How to Travel From Home – 7 Virtual Travel Experiences

Even the biggest homebodies have started to get cabin fever after a year of this pandemic, in which global travel seems like a thing of the past. If you’re suffering from a serious case of wanderlust, trying out virtual travel experiences during quarantine might be the best thing to do right now. Although flights are canceled and borders are closed, you can still see the world through your computer screen. Here are some way that you can travel from home and scratch your travel itch during quarantine.

1. Explore The World Through Webcam

With a near-endless supply of live stream webcams throughout the world, you can travel just about anywhere from home. Sites such as SkylineWebCams offer hundreds of incredible viewing experiences, so just pick where you want to go.

Webcams can be an incredible way to explore far-flung reaches of the earth that you might never get a chance to visit, such as the Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway, where you can live stream the Aurora Borealis. These cameras reveal magnificent landscapes and stunning night skies – you can almost feel the chill from here.

Live stream the Northern Lights over Lofoten Islands in Norway

Live stream the Northern Lights over Lofoten Islands in Norway

2. Travel from Home with a Virtual Roadtrip on Google Maps

If you’re an engine nut then travel restrictions may have seriously ground your gears. Road tripping is a timeless travel experience. From the highways of America to the back roads of Scotland, exploring a country by vehicle is a great way to get off the beaten track.

Thanks to Google’s incredible efforts mapping the world through “street view” you can travel from home by taking a virtual road trip. Drop the pin anywhere from Siberia to South Dakota to explore the streets.

3. Take An Immersive Jungle Tour

Take a deep dive into the natural world through audio-visual virtual travel experiences during quarantine. Travel Colombia has created a wonderfully rich and sensational jungle journey, exploring the birdlife of their deep forests through sight and sound. “By downloading the accompanying list, you can test your ornithological know-how and see which species you can spot,” says Dominick Cavazos, a travel writer at Last Minute Writing and Draft Beyond. “The wildlife on offer is astounding.”

Virtual travel in the Colombian Jungles during quarantine

Travel virtually in the jungles of Colombia during quarantine

4. Hit The Club

If virtual bird watching doesn’t get your heart rate jumping, maybe you’d rather explore the underground club scene of cities across the world. Berlin has been the home of hard-hitting techno for decades, and night owls all over the world are missing their dose of dancing.

Fortunately, virtual club experiences can bring the latest DJs into your living room. You can even experience the coming-of-age experience, getting rejected from superclub Berghain in virtual reality for a dose of realism.

5. Catch a Virtual Tour of World-Famous Museums

“Museums and art galleries have responded with appropriate creativity to the unfolding pandemic and many are now offering valuable virtual experiences of their collections,” says Alanna Morey, a lifestyle blogger at Writinity and Researchpapersuk. Traditionally, you might have queued for an hour or more to get into the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, but now a virtual tour can be loaded up in seconds.

Virtual travel and visiting museums during quarantine

Take a virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum during quarantine

6. Embrace Yellowstone’s Force of Nature

Exploring America’s national parks could take a lifetime, but fortunately, the pandemic has brought us a few shortcuts. Travel from home by taking a virtual tours of these parks, which have been made available free online and can bring you up close and personal with the natural wonders they contain. Yellowstone National Park, for example, provides POV virtual travel experience videos through many of its most famous sights – without the crowds!

7. Explore Architectural Wonders

Step inside some of the world’s most fantastic buildings, without even taking a stride. These virtual architectural tours offer viewers immersive experiences filled with facts and jaw-dropping sights, proving a real insight into the history and cultural impact of these architectural creations. One of the great joys of travel is walking through a new city gazing at centuries’ worth of culture accumulated in the architecture – now you can embrace this experience in the virtual age.

The Future of Virtual Travel Experiences During Quarantine

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can explore the world from the comfort of your own home. Whether you’re missing the hustle and bustle of underground clubs or the vast quiet of a National Park, virtual tours can take you anywhere you can imagine – and beyond. Traveling from home with a virtual travel experience during quarantine might quench your thirst for travel in surprising ways!

The impact of Covid-19 on the backpacking industry

Is there a moment throughout the day when you do not hear the words COVID-19, coronavirus or pandemic? In the age of Covid, backpacking enthusiasts and travel lovers are more inclined than ever to admire pictures of our previous destinations when travelling freely was the norm. 

This guide is for those who are missing travel and are wondering when they can step on a plane and explore the world with just a backpack weighing them down. It explores the current guidance on Covid backpacking, what backpackers can do now and what the future holds post-Covid for the backpacking industry. 

What is the current guidance for Covid backpacking and travel?

At the moment, every country is different as some areas of the world are suffering with the virus more than others, so movement is a lot more limited. Popular backpacker destinations such as Australia are currently not permitting any travellers into the country, after sending the majority of backpackers home in April 2020. Only those with Australian or New Zealand citizenship or have direct family in the country are allowed to enter. 

There are still some areas that are safe for travel, although they tend to have strict restrictions. For example, Dubai has opened its doors to travellers, however, to be admitted, you must show proof of a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test that needs to be taken 96 hours before travel. This test costs around £100 to £150, so this could lead to quite an expensive trip before you even get to your destination.

Covid backpacking - riding a train wearing a mask during the Corona pandemic.

Covid and backpacking during the Coronavirus pandemic

Many locations in Europe, including the UK, which continually updates its travel corridor list,  which basically means you can travel without having to quarantine when back on British soil. However, anyone with British citizenship will need to isolate for 10 to 14 days after visiting backpacker favourites like Croatia, India, South Africa and Indonesia. Anyone travelling to these areas of the world will still have to fill in a passenger locator form to be admitted into the country. 

What can backpackers do in the meantime? 

Anyone with the travel bug will, of course, be finding it difficult to stay in the same place for a long time, but for now, that’s what we all must do to stay safe and protect each other. But instead of spending your days scrolling through Instagram at travel destination pages, why not get involved and support your backpacker community?

You can take inspiration from the New Zealand backpackers who have started a petition with over 13,000 signatures for the extension of working visas. There are plenty of other GoFundMe pages set up during Covid for the backpacking industry around the world, who are dealing with money issues or even health problems, so why not use your time and money wisely and support a good cause?

Take action from home during Covid to support the backpacking industry

Take action from home during Covid to support the backpacking industry

The lack of backpackers across the world has also massively affected the hospitality industry, as the majority of hostel workers and bar staff are travellers from around the globe. While many businesses have gone under, there are still some afloat who are reaching out for financial support. They’re not asking you to break the bank to save their business, as a little contribution will still go a long way to support. 

Post-Covid backpacking – When can we travel the world again?

Currently, there is no official confirmation about when we can travel the world again, as again, this will depend on Covid backpacking rules in the different corners of the globe. For example, Australia and New Zealand have made it clear that travellers will not be permitted for a while with visas on hold. However, there are many countries such as the USA and the UK that are desperate to get tourism back up and running and have also extended visas, while places like Mexico have kept the welcome mat out for a while. 

Even during COVID-19, backpacking is still possible in some places. Always check restrictions and travel responsibly.

Even during COVID-19, backpacking is still possible in some places. Always check restrictions and travel responsibly.

If you do plan on travelling in the near future, then make sure you stick to the country’s rules you are visiting. You can also keep track of cases online to ensure your trip is completely safe and successful.