Travel Virtual Travel: Stay Home and See the World! 5/27/2020 | By Terri L. Jones You may need a getaway now more than ever! However, with shutdowns and restrictions still in place just about everywhere, traveling for pleasure isn’t in the cards for most of us as we approach summer. Don’t despair! If you have a computer or a smartphone, you can still experience many of the world’s treasures, but from the comfort – and safety – of your own home! Voyeuristic View Believe it or not, there are webcams just about everywhere – making virtual travel much easier. Want to check out the Northern Lights? There’s a webcam live streaming the light show every single night! How about a real-time peek at the cherry blossom trees surrounding the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., along with cyclists and pedestrians milling about the Jefferson Memorial? You can even watch the waves meditatively roll onto your favorite beach whenever you like! Stroll Through the City Were you planning to visit Rome, Amsterdam, Dubai, or Budapest this year? Find a video walking tour of your vacation spot instead and soak up the sights and sounds of the city from your computer screen. Some tours only include video with no narration, while other walking tours are led by experienced tour guides, even offering you the opportunity to interact with the tour guides. Have a Look Around Virtual tour technology isn’t just for real estate anymore; it can also give you a 360-degree view of popular attractions like the Great Wall of China or the Statue of Liberty. This newly released tour was created from scans for the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey. These tours can also take you inside museums like the Musée D’Orsay in Paris. See Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait or the Smithsonian Natural Museum of Natural History; you can stand back and appreciate the magnificence of an elephant or zoom in on small antiquities. “Staying home” doesn’t mean resigning yourself to a summer with no exploration. Virtual travel means your computer can be your ticket to see the world! And don’t forget to indulge your wanderlust at any age! Read More Terri L. Jones Terri L. Jones has been writing educational and informative topics for the senior industry for over ten years, and is a frequent and longtime contributor to Seniors Guide.