Traveling Without Leaving Home

  Have you ever wanted to visit somewhere but didn't have the money?  I have dreams of going to Paris, Tahiti, and so many other places but I don't have the time or the money at this stage of life but it is not stopping me.

There are ways to see the world without leaving your home.  Due to technological advances, it is possible to see the world using something called 360 degree or Virtual Reality aka VR.  For those of you who are unaware of this, it means that someone went out with a special camera or app and recorded the scene around them. 

For instance, I might take my special 360 camera out to the lake.  I choose a spot and then record the scenery that surrounds me as I carefully turn around in a circle.  I now have a 360 video of my favorite spot.  I could keep it or upload it to my video channel.  I know people who do this all the time.

Lets start with the ones that only need your mobile device.  You Tube has a whole channel dedicated to 360 videos.  If you want to see Paris, you do a search for 360 Paris and a few pages of choices appear.

I chose the 360 Guided Tour of the Eiffel Tower.  Its actually a tour with a guide.  Although, it looks like any standard video except you can use your mouse to move around and see everything around where you are standing.   Some of these are set up to use with Google Cardboard which is a set of viewing glasses designed to make the experience even more of a surround experience.

There are tons of 360 videos at You Tube including some from Tahiti, sky diving, and surfing.  Google Cardboard is kind of like going to IMax to view movies in 3 dimensions.  It is designed to use your cell phone. 

If you want more, check out Google Street View which you can use on your computer or via an app on  your mobile device.  Google Street View allows you to choose a place and if someone made a video of it, you can access it.  The app allows you to both view and create 360 videos.

If nothing else, do a web search and enjoy the world out there without leaving home.