Travel Virtual Experiences – How to See the World From Home

You may not be able to leave your home right now but if you’re itching to travel, here’s an exhaustive list of some of the best travel virtual experiences around the world.  From world-class cooking classes to famous museums and epic sunsets, these’ll keep you plenty busy for the next little while.

Table of Contents

Jump to your country of interest for your next travel virtual experience.

Travel Virtual Experiences

So what is a travel virtual experience?  Well yes, there are endless amounts of videos on YouTube (shameless plug for my YouTube channel) but what I was really looking for were live or close-to-live travel experiences that give you an inside look into what’s going on now or what is it like to be in a certain place, to be able to watch a show, or learn something hands on that you’d typically book while you’re on the road.

I’ve marked all GetYourGuide experiences with a  so you can make sure to leverage the 20% off code through being an Insider.

Types of virtual experiences

As you browse through the different travel virtual experiences, you’ll notice that they fall into a few types:

• Live cams
• Google Streetview or similar
• Arts and Culture with Google platform
• 360 degree YouTube videos
• Standard YouTube videos
• Live video experiences
• Online catalogues
• Social media live streams (or post-uploaded)

To make this easier to navigate, I’ve broken this down by countries and states/provinces so you can decide “where do I want to go”.  You can either use the Table of Contents above or scroll down.  Also, make sure you head all the way down to the Global section because there are some really good virtual experiences in there that aren’t country specific.

Italy

• Ancient Romans just want to have fun:  Travel back in time from the comfort of your sofa. Take a virtual tour of the Colosseum and other entertainment venues ancient Romans enjoyed.  Tour is given by local, Yanira and can be customized to your interests.
• Secrets of the Colosseum:  Through this Rome live experience, journey into the dark yet triumphant reality of the world’s most intriguing, feared, and celebrated warriors – the Gladiators, and the monumental structure built as their playground.
• Make your own tiramisu:  Learn how to make tiramisu in this Italian virtual cooking class led by a Venetian local in real time.
• Cooking class with a professional chef :   Learn from a professional chef from either Rome, Paris or Philadelphia, who will teach you how to make a perfect dish from that city.
• Virtual tour of Ancient Rome :  Experience Ancient Rome from the comfort of your home with photos, videos, polls, and a fully interactive chat function.  You’ll be able to visit the Roman Forum, temples of Romulus, the Vestal Virgins, the markets, and Palatine Hill.
• Vatican and the Sistine Chapel: Over the course of this live experience, journey into the heart of the Sistine Chapel and the mind of famed Italian sculptor, and (reluctant) painter Michelangelo.  The  expert guide will bring to life the purpose, meaning, and conceptions of the most famed chapel in the world, as well as the fascinating rites and rituals surrounding the election of Pontifex Maximus, known the world over as the Pope.
• Pasta cooking class from Tuscany:  Live from Florence, you’ll learn how to cook traditional Italian pasta from Chef Vary.
• Homemade Tuscan pasta: Treat your belly to the taste of homemade pasta! Making your pasta from scratch is the best gift you can give to yourself. Learn to make this simple classic together with only a few ingredients.
• Florence with a local guide :  Join an expert guide by live webinar to learn about the art, history and architecture of Florence.  Stops include the Statue of David, Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, and the great piazzas of Florence.  At the end, take part in a live Q&A.
• Italian meatballs:  Learn step by step via Skype how to make authentic Italian meatballs from scratch.
• Live pasta cooking class with a professional chef from Verona :  Learn how to make ravioli from scratch in a live virtual cooking class. Find out the secrets of Italian cooking from your professional chef.
• Virtual tour of Pompeii :  Join a live webinar packed with photos, videos, polls, a live Q&A and a fully interactive chat function to learn about Pompeii.
• All about Aperitivo:  Spend an evening with Gabi, a local Roman foodie and learn about the Aperitivo through a live virtual experience.
• Carbonara cooking class with Italian chef :  Learn how to make a classic Italian “Spaghetti alla Carbonara” from a famous Italian chef.
• Virtual tour of Venice:  1-hour live webinar with a local guide to learn about Venice and its most iconic landmarks. First, the guide will discuss St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the world’s most opulent churches. Learn about the Basilica’s history, see its grandeur and learn about the controversial acquisition of its relics.
• Authentic Italian pizza:  Two chefs from Rome take you through an interactive and fun class on traditional Italian pizza making.
• Borghese gallery virtual tour with art historian :  Join a licensed art historian on a fully interactive virtual tour of the Borghese Gallery, filled with photos, videos, polls, and a live Q&A.
• Legends of Rome’s districts:  Rome is like a lasagne – its history is full of layers! Dive into the legends and hidden gems of neighborhoods of the eternal city during this online history class.

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France

• Online tours of The Louvre:  Walk through different parts of the famous museum.  Make sure to visit the remains of the Louvre’s Moat and the Egyptian collection.
• Walk to Paris Catacombs :  Join a licensed historian on a fully interactive virtual tour of the Catacombs of Paris filled with photos, videos, polls, and a live Q&A.
• Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame :  1-hour live webinar with a local guide to learn about the most iconic landmarks of Paris and her most charming neighborhoods.
• Explore Versailles :  Discover the beauty of the Palace of Versailles and its gardens from the comfort of your home on a fully interactive virtual 1-hour webinar led by a Versailles and French history expert.

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Portugal

• Pastel de Nata:  Yes you can learn how to make the famous Portuguese custard tarts in this live virtual cooking class from Lisbon.

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Spain

• Spanish tapas making:  Cook yummy tapas from the comfort of your own kitchen with this virtual cooking class hosted by Withlocals.
• Flamenco:  Check out the Corral de la Morería YouTube channel for a series of well-produced performances.
• Gaudi’s Barcelona :  Join a live webinar packed with photos, videos, polls, a live Q&A and a fully interactive chat function to learn about Gaudi’s famous works in Barcelona.
• History of Barcelona & Spanish music:  Olé! Join a Spanish jam session with host Sebastian and learn all about the history of Barcelona and Spanish guitar music.

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Netherlands

• Van Gogh Museum:  Google Arts & Culture has catalogued many of Van Gogh’s most famous works.
• Bake belgian waffles with Patrick:  Learn how to easily treat yourself to a pile of delicious homemade Belgian waffles. Local host Patrick can teach you a simple recipe during this online bake off.
• Hippies and coffeeshops:  Get an authentic glimpse into local life in Amsterdam. Join local host Otto online and learn about the hippies, the coffeeshops and untold stories of the past and present.
• Amsterdam’s cabinet of curiosities:  Knock on the online door of Sebastian’s unique Dutch home and learn all about the curiosities of Amsterdam. Captivating tales of past and present are awaiting you!

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Denmark

• Eagle TV:  DOF BirdLife, is currently streaming live from the nest of a majestic white-tailed eagle on Lolland. The nest currently has three eggs ready to hatch.
• Cook the Danish way:  Get authentic Danish recipes here.
• Corona concerts:  Enjoy live concerts by Danish artists performing in their own homes with the private initiative Corona Concerts.

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United Kingdom

• ARTCELS and HOFA:  First-of-its-kind virtual art exhibition ‘XXI’ features Banksy, George Condo, Kaws, Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons.  It launches on May 4 and will be available for 2 weeks until May 18.
• The British Museum:  Take an interactive online tour of the museum including the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.
• Jack The Ripper murder mystery :  Hit the streets of East End London without leaving your couch. Take part in an interactive Jack the Ripper walking tour and travel back in time to the dark, mysterious world of 1888 Victorian London. Try to suss out suspects and solve some murders.
• Windsor Castle:  Visit three rooms of the castle including the Waterloo Chamber, Crimson Drawing Room, and the State Banquet.
• Chocolate mystery game:  Probably not what you expected but this is an online escape game that is all about chocolate.
• Giant’s Causeway:  Take a virtual tour of the one of nature’s magical creations.
• Changing of the guards:  Even if you can’t make it to London, you can still get the royal treatment with this Buckingham Palace virtual experience.

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Germany

• Hamburg Philharmonie:  Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie has a #ELPHIATHOME program that’s worth checking out.
• Berlin Cold War:  Travel back in time and hear about Berlin’s Cold War history as a guide shows you top historical sites in the city, like Checkpoint Charlie, during this group virtual tour, accessible through Zoom.
• Berlin’s Iconic Monuments Virtual Tour:  Explore Germany’s capital city with a guide during this virtual tour, and see these sites, along with others, from the comfort of your own home. Just like a regular tour, you’ll still be able to ask questions.
• Berliner Philharmoniker:  They are offering the Digital Concert Hall free for everyone until April 30 by using voucher code BERLINPHIL.
• Five North Rhine-Westphalian UNESCO World Heritage Sites:  360 degree panorama shots of Aachen Cathedral, Cologne Cathedral, Zeche Zollverein, Augustusburg Castle and Corvey Monastery can be seen here.
• The Dresden State Art Collections:  They are offering panoramic tours of museums including Albertinum, Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, Münzkabinett, Museum für sächsische Volkskunst, Neues Grünes Gewölbe, Porzellansammlung, Riesensaal, and Türckische Cammer.  The Dresden State Art Collections are among the oldest in Europe and among the best in the world and you can see them here.
• Bodemuseum in Berlin:   The Bodemuseum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and now offers virtual tours through its 35 rooms.
• Bavarian State Opera:  Free live video streams are available presented by Bayerische Staatsoper.
• Hike along the Rheinsteig:  This is a short 360 video that shows what a hike along the Rheinsteig trail is like.
• Saar Bow Treetop Walk:  In Saarland is a pretty crazy treetop path up the 42m-high observation tower with views of the Saar Bow valley.  Make sure you get to the end!
• Explore Hanover:  The city’s tourism board has put together a collection of their top sights in this 360 degree panorama tour.

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Turkey

• Learn how to make Turkish coffee:  Grab your daily coffee online! Local host Aysegul will teach you how to make traditional Turkish coffee and will check your fortune from the coffee ground.
• Bake Turkish bread:  An essential skill of survival, and an outcome that feeds the entire family: baking bread and breaking bread together with Aysegul.

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Hungary

• Make Paprikash:  Let Beata invite you to a special journey where you can prepare the most authentic Hungarian food, called Chicken Paprikash! She learned it from her grannie and now she is eager to share this with you.
• Hungarian goulash:  Join Nelli and cook a goulash with her and let her introduce you to Hungarian culinary history and today’s drinking culture while cooking.

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Greece

• Walk the Acropolis:  Discover the Acropolis of Athens with an engaging audio commentary in English. This virtual tour allows you to experience the ancient citadel from the comfort of your home.
• Live from Santorini:  A traditional Greek cooking experience were you’ll learn how to make Santorini tomato fritters.  This includes printable versions of recipes.
• Dance like the Greek:  Learn about Greek culture including dance and architecture with an Athens local in this live virtual experience.

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India

• Cook Indian food:  There’s no greater joy than cooking a meal and sharing it with your family, especially during these exceptional times.  Join Orlina in a cooking class where everyone can help no matter the age.  Learn how to make a simple Indian breakfast recipe called Puri Bhaji.

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Malaysia

• Learn how to cook curry:  Learn from Ruth and Ranita, mother and daughter team, cooking together the most traditional curry recipes and other Malaysian specialties which they learned from the women up their family tree.

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China

• Avatar mountain:  Zhangjiajie National Park was the inspiration for the movie Avatar and this 8K aerial panorama is an incredible look at this park.  Use your cursor to move around during the video.

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Vietnam

• World’s largest cave:  Hang Son Doong in Vietnam was discovered in 1991 by a local man but was officially located years later.  National Geographic extensively captured the cave in digital form in this incredibly well done travel virtual tour, that not only allows you to move and look around but it also captures the sounds of the destination.

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Singapore

• Wok ‘n’ Stroll:  If you miss Singaporean food, this virtual cooking class might just be what you’re looking for.
• Make your own dim sum:  Have you ever wanted to learn how to make authentic Chinese dim sum dumplings?  This cooking class live from Singapore is the one you want.

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South Korea

• Origami class:  Get zen and sharpen your attention by learning origami and listening to stories about the history and local life of Seoul.

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Japan

• Tokyo Insider Virtual Panoramic Tour with a guide:  Tommy walks you through a virtual tour of the most interesting districts of Tokyo and Japanese culture in this 1-hour with a local.
• Learn Japan’s Secret Cultural Stories:  Uncover hidden stories about unique Japanese culture with local guide Tommy.
• Japanese Fashion Trends: Harajuku Kawaii Fashion:  Learn about Harajuku neighbourhood and its secrets around pop-culture and fashion trends.
• Learn Japanese Sake and Izakaya Drinking Culture:  Through this 1 hour tour, get an appreciation for Japan’s izakaya culture and the proper way to drink sake from a local.
• Akihabara Anime & Game Culture Virtual Tour:  In this one-hour virtual tour, our friendly local guide will go to Akihabara and show you some interesting parts of Akihabara, the Anime town of Japan virtually!

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Australia

• Sydney Opera House:  Full-length performances, live recordings, and never-before-seen footage from the archives are being released.  Head here for the schedule.  Content is released Wednesday to Sunday.
• Animals at home:  They’ve set up a few live stream cameras from Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Range Zoo, so you can enjoy the zoo from anywhere.
• #OutOfIsolation web series:  This series brings Melbourne’s top sights, secret laneways and secret art directly to you by Walk 101.

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Sri Lanka

• Curry making:  Get ready to cook rice and homemade curry in this virtual curry cooking class.

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Africa

• WildEarth:  Head into South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve and Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve and watch their livestream game drive tour.

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Peru

• Machu Picchu:  Talk a walk through the ancient city in the Andes.

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Canada

Ontario

• Royal Ontario Museum:  Use Google Streetview to take a tour directly inside the museum.
• Art Gallery of Ontario:  Explore the digital collection of the AGO.
• Canada’s Cold War Museum:  Head inside for a virtual tour of Diefenbunker in Ottawa.
• Canadian War Museum:  Learn more about the War of 1812 with this brilliant the history and perspectives from the 4 participants.
• Canadian Museum of History:  Much of the museum’s exhibits are now available online.
• The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre:  Virtual tour of the historic theatre.
• Shakespeare Fans:  These are recordings from The Stratford Festival and is available via streaming with the CBC Gems app.
• Stratford Festival:  Speaking of Shakespeare, the Stratford Festival is running a free Shakespeare Film Festival.  Watch “The Tempest” on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET and runs through June 4.  All films are kept up for 3 weeks.  Make sure to check out their full schedule.

Manitoba

• Northern Lights in Churchill:  Try your luck with the aurora borealis in Churchill, Manitoba with this live cam.
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights:  One of Canada’s newest museums has many of its exhibits available online.
• Beluga cam:  During the summer season you’ll be able to see the playful belugas hanging around the Beluga Boat.  In the off-seasons, they have done a great job of putting together the highlights.

British Columbia

• Vancouver Art Gallery:  Another Google Streetview tour that takes you inside this gallery.
• OrcaLab:  Come at the right time and you might see sea lions hanging out at this whale research station on Hanson Island, BC.
• Vancouver Aquarium:  Watch the penguins live at the aquarium waddling about.

Alberta

• Panda cam:  You can watch the Calgary Zoo panda cam every. day from 9AM to 6PM MST
• Banff National Park:  At the 25-second mark, you’ll be able to look around in this VR video of the park.

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United States

• National Parks from home:  There are 31 virtual tours available of national parks all over the US including Yosemite, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Badlands, Glacier, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, and more!

California

• Sugarloaf Ridge State Park:  Virtually hike through the Mayacamas Mountains in Kenwood,  Northwestern California
• San Diego Zoo:  The famous zoo has numerous fascinating live cams from exhibits ranging from their burrowing owls, condors, apes, polar bears, koalas, and more!
• Monterey Bay Aquarium:  They’re doing narrated feedings weekdays at 11AM with open sea creatures and sea otters at 1:30PM.  They also have live cams set up all over the aquarium including their sharks, sea otters, moon jellies, and penguins.
• Getty Museum:  This Los Angeles art museum offer 4 curated virtual tours that are quite interesting as you can tell from the titles including “Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well” and “Eat, Drink and Be Merry”.

New York

• The Metropolitan Opera:  Watch their nightly Live in HD series nightly which is only available for a short period of time (7:30PM EDT to 6:30PM the next day)
• Museum of Modern Art:  NYC’s MoMA is offering complimentary online classes with courses like “Seeing Through Photographs” and “What is Contemporary Art?”
• NYC Met Museum:  Join the Take Walks amazing guides as they take you on a lighthearted online journey through the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Prepare to see art in a new light as you discover the scandals and secrets that lie behind some of the artifacts in America’s greatest art collection.
• American Museum of Natural History:  Every day at 2 pm, the Museum is featuring previously recorded tours with tour guides on Facebook Live.

Florida

• Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral:  Yes, rocket launches are still happening.  Check out the launch schedule for the next scheduled rocket launch.
• Walt Disney World:  You’re going to love this.  Disney parks has 360 degree panoramas through Google Maps in all their parks.  Various YouTubers also have ride videos available including Frozen Ever After, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small World.
• Miami Beach webcams:  Live webcams of beaches that span South Beach at Hilton Bentley to Little Havana.
• Biltmore Hotel Virtual 360 tour:  Wander through the historic Biltmore Hotel in Miami including its main lobby ballrooms, Palme D’Or Restaurant, the Fontana Courtyard, and its iconic pool.
• Concerts from BB&T center:  The BB&T center is a concert venue in Sunrise, Florida and they’ve put together an incredible line up of concerts that are available online.
• Dali Museum:  A 360-degree tour of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.  You’ll also find online-online exhibits, and various tours, lessons, lectures, art classes and other stimulating activities for all ages.
• Florida Aquarium SEA-SPAN:  They offer virtual education programs where there are classroom programs for everything from sharks, sea turtles, dissection, and various guided tours.
• Busch Gardens:  See and interact love with animals, rides and other favorite exhibits and areas from a new vantage point with their Facebook live feeds.
• Florida Orchestra concerts:  This is a special treat for classical music fans.  They’re posting their radio broadcasts of concerts 45 days after they air (typically Thursdays at 7PM).
• Orlando Virtual Tours:  Visit Orlando is offering collections of virtual experiences that covers places such as Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, Universal, LEGOLAND, and more!
• Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary:  Have you watched Netflix’s Tiger King series?  Well, this big cat sanctuary has been running Facebook Live virtual night feedings Fridays and Saturdays at 7PM.  They also have an educational program Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4PM.
• Ripley’s Believe It or Not – Outside the Odditorium:  Ripley’s is running a special virtual series to learn all about the strange and unusual.  This page lists all the live events.
• National Naval Aviation Museum:  The Pensacola museum’s 350,000 square feet of exhibit space includes 150 restored aircraft representing the Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.  Partnered with Google, there are 360 degree views of the museum’s Hanger Bay.

Louisiana

• Stories of the French Quarter :  Explore the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans from the comfort of your own home. The greatest storytellers in the city have crafted a collection of the best stories and images to share with you in an online storytelling session.
• Stories of the Garden District :  Explore the lush and elegant Garden District of New Orleans online with a great storytelling guide. Join an online storytelling session to see the mansions, gardens, restaurants, and tombs while you hear the great stories behind them.

Washington D.C.

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History:  They literally have 360 degree views of every single exhibit in the museum.

Washington

• Seattle Symphony:  Check out their upcoming performances and live streams on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Ohio

• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden:  The zoo hosts Home Safari Facebook Lives daily at 3PM EDT.  They also posts their videos to YouTube afterwards.

Illinois

• Art Institute of Chicago:  Zoom into Monet’s Water Lilies  and Grand Wood’s American Gothic with the museum’s Multimedia section.

Hawaii

• Banzai Pipeline:  This is for the surfers at home.  The Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu at Ehukai Beach has a live cam and you can watch it here.  There might not be surfers out there but the sounds of the crashing waves sure is soothing.

Alaska

• Kenai Fjords National Park:  Talk a guided tour on, in, and around this national park.

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Mexico

• Mayan artifacts:  Explore the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City with these 23 exhibit rooms.

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Global

• Global Citizen:  Their Instagram Account has been publishing frequent casual livestream concerts from top musicians from home.
• YouTube and Tribeca free global film festival:  Details are limited right now but the We Are One: A Global Film Festival is a virtual festival and it will run from May 29th to June 7th.
• Club Quarantine:  DJ Derrick Jones (D-Nice) has been running the hottest dance parties through IG Live.
• National Theatre:  They have created “National Theatre at Home” where anyone around the world can stream their productions on YouTube.  There’s a new full-length play every Thursday.
• Broadway Shows:  The channel, The Show Must Go On is sharing full-length Broadway shows every Friday at 7PM and keeps them up for 48 hours.
• Scavenger hunt + escape room:  If you’re looking for an interactive virtual group game show, check out Connectivity Game.  You’ll need WhatsApp to play.
• Tinggly box of free experiences:  The travel gift box company is giving away their list of the best free virtual experiences around the world.
• TIFF Stay-At-Home Cinema:  The Toronto International Film Festival is running a specials series of movies on YouTube as part of Stay-At-Home Cinema.
• GAdventures Small Group Tour:  The first live virtual tours of their kind that get people as close as possible to a G Adventures trip without opening their passports. G Adventures’ chief experience officers (CEOs) take 16 ‘travellers’ on a cross-country experience introducing them to different locations in just under an hour. The participants ‘meet’ in a live Zoom room, and can interact with their CEO in real time.
• Cirque Du Soleil:  This Friday, May 1 at 3pm ET, the CirqueConnect 60-minute special will be something truly spectacular!  This week’s special will showcase some stellar acts from One Night for One Drop shows and surprise celebrity guests!  They also have a new VR experience that currently features their Alegría show.

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Outer Space

Because, why not?

• Go to Mars:  Journey across the red planet on the Curiosity Rover with this virtual experience.

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Have you found an amazing travel virtual experience that’s not on this list?  I’d love to hear about it!  Drop a comment and I’ll be sure to add it in.