom left corner to see the temperature fluctuations.

18. Temples of Angkor

The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia are another bucket list place for many people (us included). Click on the temple you want to see and then choose streetview. These temples are just gorgeous and well worth a “virtual” visit.

19. Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal in India is another beautiful place to visit. This google experience makes it easy to do.

20. Stonehenge in England

Millions of people flock to visit Stonehenge in England. Now you can too, but without the cost of a flight.

21. Ambrym Volcano

Take an expedition to the heart of Ambrym Volcano located in the archipelago of Vanuatu off the coast of Australia.

22. Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy has been especially hard hit during the pandemic as they rely heavily on tourists. For now, we’ll all have to be satisfied with being a virtual tourist to the city.

23. The Great Barrier Reef

One of the natural wonders of the world is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Let David Attenborough take you for a tour or let google take you for an underwater tour.

24. The Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis in Athens, Greece is a major archeological site containing major temples, the most famous being the Parthenon.

25. The Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are a once in a lifetime trip.

Try an Airbnb Online Experience

They are relatively inexpensive with options to fit any budget. The list includes experiences I personally paid to do.  You can find my review here.

airbnb-online-experiences

26. Learn to make Sangria

Learn to make Sangria while being entertained by Drag Queens in Portugal. Seriously. What could be more fun?

27. Creative iPhone Photography

Have fun learning some tips for Creative Photos Smartphone Photography from Danylo who lives in Berlin, Germany. This made me look at ordinary household items in a very different way. You can find his instagram account before taking the class to see if it is for you. He did some really creative photos while in quarantine: @abroadan.

28. Easy Bread Baking from Scratch

Making my own sourdough and starter has been a passion of mine for years, and yet I still learned something new from Matt in his Easy Bread Baking from Scratch course. Although he lives in Los Angeles, California, his approach to making sourdough is based on his upbringing deep in Appalachia where making bread, growing your own food and preserving it is just a way of life.

29. Ginspiration

We decided to do a class together for “date night” and picked Ginspiration with Samuel, a charismatic bartender from Bath, England. We learned some very interesting facts about the history of gin making and created a few cocktails. It was funny and engaging, and we left the experience just a little bit tipsy.

30. Meet Woolly Sheep in New Zealand

I adored meeting the woolly sheep and lambs on Angie’s farm in New Zealand. She talked about the history of farming in New Zealand while walking around the farm and introducing us to her sheep. She also gave a great explanation of sheering, lambing cycles, and handling the wool.

31. Learn The History of Tarot and Receive a Reading

You can even Learn About Tarot and get a reading from Mak Jagger in Austin, Texas. She self identifies as a practicing witch. The experience is fun, interesting, and interactive.

32. Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Tart) Baking Class

One of my favourite treats are Portuguese Tarts so I was thrilled when I saw a Pastel de Nata Baking Class hosted by Inês from Porto, Portugal. She shares her family recipe and shows you how to get those amazing circular layers in the bottom of the tart pastry. The best part is she made it fun, approachable, and easy!

33. Harry Potter Virtual London Tour

JK Rowling fans will love this Harry Potter Virtual London Tour. Your host Mark lives in London, England but is a Scottish comedian so you will have loads of fun learning behind the scene facts on the books and movies while seeing some of the locations that inspired JK Rowling while writing her books.

34. Follow a Plague Doctor Through Prague

We love the spires and cobblestone streets of Prague, in the Czech Republic. This is an interesting opportunity to step back in time and follow a Plague Doctor Through Prague while also getting a glimpse into how beautiful this city is. This is a particularly interesting experience considering the current situation.

35. More Airbnb Experiences

There are too many experiences to cover here. You can find a cooking class from any country (I’m planning on taking a class on Moroccan cooking soon), you can learn Sake secrets from Japan’s oldest brewery, you can explore the pink city of Jaipur, India, you can take a leopard safari in Sri Lanka and so much more! The best part is that you’ll get a sense of another culture and maybe make a new friend from another country!

Take a Virtual Tour of a Museum

Some of our favourite experiences when traveling have been visiting local museums. Now you can explore them online without the crush of tourists.

Visit the Best Museums Virtually

36. The Louvre

Visit the Louvre in Paris: The home of the Mona Lisa is a must visit virtual experience!

37. The Vatican

The Vatican Museum in Italy: The beautiful murals and incredible artwork make this worth a virtual visit.

38. J Paul Getty Museum

J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, USA: began as a small display in J. Paul Getty's home, and has grown into one of the most extensive art collections in the world.

39. The Met

The Met in New York City: one of the world's largest art museums with a collection that spans 5,000 years of world culture!

40. Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: is one of the most popular attractions in the country and has the largest collection of Van Gogh's work in the world.

41. Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Musée d’Orsay in Paris: is in a former train station so the building itself is just beautiful. It is most known for having one of the most extensive collections of Impressionist paintings in the world.

42. National Portrait Museum

National Portrait Museum in London, England: is an often overlooked museum. It houses 200,000 portraits of people from a variety of backgrounds, including a portrait of the late Princess Diana.

43. The São Paulo Museum of Art

The São Paulo Museum of Art, São Paulo, Brazil: houses a huge collection of Brazilian art and a nice collection of 19th century French sculptures.

44. Dalí Museum

Dalí Museum in Catalonia, Spain: this unusual building houses the largest collection of artwork by Salvadore Dalí.

45. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC: allows you to take a virtual tour of select exhibits focused on the natural world.

46. The 7 Wonders of the world in one place

Seven Wonders of the World in One Place: travel virtually to each through this collection of links all in one spot.

47. Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Italy: see the famous works of Michelangelo.

Live Zoo and Aquarium Cam

It’s fascinating and strangely relaxing to sit and watch the animals.  Even if you can’t see the orcas on the webcam, you can often hear their eerie (yet beautiful) underwater calls.

Visit Virtually to Zoos and Aquariums around the World

48. San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo, USA: from platypus', to orangutangs, to hippos there are so many fun live cams!

49. Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo, USA: you can see exhibits from leaf cutter ants, to the feeding of giraffe's, to gorilla's and elephants!

50. Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA: Check out their narrated feedings and they Jelly Cam!

51. Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium, USA: live cam's of Beluga whales, otters, jelly fish, and so much more!

52. National Aquarium

National Aquarium, USA: Take a virtual walk through the aquarium.

53. Tembe Elephant Park

Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa: If you love elephants, this is the live cam for you!

54. Grace Gorillas

Grace Gorillas, Grace Forest Corridor, DRC: you can pretend to be Jane Goodall as you observe these gorillas in the wild

55. African Watering Hole

African Watering Hole, Kenya: It's like an African Safari from your couch.

56. Manatees

Manatees, Florida, USA: It's so peaceful watching Manatees drift by.

57. Orca Whales

Orca Whales, British Columbia, Canada: You'll have to be patient to catch a glimpse of these ``wolves of the sea``.

Parks and Adventure

Adventures while couch surfing are still fun.  I’ve been particularly impressed with some of the work that google maps has done to make you feel like you are at famous sites like Petra in Jordan.

Visit Parks and Adventures around the World Virtually

58. Yosemite Park, USA

Yosemite Park, USA

59. Inca Trail

Inca Trail, Peru

60. Northern Lights

Northern Lights, Churchill, MB

61. Carlsburg Caverns

Carlsburg Caverns, New Mexico, USA

62. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

63. Go on a Safari

African Safari

64. Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, USA

65. Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Peru

66. Petra, Jordan

Petra, Jordan

67. Sagrada Família

Sagrada Família, Spain

68. Son Doong Cave

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

Travel Documentaries

There are so many different documentaries out there to immerse yourself in a place or culture.  Here are a few to get you started and where you can watch them.

Travel Documentaries You Must Watch

69. Expedition Happiness

Expedition Happiness (Netflix)

70. Down To Earth with Zac Efron

Down To Earth with Zac Efron (Netflix)

71. Encounters at the End of the World

Encounters at the End of the World (Amazon Prime, Netflix, Google Play)

72. Children of the Snow Land

Children of the Snow Land (YouTube)

73. Street Food

Street Food (Netflix)

74. Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (YouTube)

75. Rick Steve’s Europe

Rick Steve’s Europe (YouTube)

Movies and TV Shows

Movies and tv shows about traveling

76. Gordon Ramsey Uncharted

Gordon Ramsey Uncharted (National Geographic, Disney +, Amazon Prime Video)

77. Amélie

Amélie (Netflix, HBO, Cineplex Video)

78. Alice in Paris

Alice in Paris (Amazon Prime Video, YouTube)

79. Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown

Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown (YouTube)

80. Somebody Feed Phil

Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)

81. Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father

Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father (Netflix)

82. Departures

Departures (Amazon Prime Video, YouTube)

YouTube Channels worth Binging

We’ve curated a list of channels we enjoy.  They are a mix of channels both in the number of subscribers and the time that they’ve been on YouTube and traveling. We’ve tried to pick channels that have diverse approaches to travel. Some are really quirky, others have huge production value.  All Look for the playlist section for each of these channels and pick a theme or a country to start watching.  Just be careful or you could spend your entire day binge watching.  In no particular order…

YouTube Channels about traveling

83. Jay Swanson

Jay Swanson (American in Paris)

84. The Endless Adventure

The Endless Adventure (Digital Nomads)

85. Simon and Martina

Simon and Martina (Canadians in Korea and Japan)

86. Oneika Traveller

Oneika Traveller (Jamaican-Canadian who has been to 95 countries)

87. Wolters World

Wolters World (Mid-Life traveler with great travel tips)

88. Kara and Nate

Kara and Nate (Americans who have been to over 100 countries)

89. Miss Mina and her alternate Channel Sweet & Tasty TV

Miss Mina and her alternate channel Sweet & Tasty TV (Primarily Food, Fun, and Travel in Asia)

90. Kinging It

Kinging It (Two quirky English kids traveling the world)

91. Vaga Brothers

Vaga Brothers (Two Brothers Traveling the World)

92. The Bugeteers

The Bugeteers (Three friends making travel documentary style vlogs)

93. The Food Ranger

The Food Ranger (learning about cultures through eating the local food)

94. Minority Nomad

Minority Nomad (on a quest to be the first African American to visit every country in the world)

95. Hecktic Travels

Hecktic Travels (Mid-life travelers, National Geographic Travelers of the Year)

96. Dennis Callan

Dennis Callan (Mid-life traveler focused on providing travel guide style vlogs)

97. Tabi Eats

Tabi Eats (Super fun gay couple living in Japan)

98. Samuel and Audrey

Samuel and Audrey (Quirky couple traveling the world and vlogging in English and Spanish)

99. Chubby and Away

Chubby and Away (Plus size travel and tips)

100. Eva Zu Beck

Eva Zu Beck (solo female adventure travel)

Hopefully you have enjoyed these 100 things to do to help you stay inspired until you can travel again!

Looking for more travel tips?

Head on over to get our 7 Tips To Travel the World on a Tight Budget.

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Comments:

  • Brenda

    November 12, 2020

    This post is amazing. Love the choices, the creativity and the inspiration.

  • November 12, 2020

    THIS IS AN AMAZING POST! 100 THINGS TO EXPLORE. I CAN’T WAIT TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THEM. THANK YOU FOR SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE LIST TO TAKE US AROUND THE WORLD!

  • November 10, 2020

    This list is amazing! Thank you for taking the time to compile it. Can’t wait to “visit” and “travel”!

  • November 10, 2020

    What a wonderful list! I’ve been missing travel so much…but will bookmark this so that I can go on some of these adventures from home with my kids over the holiday break! Thanks for this inspiration!

  • November 10, 2020

    What a comprehensive list! I can’t wait to go on one of these great adventures while in my PJ’s Love it!

  • November 10, 2020

    I love this! Thank you for this extensive list! I will be checking out these places as they are fun and educational!

  • November 10, 2020

    This is such an extensive list to experience some amazing places virtually. I can’t wait till we can travel again!

  • November 10, 2020

    These are so perfect for the times! Thank you for sharing this!

  • November 10, 2020

    These are so perfect for the times! Thank you for sharing!

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