7 Virtual Tourism Examples | Best Ways to Explore the World From Home in 2022

Traveling virtually is a great way to explore the world from your home, especially when you can’t visit a place in person. In some cases, the experience is even enhanced beyond reality. So whether you’re stuck at home or just have a hankering for a change of scenery, look to these virtual tourism examples and ideas to help calm your wanderlust.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated in August 2022 to keep it up to date.

CONTENTS – In this article, you will discover virtual tourism examples and some of the best ways you can explore the world from home, including:

• What is Virtual Tourism?
• Virtual Tourism Advantages and Disadvantages
• The Evolution of Virtual Tourism
• 7 Excellent Ways to Travel Virtually in 2022
• Final Thoughts on Virtual Tourism Examples

Before we get into examples of virtual tourism and some of the great exhibits and experiences you’ll want to see, let’s first cover some basics.

What is Virtual Tourism?

Virtual tourism is a way to explore destinations, attractions, accommodations and other travel venues without actually visiting them. It’s an immersive experience made possible by technology.

Virtual Tourism may include:

• The ability to interact with a 360-degree photo
• A guided teleconference
• Virtual reality (VR)
• Augmented reality (AR)
• A video tour
• Google Arts and Culture experiences
• Other technology-enabled methods

Viewers can use their computer or mobile device, or for the most immersive effect, use a virtual reality headset.

Virtual tourism is very useful when you can’t travel, but it’s also an incredible resource when you’re planning a trip.

That way, you can imagine yourself having the experience before you actually book it.

Virtual Tourism Advantages and Disadvantages

Here are some of the pros and cons of virtual tours you should consider.

Virtual Tour Benefits

Taking a virtual tour has several benefits, including:

• Saves money compared to actual travel
• Eliminates travel time
• Allows you to envision being some place before you go
• Makes activities, experiences, and destinations accessible
• Tempers (or feeds!) your wanderlust
• You can do it in your pajamas, at home, and at any time of day!

Virtual Tour Drawbacks

Like everything, virtual tours have some drawbacks. They include

• Limited or no personal interaction
• Tech issues
• May not show you what you want to see
• Not available for every activity, experience, or destination
• It’s not as good as being there – but it can be pretty close!

The Evolution of Virtual Tourism

With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, most countries worldwide came up with measures to curb its spread to keep their people safe.

One of them was to restrict people from traveling to certain countries. This is because some countries are or were still struggling to deal with this disease.

As a result, many people remained isolated in their homes. 

However, being at home during this period does not need to be an avenue for you to put your wanderlust on hold.

The good news is that virtual tourism blossomed, and you can now explore the world virtually in 2022 from the comfort of your home.

It’s pretty safe to say that virtual tourism is here to stay, and will only get more comprehensive and lifelike in the coming years.

With the proliferation of modern tech devices, there are many ways that you can explore the world virtually.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at some virtual tourism examples along with some great places you can explore virtually now.

Best Ways to Explore the World Now | Virtual Tourism Examples

Like we have mentioned above, you can now take a virtual trip to any place you please all over the world from the comfort of your home.

Some of these ways include:

1. Take a Virtual Tour of Galleries and Museums

If you are a culture and art lover, taking a virtual tour of galleries and museums should top the list of your priorities. It’s the first of our virtual tourism examples.

Thanks to the internet, you can now take a virtual tour of different galleries and museums and have fun.

You’ll find several galleries and museums you can explore virtually today.

In fact, Fast Company reported that Google Arts & Culture partnered with more than 2500 museums and galleries around the world to provide virtual tours.

Some popular galleries and museums you can tour virtually include:

• Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain) – Home to approximately 600 artworks, including 360-degree virtual exhibits
• The British Museum (London, England) – Typically over 5000 items on display; you might even have a hard time deciding which items to virtually look at first
• Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) – Usually has 80 galleries with over 8000 artworks to explore virtually
• The Museum of Modern Art (New York City, NY) – Discover modern art sculptures, paintings, and so much more online
• The Louvre (Paris, France) – View the art, galleries, and palace architecture from home
• J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA) – Some pieces date back 6,000 years; don’t miss the sculpture garden and photography gallery

2. Visit the Zoo

Another of our virtual tourism examples is visiting the zoo online.

You’ll find dozens of zoos you can explore without leaving your home.

While the popularity of zoos has declined over the past twenty years, it’s important to recognize that some help save endangered species, provide them with a natural habitat, and educate the public.

Most of them now offer webcam viewing, where you will see several animals online.

Generally, you can experience fantastic wildlife from the comfort of your home.

One good place to take a virtual tour is the Edinburg Zoo in Scotland. Here, you will be able to live stream cute pandas and other animals.

Another great option for virtual travel is at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. When you take a virtual tour, you can watch live footage of Beluga Whales or African penguins, and more.

Another great zoo to visit virtually is the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. They offer “digital encounters” and virtual education programs, too.

So, regardless of your age, you can be sure that you will have fun streaming live videos of different animals from different zoos worldwide.

3. Take a Virtual Hotel Tour

Even if you’re not privileged to enjoy your vacation in one of the most luxurious hotels in the world right now, you can often take a virtual tour.

That way, you get a good sense of what these hotels offer to customers without stepping foot in the lobby.

It’s one of the virtual tourism examples that will help you decide on a future visit.

From the foods these hotels provide to their accommodation, there is plenty of exploration for you to look into before you go in person.

Some of the luxury hotels you can explore virtually include the Atlantis The Palm, located in Dubai, UAE. (See current rates for Atlantis The Palm here.)

You can also explore The Bahia Resort Hotel, which is located in San Diego, among others. (Check the current The Bahia Resort Hotel rates here.)

By taking these virtual tours, you will be able to know what to expect once you take an actual trip to those hotels later in the year.

Related Article: If you are planning a trip to UAE here’s a 2-day Dubai Itinerary you’ll want to consider.

4. Explore the World-Famous Attractions Virtually

One of the best things about virtual tours is they usually offer the much-needed simulation of real-world locations.

As we speak, you can now take virtual tours of world-famous attractions such as the Great Wall of China. You will view this wall in 3D and learn more facts about it from the comfort of your living room. 

You can also take a virtual tour of the Great Pyramid of Giza or the iconic Central Park in New York City.

From the panoramic images to high-definition videos about these places, you can have an almost lifelike 3D view of these locations.

5. Take a Virtual Tour to National Parks All Over the World

It is no secret that national parks are beautiful in many ways.

When you visit, you will likely see indigenous and exotic animals.

What’s even better is that most national parks now allow you to take virtual tours on their websites and through Google Arts and Culture. 

All you need to do is choose the climate or nature experience that suits your mood.

For instance, feeling like a tropical escape? Virtually visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Longing for a trip to the mountains, instead? Then head over to the Glacier National Park webcams.

6. Take a Virtual Trip to Space

Yes, space.

Elon Musk isn’t the only one who’ll be traveling outer space…You can, too–virtually anyway!

That’s because NASA offers a collection of free digital space experiences for all those who wish to explore space.

They include virtual tours and augmented reality (AR). So, you will be able to explore the universe and other planets that make up the solar system.

7. Watch Travel Movies and TV Series

Other than the above VR experiences, you can also scout the world virtually by watching international movies and TV series.

Streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video offer vast catalogs of travel movies and TV series to quench your wanderlust.

Sometimes, you may not have full access to all the content because of geographical restrictions the streaming platforms may have.

One way around that is to use a VPN. A VPN hides your actual location (IP address) and swaps it out for your preferred country.

This allows you to watch content from that particular country without the geographical restrictions.

Of course, books that inspire wanderlust have always been an excellent way to transport yourself to another space and time. Don’t overlook those!

Final Thoughts on these Virtual Travel Examples

Although global travel may still be a standstill in some places, in others, it’s full-steam ahead!

That does not mean that you cannot take a virtual trip to any destination and have fun.

With the virtual travel examples mentioned above, you can virtually explore the world—and you will have unlimited fun from the comfort of your home.

If you want to learn about other virtual tours online, click here to discover the best virtual garden tours in the world.

Photo credits: Bicycle – Sebastian Voortman (Pexels), all others courtesy of Canva Pro.