If you’re anything like me, you’ve got the travel bug bad. For most of us, 2020 was a bust when it came to scratching that itch. Now it’s 2021, and we’re getting reports of more shutdowns, travel restrictions, etc. So how can we scratch that itch?

Luckily for us, many attractions around the world are missing travelers just as much as travelers are missing them, and have been offering virtual tours.

I was a bit skeptical about Virtual Tours when I first started exploring. My experience in the past has not always been great with them being little more than a photo gallery of the “greatest hits” of an attraction. It didn’t really feel like you were actually exploring a museum, zoo or historical site.

Virtual tours have really advanced over the years with new technology like 360°video, self-guided media rich websites, detailed information on less famous artifacts and works of art, and more. Some are even flirting with virtual reality.

My favorite starting point for beginners trying to get into Virtual Tourism is Google’s Arts and Culture site (Google Arts and Culture)

It is hard to explain just how massive and in depth this site is. You can spend the rest of your life exploring people, places, history, artifacts, artwork, stories etc. on just this site and never finish. I recommend you go in, click explore, select a country that you’re interested in (or one you’ve never even head of and just get lost. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to forget you’re sitting in your office instead of wandering through the Tokyo National Museum. I’m obsessed, and I know I haven’t even scratched the surface yet. Available on mobile and desktop, you can even cast your virtual adventure to your tv via Chromecast.

Youtube has a ton of great travel content. There are a lot of content creators out there exploring the world and giving us a chance to be in on the fun. One of my absolute favorites though, is the AirPano project. (AirPano)

This team has a TON of videos on their site covering different things, but their best work is the high definition, 360° offerings. They use drones to capture video that you can control from around the world. This is the closest you can get to sticking your head out of the side of a helicopter, and they offer all these videos for free. Head over to AirPano VR's Youtube page, and take a guided tour around some of the greatest locations on Earth.

Another thing I like to do is just visit the websites of some of my favorite museums and attractions, and see if they have their own virtual tours available. Many have created their own or teamed up with projects like Google Arts and Culture to create immersive experiences. The Vatican Museum, for example, is home to some of the most amazing art and artifacts from around the world. You can go on their virtual tour, and get the Sistine Chapel all to yourself to explore in full HD glory (Vatican Museum).

Zoos and Safaris are getting in on the action too! A lot of animal based locations not only have virtual tour options available, they also have live cameras set up so you can see animals in their natural habitats in real time. The San Diego Zoo (San Diego Zoo's Live Cams) has come a long way since it started its famous panda cam, and others have similar offerings. Want to see what the Lions are up to in Australia? Here you go (Taronga Zoo's Live Cams). My favorite way to unwind is to check out the numerous Puppy Cams (and other animals too, but mostly the puppies) at Explore.org (Puppy Cams). They have live feeds from animal rescues, training centers, sanctuaries and the wild from around the world.

The last 12 months have been tough on all of us, but don’t lose heart. With a little ingenuity and curiosity, we’re going to get through this pandemic, and we’re going to get out into that big wide world we love. Until then, lets reload our bucket lists with locations we never even thought about by visiting them virtually.