Seven Virtual Tours That are Making Travel A Sort-Of Possibility Again - Men's Folio
Lifestyle, Travel

Seven Virtual Tours That are Making Travel A Sort-Of Possibility Again

  • By Bryan Goh
Bryce Canyon National Park.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Dry Tortugas National Park.
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

At the time of reporting, the nation was unsure if the extended Circuit Breaker would be the last. One thing is for sure that we would be hankering to go outside, to feel the grass beneath our feet, to experience something the little red dot is unable to provide like snow and to tickle all five senses.

While virtual tours might have been an overlooked thing of the past (because nothing beats a real life experience), Men’s Folio recommends seven virtual tours that will take one from the depths of the American Samoa to the icebergs of Alaska — to encourage one to plan for the day he gets to experience them personally, eventually.

Pictured Above: The Five-In-One Travel Experiences — Google Arts & Culture
The partnership between the online art platform and five national parks in the United States allows one to explore the different climates and environments across the country through virtual tours.

Start off at the Kenai Fjord National Park in Alaska by venturing through glaciers, kayaking through icebergs and observing how a glacier melts. For those not looking to get their virtual feet wet, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park are a virtual peek into volcanic coastal cliffs, natural rock formations and in the case of the latter, allows to view a star filled night sky.

If one hankers for the blue, the Dry Tortugas National Park tour goes deep. To be exact, it is an exploratory dive into a shipwreck that dates back to the year 1907.

Take a trip today at https://artsandculture.google.com/.



The OG National Museum — The British Museum
Opened in 1759, the British Museum was the first of its kind to open to the public and nearly three centuries lately, they are once again showing the world how it should be done today.

Showcased more like a musical guide and less that of virtual tours, each of the exhibits — Art and Design; Living and Dying; Power and Identity; Religion and Belief; Trade and Conflict — comes with their own little jingle that is one part informative and one part twee.

Take a trip today at https://blog.britishmuseum.org/how-to-explore-the-british-museum-from-home/.



The Gem of Paris — the Louvre Museum
While anyone who had the tenacity to wait and enter the Louvre Museum would know how excruciating a wait can be, the museum itself has opened its doors virtually with no waiting time.

The highlight of the virtual tours is titled “The Advent of the Artist” with works by Delacroix (romanticism), Rembrandt (printmaking) and Tintoretto (Venetian-style) but first-timers could and should be checking out the museum’s perennials like the Egyptian Antiquities exhibit, the Remains of the Louvre’s Moat gallery and the recently restored Galerie d’Apollon.

Take a trip today at https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne.



The Happiest Place on Earth — Disneyland Orlando
While nothing can beat going to Disneyland Orlando in the flesh, a virtual tour comes a close second especially when one gets 360-degree panoramic virtual tours of the theme park. Hidden easter eggs are scattered across the tour in the form of Disney characters like Goofy, Donald and Pluto.

Along with virtual rides, Disney has also posted a viewing of its “Magic Happens” parade which features nine of its iconic floats. If one is too swamped by work to drop a visit, Pixar backgrounds are available for download too.

Take a trip today at https://www.visitorlando.com/en/things-to-do/virtual-tours/walt-disney-world-resort.



The Biggest Animal Live Cam — San Diego Zoo
3,500 animals, 650 species, 4,000,000 annual visitors; accolades as the first zoo in the world to re-create natural animal habits and one of the few to successfully breed the Giant Panda, the San Diego Zoo is adding another feather to their cap. They feature the most “live cam” options for a zoo.

11 are available which range from watching penguins frolic in their exhibits, koalas napping in trees to tigers lying out in the sun. One just needs to note the time difference before clicking in.

Take a trip today at https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/upgraded-experiences/inside-look-tours.



The Virtual Fashion Exhibition — The Metropolitan Museum
The Metropolitan Museum’s perennial exhibitions are still available for virtual tours — the magnificent Neo-Classical Grand Hall, the Gothic Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, the more than 2,000-year old Temple of Dendur — but fashion aficionados would want to make a quick click to four fashion exhibitions available for tour; Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, Coco Chanel: Modernism, Christian Dior: the New Look and Christian Dior: Ball Gowns.

Take a trip today at https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/met-360-project.



The Deep Sea Dives — Natural Marine Sanctuaries
The Natural Marine Sanctuaries — a specially protected zone within the United States waters — is offering virtual tours within four of the country’s deepest waters.

Swim past the Vailulu’u — an active submerged volcano in the American Samoa — explore one of the world’s largest underwater garden in the Gray’s Reef and wade past the shallow waters of the Florida Keys where one can see sea lions swimming through kelp.

Take a trip today at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/vr/.


This story first appeared in the May ’20 issue of Men’s Folio Singapore.