reality tour and travel

10 of the Best Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

  With the time and expense required to travel being prohibitive to many, there are alternative ways of indulging your wanderlust – including via the burgeoning world of Virtual Reality.

(Photo: Cubicle Ninjas)

There are a huge number of VR companies all vying to create ever more unique experiences for consumers – and one of the biggest growth categories has been travel. And what better time to get a taste of exploration and adventure from the comfort of your living room, equipped only with a VR headset, than now, when travel is a luxury that many just can’t stretch to? We’ve picked out 10 of the best virtual reality travel experiences currently on the market.

So which VR headset should you go for? Our favourite is the Meta Quest 3, which launched onto the market in mid-2023 and is the successor to the Meta Quest 2. For immersive games and travel experiences, we believe the Meta Quest 3 is destined to become the leading VR headset over the coming years. It’s pretty affordable, too, and unlike other headsets, doesn’t require cords or a computer. You can purchase the Meta Quest 3 at Amazon.com.

Guided Meditation VR

Developed by Cubicle Ninjas, Guided Meditation VR is designed to bring peace, joy, and calm back into your daily life by teaching you ancient meditation practices in a cutting-edge way. It features over 40 lush environments to escape the everyday, 30-plus hours of guided meditations on anxiety, depression, maternity, resilience, sleep and zen, and hundreds of hours of calming musical audio tracks to help enhance your meditation experience. Users can also customise their sessions to their own specific preferences and needs, including the option to switch into Motion mode and gently float through beautiful vistas like you would on a lazy river, leaving the worries of your life behind before returning calmer and stronger.

PRICE £10.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

Be anywhere in the world with anyone, instantly, in this captivating game developed by Wooorld Inc. Visit hundreds of cities, architectural landmarks, natural wonders, and vacation spots in incredible 3D detail, and get tips about the best places to visit, the hidden gems, where to get the best food and all the tourist traps to avoid. You can also create your own 3D avatars with face and body tracking and test your worldly knowledge by guessing where you are after being teleported to 5 random locations, with only the landscape, flora, architecture, and road signs for clues. The game can played as collaboratively as you wish, with options to explore the world with friends and meet new people, or hop into a Solo World without any distractions.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Wooorld Inc.)

Blueplanet VR Explore

(Photo: Blueplanet VR Explore)

Highlighting sacred and fragile locations of natural beauty and cultural heritage, Blueplanet VR Explore  is a collection of remarkable places across the world. With freedom to move around and explore, the virtual reality experiences are captured in volumetric 3D with great detail and accuracy. The scenes look and feel like these places do in real life, and enable you to freely move around to enjoy and explore these remarkable, fragile, and priceless environments. Concern for the environment often comes from direct experience, and being as close as we can get to experiencing a sense of actually being there, Blueplanet can help encourage people to appreciate and protect these treasures.

PRICE £18.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

BRINK Traveler

Travel to some of the world’s most amazing natural wonders in fully immersive 3D and feel like you’re really there in this awe-inspiring game by Brink XR. Step into a scene akin to a postcard as you visit a total of 28 (with more on their way) of the most breathtaking places on Earth. In-game highlights include room-scale walkable areas in each destination, a virtual guide and assistant to learn about where you’re visiting, and the chance to shoot photos to share with friends. You can either play the game solo or with friends and family in multiplayer mode.

PRICE £11.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: BRINK XR)

National Geographic Explore VR

Created in partnership with National Geographic, a world-leading society in the fields of geography, cartography and exploration, this magical VR experience invites you to discover two of the most iconic locations on Planet Earth. Don your explorer hat and head to Antarctica for an exhilarating expedition. Navigate around icebergs in a kayak, climb a vast ice shelf and survive a snowstorm as you hunt for a lost emperor penguin colony. Visit the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru and get immersed in amazing digital reconstructions of the legendary site. Witness mummy worships, raise a cup of sacred chicha and encounter cute and furry alpacas as you match Hiram Bingham’s photographs from when he rediscovered the citadel. Be sure to take a camera as your best snaps may even make it into the prestigious National Geographic magazine.

PRICE £7.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Force Field Entertainment B.V)

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Fans of the hugely popular TV blockbuster The Walking Dead can now join the world of zombies in this new VR adventure. Travel through the ruins of New Orleans as you fight, scavenge, and survive, each day unravelling another mystery lurking within the city’s historic quarters. Encounter desperate factions and lone survivors who could be friend or foe. Whether you help others or take what you want by force, every choice you make has consequences. What kind of survivor will you be for the people of NOLA? Scavenge for anything that you can; weapons, food, tools, and clues. Be wary of the living and the dead, with spatial audio drawing attention to any loud noise. Craft makeshift gear out of scrapped material; blades, guns, medicine, and more. Test your morals and make difficult choices for yourself and others. It’s all here, bringing the small screen to life in a big way.

PRICE £29.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Skydance Interactive)

Narrated by award-winning actress Anna Friel, this trail-blazing VR series opens the door to some of the planet’s wildest environments while redefining the limits of 3D-180 cameras. Meet the humans protecting our most precious wildlife, explore the great savannahs of Kenya, discover the ancient jungles of Borneo and dive into the rich coral reefs of Raja Ampat. Encounter elephants, orangutans, manta rays and some incredible humans, all in stunning cinematic footage filmed from the air and deep into the ocean. The series was produced in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),

(Photo: PHORIA)

The world is your oyster with this interactive, immersive VR experience that’s designed to be played by the whole family. There’s global travel and adventure in which your friends and family can join city tours, hot air balloon rides, back-country road trips, and plenty more. Or you can simply kick back and relax, practice meditation and get back to nature – all in the company of a guide or going solo, if you prefer. Other features include photo sharing, soundtracks, a range of fun games and media customisation.

(Photo: AARP Innovation Labs)

Rome Reborn: The Pantheon

Created by Flyover Zone, an American company specialising in virtual travel applications that present the world’s most important cultural heritage sites and monuments, Rome Reborn is one of five applications that present different areas of ancient Rome. This particular one transports users over the entire ancient city, focussing on the Pantheon, perhaps the best-preserved building from antiquity. In the company of two virtual guides, you’ll get to explore the exterior forecourt and interior sanctuary of the reconstructed complex as you listen and learn about the Pantheon’s design and decoration, as well as the nature of the religious cult once housed within it.

PRICE £3.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift

(Photo: Flyover Zone Productions)

Monte Fitzroy is Argentina’s most famous mountain landmark and is even used as the logo for outdoor retailer, Patagonia. It is a place that immediately evokes a sense of adventure. At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful and remote glacial lake known as Laguna Sucia. Most people who visit Monte Fitzroy view it from a location that is much easier to access. Laguna Sucia requires a much tougher hard-to-access trail that culminates in one of the most beautiful and remote glacial lakes in existence. You are rewarded with a sense of almost meditative stillness as you approach this untouched natural amphitheatre. This VR experience utilises Pterovision, a 3D technology that integrates computational photography, 360 Video, and gaming and allows you to take off like a bird, fly around the lake, visit the waterfalls along the edge, and fly over glacial formations beneath the mountain peaks. Numerous narrations will tell you about the challenges we faced when filming in this location, as well as educate you about the geology, culture, and history.

PRICE $2.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift 

(Photo: Specterras Productions)

Gala360 – Travel & Relax

Taking you on awe-inspiring virtual adventures across the globe, Gala360 is the result of the magic touch of an array of exceptionally talented photographers who have captured their globe-trotting trips in all their glory before being rendered into VR form. In professional 6K resolution, more than 300 tours around the world are featured, with some also including narration which allows you to listen to the stories behind the trips. Most of the tours are free, but you can pay a small fee to unlock more.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Go (soon available on Quest 2)

(Photo: Gala 360)

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The best virtual tours to explore the world from home

Oct 8, 2020 • 5 min read

The Sistine Chapel is just one wonder offering a virtual museum tour ©Rajesh Gathwala/500px

We live in an age of unprecedented access to digital technology – and with it, brand new ways of exploring the world around us.

While it's not quite the same as seeing, say, the Mona Lisa or Christ the Redeemer in person, some of the world’s most popular and remote destinations have created libraries of online images and video, as well as 360 degree virtual tours that let you virtually explore museums, galleries, world wonders and even national parks.

Here a just a few of the best digital tours that let you wander the world from wherever you may be social distancing.

See the seven wonders of the world

If there’s anything capable of whetting your appetite for world travel, it is the new seven wonders of the world:  the Great Wall of China , the ancient city of Petra , the Taj Mahal , the Colosseum , Machu Picchu , Christ the Redeemer , and Chichen Itza . Thankfully there are impressive virtual tours of each from The New York Times , AirPano , Google , and Panoramas .

With modern technology, you can even see the last standing wonder of the ancient world— The Pyramids of Giza . There are a few other wonders that might not make it into to the top seven but are still worth a digital peek, like the Alhambra , Seville's La Giralda , and even Easter Island.

Best virtual museum tours

In recent years, Google has partnered with over 2,5000 art museums to upload high-resolution versions of millions of pieces of art. Highlights include New York’s MoMA , DC’s National Gallery of Art , Chicago’s Art Institute , the Casa Battl ó, and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum to name a few.

In addition, The Louvre offers a virtual tour , as do The Vatican Museums , many of the Smithsonian Museums , the Russian Museum , the top-rated British Museum , the Minneapolis  Museum of Russian Art , and the Palace Museum in Beijing.

You may not be able to kiss the Blarney Stone right now, but you can tour the Blarney Castle from afar. You can also visit the Museum of Flight,  the Museum of Science, the Museum of Natural History,  the National Women's History Museum  and Boston's History of Science Museum .

While museums are often an inherently visual experience, there's a lot to be learned from archives of past lectures and tours like the ones preserved online by Nashville's Frist Museum , the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Smithsonian American Art Museum,  the Frick , and others.

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Explore national parks

While travel to National Parks is best avoided for the time being, you don't need to miss out on the scenery. Virtual Yosemite is absolutely stunning and one of the best, replete with audio. Both Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore offer virtual tours as well. 

Google has similar 360 degree audio-visual tours of five select national parks, including Kenai Fjords, Hawai'i Volcanos , Carlsbad Caverns, Bryce Canyon , and Dry Tortugas, as well as 31 more on Google Earth . You can also get an up-close look at almost 4,000 pieces of artwork, artifacts, and other treasures related to the history and culture of the national parks, and view online exhibits .

Digital safaris

Wildlife is a big draw for travelers, whether it's sighting some of the Big Five in Africa, glimpsing whales in North America, or introducing your children to new animals in person on a family safari . But if you're forays into the bush are grounded for now, many zoos and aquariums have created digital access to their habitats.

You can easily watch several live webcams of some of the nation’s greatest zoos and aquariums, including the  San Diego Zoo , Houston Zoo , Zoo Atlanta , the Tennessee Aquarium , and the Georgia Aquarium . Additionally you can see Canadian farm animals doing their thing , or you could watch Stella the Dog jump endlessly into huge piles of Maine leaves.

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Virtual hiking

Thanks to panoramic video, you can get a really good idea of what a hike looks like well before you arrive at the trailhead. For example, you can experience all of the following top-rated hikes right now from your computer or tablet:  Bryce Canyon , Grand Canyon , GR20 , Inca Trail , and the death-defying Angel's Landing . For even more great hikes, simply YouTube one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 treks or any other hike that suits your fancy. Bonus points if you follow along during a workout to enhance the realism.

Famous landmarks

You can visit many wonders of nature, including the Amazon Rainforest , Iguazu Falls , the Komodo Islands , or Table Mountain , using virtual tours. Or you can explore the Statue of Liberty , the Sahara Desert , Niagara Falls , or even a guided tour of the Eiffel Tower . For even more virtual tours, search your bucket list of adventures with  AirPano , Google Earth , or YouTube .

Travel to outer space

The moon hasn't made it to Lonely Planet's Best In Travel list (yet!), and even without self-isolation and shelter-in-place measures for COVID-19, many of us may never travel to space. But thanks to technology, now is as good of a time as any to do so virtually. Before blasting off, considering touring some of NASA’s offices first. Then relive the last lunar missions and moon walks in stunning HD. Or take a virtual tour of Mars with the help of Google. 

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The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is now a global pandemic. Find out what this  means for travelers . 

This article was originally published March 2020 and was last updated October 2020.

This article was first published Mar 18, 2020 and updated Oct 8, 2020.

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7 Great Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

Try VR travel to fulfill your bucket list without leaving the couch

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Who says you can't see the world if you stay home? Virtual reality (VR) tourism experiences let you see places all over the world without ever leaving your couch. These aren't games; they're experiences, so the pace may be slower than you expect, but they are worth your patience. Here are some of the best VR tourist destinations to help you decide on your next virtual adventure.

Make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle the demands of virtual reality technology.

The Grand Canyon VR Experience

Very relaxing experience.

Excellent visual and sound quality.

Impressive attention to detail.

Predefined with little control.

Requires powerful hardware.

Short experience.

In The Grand Canyon VR Experience (by Immersive Entertainment), you sit in a virtual motorized kayak ride through the Grand Canyon. Tailor the tour to your preferences by selecting either a sunlit or moonlit experience and controlling the ride's speed.

While you cruise along, you'll enjoy the sights and sounds of procedurally generated, artificially intelligent wildlife. Attract and feed the virtual fish as you navigate the waterways.

The ride is on rails, so you can't steer the kayak. However, you can stop at various points and enjoy the scenery by using the throttle speed controls of your motorized kayak or by exiting at scenic rest stops.

The tour is short, and there's no historical background information for history buffs. Still, it is a fun ride perfect for someone new to VR.

This tour requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift , or Valve Index .

Explore amazing places.

Impressively detailed.

More locations are added to the library regularly.

Not updated recently.

Realities is a VR travel app that allows you to explore scanned and modeled real-world environments. The environments aren't just 360-degree photos; these locations were captured with specialized scanning equipment, allowing for immersive rendering in virtual reality.

The user interface is a giant globe you rotate with your VR controllers. Once you decide on the place you want to visit, tap the area on the virtual globe, and you are instantly whisked away to the exotic locale.

One interesting destination is a cell in the infamous Alcatraz prison. When you arrive, you're greeted by an unseen narrator, presumably a former prisoner in the cell next to you, who recalls their experiences. It's museum-like and an educational adventure worth having.

There are other destinations of varying size and complexity, and the experience is updated with new realities regularly.

This experience is compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality .

Titans of Space PLUS

Great soundtrack.

Detailed 3D visuals.

Impressive sense of scale.

Flying through space makes some users feel nauseated.

No improvements since late 2019.

Do you like planetariums? Have you always wished they were more realistic? If you've ever dreamed of riding in a spaceship and exploring the solar system and beyond, Titans of Space PLUS (by DrashVR LLC) helps make this a reality—at least a virtual one).

The original Titans of Space was one of the first polished virtual reality experiences available; it created a lot of buzz about all the potential VR had to offer.

This app provides a theme park-style ride through the solar system and beyond, allowing you to control the pace of the experience. Factoids about the planets and moons are provided throughout your journey, as are distances and other measurements of interest.

The sense of scale of the planets and moons is truly awe-inspiring and gives a unique perspective only astronauts usually get to have.

This title runs in both standard and VR modes. It does not require a VR headset. It is compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Impressive rendering technology.

Auto-tunes for your GPU.

Stunning visuals.

Can feel slow.

Mostly narration with little hands-on time.

Everest VR (from Sólfar Studios ) is an interactive Mount Everest VR tourism experience.

You'll experience Mount Everest in five iconic scenes. Prepare for your expedition at Basecamp, traverse the terrifying Khumbu Icefalls, spend the night at Camp 4, ascend the perilous Hillary Step, and finally conquer the summit of Everest.

After completing your first summit attempt, unlock God Mode to reach a unique vantage point of the Himalayas that's only possible in VR. Towering over the mountain range, this is a stunning VR diorama.

EVEREST VR is a must if you're into mountain climbing but don't like its possible death and frostbite aspects.

Requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Valve Index.

The VR Museum of Fine Art

Lots of content.

Educational experience.

Hasn't been updated since its initial release.

No voice narration.

Only takes about 20 minutes to experience.

If you've ever wanted to peruse a museum at your own pace with no limits on how close you can get to the artwork, then The VR Museum of Fine Art (free from Finn Sinclair) is for you.

This free app holds amazing educational value with incredibly detailed scans of some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Look at the brushstrokes of Monet's Water Lilies or take a 360-degree tour of Michelangelo's David. This is an art lover's delight.  

The experience makes you feel as if you're visiting a museum, complete with a pamphlet map to help you navigate your way around the exhibits.

Great VR experience.

Incredibly realistic.

Contains three episodes.

theBlu (from Wevr INC .) is a collection of virtual reality-based underwater experiences that make you feel as if you're literally in the tank of a huge aquarium exhibit.

Stand on the deck of a sunken ship while a gargantuan whale swims by and looks you straight in the eye or swim in a sea of bioluminescent jellyfish. There's no need for expensive scuba equipment or diving classes, or even to leave your living room, for that matter.

The level of detail in this app is amazing, and the sense of scale (especially during the whale encounter in the first episode) is jaw-dropping.

Compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Google Earth VR

Amazing street view VR.

Travel the world virtually.

Impressive, vast experience.

Can be slow to load.

Lacks a search feature.

May cause motion sickness.

When Google Earth was released many years ago, everyone marveled at the novelty of finding and viewing their house from satellite imagery. Now, Google Earth VR (free from Google) lets you see your house from space and virtually fly to it and stand in your front yard or on your rooftop.

Change the sun's position, scale objects to any size you like, and fly around the world. The detail levels depend on what you're trying to view. For example, tourist destinations are likely to have more detailed geospatial imagery than rural areas. There is so much to see, and Google offers virtual tours to help you get started.

Google has even added several comfort features to prevent virtual travel sickness in this must-see virtual reality app.

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9 Virtual Reality Tours You'll Love

By Google Arts & Culture

Google Cardboard The Index Project

With a virtual reality viewer like Google Cardboard, you can use the Google Arts & Culture app on iOS and Android to take a virtual tour of the street art scene in Rome; step inside a creation by famous street artist, Insa; or even travel 2,500 years back in time and look around the ancient Greek temple of Zeus. Make sure you've downloaded the app to experience these 10 breathtaking virtual reality tours in full. When on a museum or institution's page, scroll down to the 'Virtual Tours' section and click on a tour to launch the Cardboard experience...

Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room - Detail by James McNeill Whistler Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

1. A 3D Stroll Through the History of the Peacock Room Take this immersive tour and learn about the dynamic history of the Peacock Room, the renowned decorative interior by American artist James McNeill Whistler. Follow the room’s transatlantic journey from England to America and explore its evolution as it moved from private homes in London and Detroit to its ultimate destination at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art on the National Mall. Using your Google Cardboard? Then click here , scroll down to 'Virtual Tours' - marked with the Google Cardboard icon - and click to launch the experience.

About the Blue House St. James' Settlement

2. A Walking Tour of the Blue House Take an immersive trip through the Blue House, Hong Kong, and explore this living time capsule showing you the grassroots community of the old city. Click here and scroll down for the virtual tour.

Street Artists in Dulwich Picture Gallery (2013) by photo by Richard Howard Griffin Dulwich Outdoor Gallery

3. Highlights of the Dulwich Picture Gallery With this tour , experience the highlights of England’s first purpose-built public art gallery in virtual reality, wherever you are!

Gold-inlaid Iron Sword (Inariyama Iron Sword) (5th Century) by Unknown Museum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds

4. The Story of the Inariyama Sword The Inariyama Sword (known in Japanese as kinsakumei tekken; roughly, "gold-inscription iron-sword") was excavated from the burial chamber of the Inariyama Kofun, the oldest giant burial mound in the Saitama Kofun Cluster. Discover the story of this Japanese national treasure here and immerse yourself in its fascinating history.

Installation of Gush (2014/2015) by Marilyn Minter The Water Tank Project

5. The Water Tank Project: A Virtual Walking Tour Art Above NYC. Water Above All. Explore the streets of New York City on this journey through the Water Tank Project, a street art exhibition that is wrapped around water tanks across the city.

Temple of Juno (-400) Valley of the Temples

6. Virtual Tour: Temple of Juno, Temple of Zeus and Early Christian Necropolis Click here to embark on a magical journey through the ancient temples of Sicily's Valle Dei Templi.

Aerial view of Robben Island, South Africa by Robben Island Museum Robben Island Museum

7. A Virtual Tour of Robben Island Prison Robben Island, South Africa is home to the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years, along with over 3,000 political prisoners during their fight to end Apartheid. Walk in the footsteps of this historic figure with this moving tour.

We Have Crossed the Lake (2009) by Ian Woo Singapore Art Museum

8. After Utopia Go on a search for your utopia through the contemporary Asian art of the Singapore Art Museum. Click here to scroll down and find the immersive experience.

The primitive model of the Statue of Liberty (1877/1880) by Pierre Petit Musée des arts et métiers

9. The construction of the Statue of Liberty Liberty Enlightening the World , aka the Statue of Liberty, has been enlightening New York Bay for over a century. From Paris to its home in New York, follow this artistic masterpiece and engineering achievement on its journey across the world.

Robben Island Prison Tour

Robben island museum, dulwich outdoor gallery tour, dulwich outdoor gallery, astonishing inventions in photography, musée des arts et métiers, people and places, singapore art museum, a brief history of the peacock room, smithsonian's national museum of asian art, the water tank project: a virtual walking tour, the water tank project, six apps designed to improve life, the index project, walking tour of the blue house, st. james' settlement, valley of the temples - agrigento, valley of the temples, the world of haniwa, museum of the sakitama ancient burial mounds.

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Best virtual tours that you can take without leaving home

Need to get out of the house and go on vacation, but finances, health, or other circumstances have you staying at home? Virtual tours are the next best thing. They allow you to travel to exotic locations, including space, without ever leaving home. Here are some of the best ways to take a staycation getaway using virtual tours.

Best virtual tour app for Android

Best virtual tour app for iphone, best virtual tours online, best virtual space tours, best virtual tours of us national parks, best way to take a random tour, best global virtual tour, best zoo virtual tours, best aquarium virtual tours, best fine art virtual tours, best history museum virtual tours, best virtual nature walks.

The Seven Wonders app allows you to travel to the seven wonders of the world from your phone. The app supports the use of Google Cardboard but you don’t have to use it. You can just hold your phone up to your face — as you move the phone, you’ll see a 360-degree view of whatever location you’re visiting.

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With the Sites in VR app, you can take tours around the world using a virtual reality headset or just your phone or iPad. You can choose from cities or countries to visit, or you can go inside famous landmarks, like the pyramids. There are even space panoramas for a little out-of-this-world entertainment.

AirPano is a free site that allows you to wander beautiful locations all over the world. The best features of these virtual tours are choosing to take a helicopter view over the landscape or a walking trail through the area. The site also has articles about the location you are visiting and allows visitors to leave comments. If you really like a tour, you can choose to buy it as a download.

Sometimes you just want to leave this planet behind. That’s where virtual space tours come in handy. The Exoplanet Travel Bureau , powered by NASA, is here for you. You can choose an exoplanet and travel around its alien surface. Of course, the planets are artist renderings, since we haven’t actually traveled there yet, but they’re fascinating just the same. NASA at Home has many more space-themed virtual and augmented reality tours, too.

The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks is a Google project that lets you explore five different U.S. parks, including Florida’s Dry Tortugas, Hawaiian volcanoes, the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, and Utah’s Bryce Canyon. Each tour starts with a little history lesson about the area, and then you can dive into the 360-degree landscape. There are also audio tour guides that help you along your journey, explaining what you’re looking at and a little of its history.

Sometimes you don’t know where you want to go, and that’s OK. The Random Street View generator (powered by Google Maps ) is the answer. It will take you on a virtual stroll down a random street somewhere in the world. Be careful, though. Exploring random locations is a bit addicting. One minute you may be virtually walking down a highway in Michigan, and then with a click, you could be in an alleyway in Romania. The best part is that you get to see places that other virtual tour sites and apps don’t offer.

With Google Earth , you can go anywhere on our planet, from your hometown to the other side of the earth. You can use the website to take your journey, or use the app together with VR equipment to enhance your experience. Other than the awesome street views and ability to travel just about anywhere, you can also enhance Google Earth with your own videos and photos of places you have been in person.

If you’re an animal lover, there are many great virtual zoo exhibits that you can visit from your home. The San Diego Live Cams , for example, let you watch live footage of a wide range of animals, from baboons to penguins. Some other great animal cams can be found at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute , The Houston Zoo , and EarthCam .

There are plenty of ways to visit our fishy friends, too. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Georgia Aquarium, and The National Aquarium all have fantastic live webcams that allow you to watch sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, and much more.

When it comes to fine art, it’s hard to do better than a virtual tour of the Louvre . The website has a variety of tours you can take throughout the gallery, including The Galerie d’Apollon, Louvre’s Petite Galerie, and the east side of the Sully wing. When you’re finished at the Louvre, check out the virtual tours of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea , the Musée d’Orsay in Paris , and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo in Brazil .

There are also virtual tours that can take you back in time, sort of. You can see amazing exhibits of curiosities from the past, like dinosaurs, Egyptian relics, Stone Age tools, and more at The Natural History Museum in London ,  The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History , and The British Museum .

Longing for a walk in the woods or a tour through habitats that rarely see a human? No problem. There are plenty of virtual tours to satisfy you. Conservation International, for example, has a 360-degree tour through the Amazon that is narrated by an indigenous guide. Other virtual hikes you might enjoy include a trip through the redwoods at Muir Woods National Park , a stroll through the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, and a tour of New Zealand’s Great Walks .

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As rival Apple is rumored to be eyeing an entrance into the metaverse, Microsoft, an early proponent of mixed and augmented reality applications, is criticized for its blurry vision behind the company's own HoloLens strategy. While HoloLens notched big early wins, including scoring a U.S. Department of Defense contract, subsequent delays, project cancellations, and high-profile executive departures may have resulted in the death of the HoloLens 3. Still, despite a scathing profile by Business Insider, it appears that Microsoft remains, at least publicly, committed to its HoloLens endeavors for now. The company has gone on record to refute the publication's reporting that HoloLens 3 has been killed.

There are a number of factors that may be causing Microsoft to pivot from its early bet on HoloLens, but the Microsoft profile cited internal divisions and the lack of a unified strategy among the top reasons for concern. As a result of the chaos, it appears that the largest collateral damage to Microsoft's infighting is the cancellation of its next-generation HoloLens 3 hardware.

Actronika, a startup company known for its HD haptics technology has a futuristic new product. Expected to be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2022 is Skinetic, a haptic vest that should make virtual reality experiences feel a lot more realistic.

Skinetic works much as you'd expect. The wearable vest makes VR feel more immersive by bringing life-like sensations and touch-like experiences to areas of the body like the chest when paired with a compatible headset. As reported by Business Wire, the technology "works with 20 patented vibrotactile voice-coil motors, capable of generating a wide range of vibrations that cover 100% of human vibrotactile perception."

It seems that virtual reality may be about to become even more real than ever before -- all thanks to a new VR headset. Pimax, a company that manufactures VR equipment, announced the upcoming release of a new 12K QLED VR headset that will feature technologies such as eye tracking, full-body tracking, and refresh rates of up to 200Hz. The headset, dubbed Pimax Reality 12K QLED, is part of the company's venture into the metaverse and a step toward bringing true realism to using VR.

During today's Pimax Frontier event, the company's representatives talked at length about the goals behind the product -- naturalness, self-awareness, and freedom. Pimax wants to bring these qualities into virtual reality and the metaverse, allowing people from all over the world to interact and explore virtual worlds together. While VR technology already allows for some of that to happen, Pimax wants to take it to the next level with its new invention -- the Reality 12K QLED VR headset.

Incredible Virtual Reality Travel Experiences (Including Free Tours)

Last Updated on September 20, 2022 by Rose Morah

Picture this: you love traveling or feel like traveling and exploring different destinations, but you can’t physically travel due to your current situation.

But did you know that you can still travel virtually and experience great virtual tours that are almost as incredible as traveling?

In this article, we will give you a list of incredible virtual reality travel experiences. But first, you should have a great VR headset for a better experience.

Here’s a summary of the virtual tours, including free virtual tours, that we will talk about in this article;

• Best virtual hotel tours.
• Best virtual Beach Vacation.
• Great virtual tours of cities around the world.
• National Park virtual experiences.
• Best Adventure Climb VR
• The VR Museum Tours
• International Space Station Tour VR

1. Best virtual hotel tours

In this 21st century, many hotels around the world have now adopted the innovative 360º Virtual Tours!

This comes in handy, especially if you plan to stay in a particular hotel or just looking to explore different hotels through the panoramic views.

It takes you deep into your imaginative world and feels like you are actually in a 5-star hotel drinking your favorite coffee or just lying in bed relaxing.

I love the idea as it helps travelers decide whether what they see is what they want or where they would want to stay during their vacation. This is because you get to explore the in and out of a hotel.

You also get the chance to explore different amenities offered by the hotel, the sceneries, and other services through their virtual tours.

Here are a few hotels that offer 360º Virtual Tour;

• NH Hotel Group .
• Macdonald Hotels and Resorts .
• Trump Hotels .
• Four seasons hotel and resorts virtual tour .
• Acqualina Resort .
• Peninsula Apartments virtual tour .
• The Langham hotel virtual tour .
• Grand Hotel Kempinski Vilnius .

2. Best virtual Beach Vacation

Dreaming of the beach during the winter season? You can transform your dreams into virtual reality through a virtual beach vacation.

The best way to view the world’s best beaches is through your VR with a 360º virtual experience for free on youtube 360º.

Some of the best beaches that you will find on this YouTube channel include;

• Koh Phangan, Thailand.
• Myrtos beach, Greece.
• The Maldives, South Asia.
• Fitzroy Island, Australia and so much more.

3. Great virtual tours of cities around the world

You can travel to the most beautiful cities around the world through a Virtual Reality tour.

From Travel.earth virtual city tours , you can experience free brilliant virtual city tours from the comfort of your home.

Travel.earth.com allows you to experience the following city tours;

• Pisa, Italy.

4. National Park virtual experiences

Imagine getting a closer view of the Big 5 on an African virtual safari. Today, National Parks around the world have installed live cameras to help you easily view animals from your VR headset.

The best National Park virtual experiences that I have recently watched include;

South Africa’s National Parks

The South African National Parks that gives you access to the wildlife virtual reality tours include;

• Kruger National Park.
• Garden Route National Park.
• Table Mountain National Park

Be sure to visit discoverafrica.com and get to enjoy the beautiful wildlife nature.

Daily Live Wildlife Safaris

Andbeyond offers awesome daily live game drives experiences. Viewers get a chance to ask their virtual guides live questions on their social media platforms.

There are usually 2 game drives a day (at different times), which goes for 3 hours.

They give you a virtual experience like no other. So, the next time you go on a real safari , you will have an idea of what to expect and plan accordingly.

See also: Best Time For An African Safari in Kenya .

5. Best Adventure Climb VR

Have you ever been to Mt. Everest?

No? Then don’t worry. With your VR headset, you can get to experience the best mountain climbing adventures. 

Personally, I loved Mt. Everest virtual reality experience. It was breathtaking. You get to enjoy the 360 degrees virtual experience of climbing Mt. Everest. Check it out here . You will love it!

Redbull also has Virtual experience of climbing Mt. Matterhorn. You can watch it here .

6. The VR Museum Tours

Are you a great fan of arts and ancient history?

You can take a virtual museum tour around the world from the comfort of your home through the following virtual tours;

Tiqets.com also has a list of 90 virtual museum tours that might interest you. However, not all are in a 360-degree view. 

7. International Space Station Tour VR

It is possible to take real virtual reality to space.

I have gone through countless virtual space station tours via NASA !

NASA offers the following International Space Station Tours;

• International Space Station .
• Virtual 3D  International Space Station Tour 
• NASA explorers: Training the Astronauts. 
• Operation centers and so much more.

Hello there! My name is Rose. I’m passionate about electric cars and clean energy. My adventurous spirit and journalistic pursuits make each day fascinating and far greater. I consider traveling not just about the grandeur moments, but the little elements that transform the whole experience.

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The 12 Best Virtual Vacations You Can Take Without Traveling

While recent events may have kept us off planes and, well, on our couch, travel still remains one of the best ways to demonstrate our global interconnectedness and humanity. So for now, because we are all in this together (and separately from our individual couches), we’ll have to be armchair voyagers as we explore museums, libraries, and historical, religious, and cultural sites. Learning and discovery don’t have to stop. Keep reading to find out about the best virtual vacations from the comfort—and safety—of your own home.

Have a Virtual Adventure at the Grand Canyon

The National Park Service does more than educate sightseers in person when they visit any of the 61 national parks. You can view the Grand Canyon via 360-degree photographs on an archeology virtual tour, go on a virtual hike past layers of earth to the famous Phantom Ranch, or float down the Colorado River on a rafting trip.

Online: View virtual tours, maps, and photographs through the National Park System’s website.

See Llamas at Machu Picchu

Wendy Altschuler

High in the Peruvian Andes mountains sits Machu Picchu , an ancient citadel built in the 15th century. A visit here will reward you with stunning mountain views, llama sightings, and great hikes throughout olden ruins.

Online: Visit the citadel online through a 360-degree virtual tour , provided by You Visit.

Wander Through the Sistine Chapel in Italy

Located in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel is famous for the Renaissance frescos that brighten up the interior. In person, when open to the public, The Sistine Chapel is crowded, and it can be difficult to view all of the artwork. A virtual tour is not only a great way to appreciate the chapel without the interference of too many people, but you can also see the gardens, Pontifical Villas, and Vatican City museums.

Online: See the Vatican grounds, including the Sistine Chapel , by clicking on arrows to move up, down, left and right throughout each tour. You’ll also be able to zoom in to get a better look at the paintings.

Visit the Land of Creation

Jerusalem is home to three monolithic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most notable locations in Jerusalem . Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City in Israel, this religious site is said to be where Jesus was crucified, where his empty tomb is located, and where he is believed to have been resurrected.

Online: Experience 360-degree virtual tours of Jerusalem, including The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, Old City markets, Mount of Olives, and much more via Samsung XL.

Tour the White House

Visiting Washington, D.C. , is inadvisable right now, but you can still go on a virtual tour of the White House . See the Eisenhower Executive Office Building positioned next to the West Wing where White House Staff offices are located. Click through a 360-degree view of the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office, the Secretary of War Suite, the War Library/The Law Library, and The Indian Treaty Room. Learn about how the art and décor of the White House has changed with each Presidential occupancy. You’ll have the opportunity to view the Entrance Hall, Cross Hall, East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, State Dining Room, Vermeil Room, China Room, East Garden Room, and more.

Online: Google Arts & Culture offers a wide variety of virtual reality tours.

Visit the Guggenheim Museum in New York City

 Courtesy of The Guggenheim Museum

New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the most stunning Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures in the country. The white spiral ramp in the interior takes you from the bottom to the top in an organized and visually pleasing way.

Online: Google Arts & Culture will lead you through the museum’s multiple floors, highlighting 600 artworks along the way. You’ll be able to zoom in and out and rotate your view 360 degrees.

Understand the Natural World in Washington, D.C.

TripSavvy / Victoria Chamberlain

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History , home to 125 million artifacts, is one of the most-visited natural history institutions on the planet. Visit the exhibits—permanent, current, and past—from your desktop or mobile device on a virtual tour. You’ll be able to click on blue arrows as you navigate through each exhibit, located on the ground, first, or second floors. Be patient as pages load and click on camera icons to get a close-up view of a particular object.

Online: The museum’s website showcases a wide variety of exhibits via virtual tours.

Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York City

If you’ve never been to New York City, then the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island are likely high on your travel wishlist. Both islands, which are part of the same National Park System, are worth exploring. Go on a virtual tour of Ellis Island to see where more than 40 percent of Americans can find family history and climb inside of the Statue of Liberty.

Online: The National Park Service has virtual tours of Ellis Island , created by Heritage Documentation Programs, and the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Scholastic also has an informative Teacher’s Activity Guide that will allow you to see photos, listen to audio, and learn about Ellis Island on an interactive tour.

Smile Back at Mona Lisa in Paris

kwanchai_k photograph / Getty Images

The Louvre in Paris is the largest art museum on the planet, home to more than 35,000 displayed works, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. While this historic museum is usually congested, especially on the weekends, you can visit virtually, from the comfort of your own home, and see the museum’s most impressive works. If nothing else, this online experience can be valuable research for when you travel to Paris in the future.

Online: Immerse yourself in the museum’s galleries and exhibits via virtual reality. See Egyptian antiques, the Louvre’s moat, and, of course, Mona Lisa’s smile. The museum’s website also has a number of videos that you can watch to get a better understanding of the museum’s art. Note: You’ll have to download Flash Player. You Visit also has a great 360-degree virtual reality display of several museum galleries.

Witness the Treasures of England’s British Museum

 TripSavvy / Gautier Houba 

Home to the Rosetta Stone, Greek vases, Egyptian mummies, an Easter Island statue, an Aztec double-headed serpent sculpture, and n umerous other artifacts and artworks , the British Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. See impressive examples of human history, art, and culture through a virtual tour.

Online: See the British Museum via Google, where you can navigate a timeline to view specific artifacts.

Learn About Amsterdam’s History and Culture at The Rijksmuseum

Merten Snijders /  GettyImages

The Rijksmuseum is one of the most visited museums in Amsterdam, and for good reason. See works from the Dutch Golden Age by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ruisdael, Steen, and more. The building itself is also a work of art and worth viewing through virtual reality.

Online: Virtual tours, of the interior as well as the exterior, are available through Google Arts & Culture.

Float Along the Great Wall of China

Fortification walls, stretching thousands of miles, were built in northern China to protect the country against invaders and to control trade along the Silk Road. The Great Wall of China is known as one of the most impressive and significant archeological human feats in history.

Online: Wander through sections of the Great Wall of China through a virtual tour, provided by You Visit. Click on the camera icons to see close-up photographs.

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Top 10 Virtual Travel Experiences with the HP Reverb G2 VR

Introduction.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

1. Virtually visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• The remotely located island abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel and one of Normandy, France’s most iconic landmarks.
• The Pompeii ruins of a city preserved in ash, resulting from the tragic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 BCE.
• The site of the first hominid fossil and an important place for understanding human evolution at the Sangiran Early Man Site in Java, Indonesia.
• Petra, Jordan , the city of stone built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans.
• The Slovakia-based Domica Cave , shaped by limestone from the Middle Triassic era and an underground river (actually) named Styx.
• The limestone statue of the half-lion, half-human mythical creature known as the Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt .
• The Genbaku Dome, otherwise known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the only structure left standing after the August 6, 1945 explosion of the first atomic bomb during WWII -- preserved in the same state as it was immediately following the explosion.

2. Take in online exhibits

• Peruse rooms and galleries of the rightfully world-famous Louvre in Paris, the world’s largest art museum, and even visit with the Mona Lisa from home in the Louvre’s first virtual reality project applying the latest scientific research on Leonardo da Vinci’s creative processes and painting techniques.
• Virtually visit the iconic spaces of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art such as the Cloisters, the Temple of Dendur, the gilded sculpture of Diana in the Charles Engelhard Court, and more – all without the pressing crowds.
• Explore Saint Petersburg, Russia’s State Hermitage Museum – second only to the Louvre in size -- through this truly comprehensive VR experience that includes many of the museum’s renowned works of art from Catherine the Great’s expansive collections as well as special exhibitions.
• Experience the world’s first entirely virtual art museum (including the building itself), the Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) , launched in September 2020, featuring galleries of works by dozens of artists such as Matisse, Manet, Li Wei, Bosch, and many more including newer and lesser-known artists from the around the world.

3. Partake in cross-cultural virtual experiences steeped in literary and art history

• Virtually run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain at the annual Festival of San Fermin and be like Hemingway, who immortalized this event in his acclaimed novel The Sun Also Rises .
• Take an interactive, virtual tour of the J ane Austen House in Chawton, Hampshire, UK, to explore some of the rooms where she wrote her renowned novels.
• Immerse yourself in the Immersive van Gogh Experience , which places you inside several of his paintings such as “The Starry Night.”
• Join in on Dublin-based Bloomsday activities with other super-fans of James Joyce’s Ulysses , which celebrates the central character of Leopold Bloom on June 16, 1904, the specific day depicted in the novel.
• Step into the Anne Frank House and rooms of the secret annex, where the brave 13-year-old diarist, her family, and friends hid for more than two years from the Nazis during WWII.

4. Join in virtual castle tours in the UK

• Edinburgh Castle , one of Scotland’s most impressive landmarks built in 1103 on top of 350-million-year-old volcanic rock. It’s an ancient stronghold with a long and rich history as a fortress, prison, and military garrison, as well as the royal residence of several kings and queens.
• Blair Castle , a 750-plus-year old Scottish castle in Perthshire in the central Scottish Highlands, ancestral home of the Clan Murray and historic seat of the Duke of Atholl.
• Malahide Castle , one of Ireland’s oldest and most historic castles dating from 1185, in the picturesque seaside town of Malahide about 20 miles north of Dublin.

5. Take virtual tours of national parks

• Yellowstone Park , established in 1872 and America’s first national park, spans approximately 3,500 miles of breathtaking views across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It has numerous hiking trails, hot springs, and geysers like Old Faithful, which shoots water 100 feet into the air.
• The Grand Canyon National Park , a true wonder of the world and one of this planet’s geological spectacles, was carved out by the Colorado River. It’s nearly one mile deep, and covers over 1.2 million acres.
• National Mall and Memorial Parks Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC features almost 3,800 cherry trees, 3,020 of which were gifted by Japan in 1910, and represent 12 different varieties.
• Redwood National Park is home to the world’s tallest trees, some of which are taller than the Statue of Liberty. With specimens up to 2,000 years old, this spectacular biosphere located in northern California contains almost half of the world’s old-growth redwoods.

6. Visit theme parks

• Dollywood VR roller coaster rides , some of the best and fastest roller coasters in the world, located in Dolly Parton’s eponymous Dollywood theme park in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
• Universal Orlando in Florida, walk through and experience some of the rides of this theme park completely on your own in this truly immersive virtual experience, including Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

7. Take a virtual cooking class

8. share in a virtual wine tasting, 9. swim with the sharks on a deep-sea dive.

10. Visit out-of-this-world places with NASA

Bonus: experience the travel experience itself, experience virtual travel with the hp reverb g2 vr headset.

• Industry-leading, Valve-designed lenses, which can be adjusted for each user’s unique eye distances and face shape
• Four cameras and internal sensors for detecting position to track more of your arm movement and jump right into VR without additional peripherals
• Ultra-sharp visuals with 2160 x 2160 LCD panels per eye
• An ergonomic design with controllers that are comfortable to hold onto

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The 12 Best Free Virtual Travel Experiences Worth Checking Out

Don't have the means to travel the world? You can still visit stunning locations via virtual travel. Here are some of our favorites!

Do you want to travel, but circumstances are preventing you from doing so? Thankfully, the internet enables you to visit multiple destinations around the world in real time. No plane tickets, visas, or long flights necessary!

If you have a laptop, a smartphone, or a VR device and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, you are all set to take these virtual tours for free.

1. African Safari

WildEarth relies on safari vehicles, guides on foot, drones, balloons, rovers and remote cams to capture some of Africa's most iconic animals in their own habitats. You can interact with an expert game ranger hosting the safari while you watch.

Related: Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking

2. The White House

At 55,000 square feet, the White House has 6 floors, 132 rooms (16 are family guest rooms), 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, 412 doors and 147 windows.

Thanks to Google Arts and Culture, you can enjoy a walk through the most famous residence in the US without having to worry about the Secret Service.

Related: Virtual Field Trips That Make History Come Alive

3. Discover India

You can visit the Taj Mahal and other iconic Indian sites via the official Indian government's immersive Audio Odigos app.

Once the app is downloaded Audio Odigos does not require Wi-Fi or an Internet connection. You can choose a destination and download all the chapters of the destination you are visiting in one go and enjoy your tour offline.

Download: Audio Odigos for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House offers exclusive live streams of their performances, inclusive of original new digital programming direct from Sydney Opera House. It's free when you sign up.

5. Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

The Northern Lights most commonly appear between 5:00 pm and 2:00 am.

A good display may last for no longer than 15-30 minutes at a time, although if you're really lucky, they could last for a few hours. Norway's lights over Lapland project enables you to experience the Northern Lights via VR.

6. The Grand Canyon

The most popular hiking trail into the Grand Canyon is the Bright Angel Trail. Google's Street View Trek enables you to virtually hike it.

7. Paris Catacombs

Beneath the City of Paris is a 200 mile series of macabre tunnels containing the bones of 6 million people. As photographer Felix Nadar put it, the catacombs are one of those places "everyone wants to see and no one wants to see again". You can see the catacombs for yourself with this virtual tour.

Related: The Best Virtual Tours of the Human Body for Interactive Anatomy

8. Christ the Redeemer Statue

Located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue is the largest art deco statue in the world. You can skip the 200-step climb to the top via this stunning virtual tour set to soothing jazz by Kenny G.

9. Roman Colosseum

Fans of the Gladiator movie will no doubt recall the legendary fight scenes in the colosseum.

In real life, the colosseum was used as an entertainment venue for 390 years. During that time more than 400,000 people and 1 million animals died inside the Colosseum. You can virtually visit the real colosseum on AirPano.

10. Brooks Falls, Alaska

EXPLORE is the largest live nature cam network on the planet.

If you are a fan of bears, the livestream of Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park is the best place in the world to watch brown bears feasting on salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. EXPLORE offers a multicam experience of various virtual tours both on land and under the sea.

11. New York Times Square

Would you like to visit Times Square in New York right this very moment? EarthCam takes you on an aerial and street-level tour of the square, complete with audio.

12. Marine Life Virtual Dive

America's National Marine Sanctuary System is a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters, and now you can visit these amazing places in the blink of an eye through virtual reality.

If you're on a desktop, click and drag to experience in 360 degrees, or pair your phone with your virtual reality headset. For the best viewing experience, watch the video in high-definition: click the gear symbol in the lower right corner, then select any of the HD options that pop up when you click "Quality."

Related: Google Earth Tour Guide: Virtual Tours You'll Want to Check Out

Hot Tip: Amazon Explore

Amazon Explore enables you to virtually tour the world's cities and experience local culture with the help, or rather the company, of local guides or hosts.

Amazon Explore experiences are not free. However, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, your first experience of up to $50 is free with the promo code FREEFUN for a limited time.

How to get a free Amazon Explore experience:

• Visit Amazon Explore .
• Select and schedule an experience that is $50 or less. Use the code FREEFUN at checkout. This will reduce your cost to zero.
• Meet Your Host: When it’s time for your livestreamed session, show up at your computer and meet up with your host.
• Explore: The session is private and just for you, so ask questions, take pictures, and focus on what interests you the most.

Virtual Travel Is Here to Stay

For travelers who have various physical impairments—mobile, visual, auditory—virtual tours are a great way to visit destinations that were once off limits. Needless to say, those with financial limitations are equally empowered to visit places they otherwise could not afford.

If you are worried about global warming, traveling via internet is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and avoid flight shaming while seeing the world.

And of course there are the time savings. You may not have the time to see the world in your lifetime. With virtual travel, you can visit a new continent every day.

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Participant Reviews

“I was impressed with the ability of Global Exchange to plug us into a variety of social movements and organizations…I am still amazed at the depth of the experience and how profoundly it has impacted my life and those who shared in the tour.”

"I’ve been with Global Exchange traveling to Cuba, Vietnam, Venezuela and Oaxaca. Lots of learning and delight!"

"I was part of a group that experienced a truly life changing experience. I learned so much on this Reality Tour through the beautiful country of South Africa. It has been many years since myself and my fellow tour members had the opportunity to witness first hand the horrors of apartheid and it’s shocking legacy. The memories are still vivid twenty years later, and I want to thank Global Exchange for this once in a lifetime experience."

"Our trip to Costa Rica was a fantastic trip, from beginning to end! Our guide and driver were both excellent. The visits were so interesting. We learned about so many different, but all very important things. We saw the production of cocoa, sugar, and coffee. We visited several coops, one that sold hand-made goods in a shop made by over 80 different local people, one selling hand-made items by indigenous people, and one who sells coffee from a sustainable farm. We also got to hike, visit a waterfall, a lake, a stream, a hot spring, and zip line through the cloud forest! We even had the opportunity to visit with a local government official about sex trafficking in the tourism industry. Everyone was so knowledgeable and friendly. Based on my experience from this trip, I will definitely be signing up again!"

“This is a wonderful trip to learn about the Days of the Dead and the difficulties the indigenous communities of Oaxaca constantly face. It is not a conventional tour; it is fast paced and focuses on community not tourist sites. Come ready to be a participant in a group experience.”

Create your own Reality Tour with a group of 4 or more. We will work with you to design a journey to any of our destinations examining human rights, community-based development, sustainable alternatives, Fair Trade and so much more.

Reality Tours promote peace and citizen diplomacy by making people to people connections. Our trips challenge you to “Meet the People, Learn the Facts, Make a Difference” and move beyond stereotypes.

Read our Travel Log

U.S. sanctions and State Sponsor of Terrorism List designation is an attack on daily life in Cuba.

Over the years, Global Exchange has enjoyed collaborating with Morehouse College, a liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, to provide students and professors with a pan-African global experience. From Cuba […]

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Robb Report

22 Renowned Travel Specialists Who Can Make Your Dream Vacation a Reality

Posted: March 13, 2024 | Last updated: March 14, 2024

Travel Masters 2023

Welcome to the second annual list of Robb Report’s Travel Masters. 

Travel can be both profound and transformative. Exhilarating and unforgettable. But not always. The difference between a good trip and a great one—perhaps a life-changing one—is so often about tapping the right people to help plan it. It can be hard to know who to trust to create your dream adventure or even a jaunt back to your favorite destination. There are hundreds of travel specialists, after all, most of whom will argue convincingly that they have contacts and connections to open doors around the globe.

Only a handful of operators worldwide, however, have the expertise, clout and ambition to make the unimaginable real. To celebrate them, and to help you, we have brought them together under this Masters of Luxury banner. There are fewer than two dozen, nearly all of them specialists in certain regions or types of journeys. They come with our endorsement. 

We’ve worked closely with the first group on stories over the past year, including asking them to nominate the hotels and suites they consider the greatest places to stay in the world. We’ll continue to partner with them in  this way as well as on some exciting new initiatives we’ll soon be able to share (bookmark this page). 

As always, if you’re traveling this year, don’t leave home without contacting one of them – and make sure to mention Robb Report sent you.

1. Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell, Cazenove & Loyd

The 25-strong, UK-based agency , steered by the three-decade veteran Wilmot-Sitwell, is known for deftly combining adventure travel—think long-haul jaunts to hard-to-reach Asian and African sites—with no-beat-missed luxury. It was an early champion of sustainability: The firm is committed to offsetting the carbon impact of its own research trips via CommuniTree, a Nicaraguan reforestation project (clients can sign up, too).

2. Henry Cookson, Cookson Adventures

Henry Cookson worked as a horse-riding safari guide in Africa before establishing his London-based firm . He’s carved out a niche that focuses on a small number of elaborate adventures; a few dozen custom itineraries are developed on demand each year. If you want a private trip to Antarctica, there may be no team better to organize it: Henry holds the world record for kite-skiing to the Pole of Inaccessibility, and Cookson Adventures was the first private company to take a submersible to Antarctica. The firm’s also offering Octopus , the renowned 413-foot explorer yacht owned by the late Paul Allen, for charter in the polar reaches. 

3. Cari Gray, Gray & Co.

If you’re outdoorsy, ready for anything and prepared to sweat, call Cari Gray. Few manage to design and book high-end active trips with more finesse than the Canadian, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif. Gray combines thrilling, adrenaline-powered programming with much-needed indulgence, whether that’s organizing biking in the mountains of Mallorca or chartering a fishing expedition in the waters off Chile.

4. John Clifford, International Travel Management

John Clifford has almost four decades of experience as a trip designer for high-net-worth folk. Over that time, he’s developed a particular reputation for catering to LGBTQ+ travelers. From his base in San Diego, Calif. , Clifford works worldwide and he can as comfortably score you a last-minute Christmas vacay to Uxua in Trancoso as get you to Iceland’s Hotel Husafell in peak season. “My clients always get the best suite pre-blocked,” he says, “I often handpick it myself.”

5. Gary Portuesi & Jennifer Schwartz, Authentic Explorations

Hungry for Italy? Authentic Explorations  is a go-to for any gourmet keen to indulge in truffles, bresaola and Barolo, among other Italian delicacies. Portuesi co-owns an Italian cooking school in NYC and thus certainly knows his stuff. A buyout of Massimo Bottura’s impossible-to-secure Osteria Francescana is easy enough for this team, but they’ll also happily supply a curated list of restaurants to your tastes. Of course, they’ll take care of booking them, too. AE has a headquarters stateside, as well as satellite offices in Florence and Sicily, giving it a head start on the ground in Italy. The company, formerly known as Authentic Italy, has recently broadened to other European vacation spots in recent years, including Croatia, Spain and Portugal. 

6. Catherine Heald, Remote Lands

If you’re heading to multiple countries in Asia—from Japan to the Maldives and everything in between—there’s no better counsel than that of Catherine Heald. “I have devoted my life to Asia since moving to Hong Kong in 1987,” she says. Heald and her team have expertise in major cities, but the farthest flung spots are a specialty. Think: Japan’s Yakushima or India’s Sikkim. Heald’s trips often support good causes: Clients who travel to Siem Reap, for example, may dig a water well for a local family as part of their journey. Of course, travelers can expect a good dose of luxury, too.

7. Tanya Dalton, Greaves India

Dalton’s firm , with offices in London, Chicago and Delhi, has a firm handle on all things India. The family business, founded by her Mumbai-born grandfather and later run by her mother, has been around for more than four decades. As a result, Dalton has the ability to grant access to closely guarded sites in Southeast Asia’s largest country. Private palace? You got it. She can also wrangle suites in Rajasthani or program tiger-centric safaris. The choice is yours.

8. Cedric Reversade, Unique Properties & Events

Some call him the villa whisperer, and for good reason. Cedric Reversade, who splits his time between London and Paris, has an unparalleled list of the world’s most exclusive private homes in every must-visit destination, from Saint-Tropez to Capri. Many of the lavish pads are only available (discreetly) via his firm. He and business partner Paul Maxime Koskas don’t simply rent out properties, either. The duo’s point of difference has long been the concierge service that comes bundled with the rental ; it’s like having an ultra-connected EA in any place you vacation.

9. Sandy Cunningham, Uncharted

Sandy Cunningham’s firm Uncharted is aptly named, as it specializes in adventures and safaris in remote destinations. She began her career as a safari operator in East Africa, so she knows the game. Cunningham is adept at creating long-haul trips for large groups, too: She once booked a celebrity family into a private island in Seychelles without publicity, for instance. She has also proved she can safeguard a traveler’s privacy: She whisked the same family out a day earlier than planned, under cover of darkness, to avoid alerting any paparazzi.

10. Max Rosenthal & Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, Fischer Travel

Max Rosenthal (center) is the third generation of his family to join Fischer Travel . The New York-based firm was founded by his grandfather Bill Fischer, but is currently run by his mom Stacy. The 30-strong operation is more like a members-only club than a conventional travel agency, with a $150,000 initiation fee and annual dues of $25,000. For that, the team opens up its little black book to create one-off experiences worldwide. Indeed, it was Fischer Travel clients who were the first to experience Camp Sarika at Amangiri a month before it opened to anyone else. Another client wanted to see Wadi Rum in Jordan, but the local hotel didn’t pass Fischer’s quality control, so the team shipped in 10 staff from the Kempinski in Aqaba to temporarily run the camp at a higher level.

11. Jean Sanz Bernay, JSB Journeys

US native Jean Sanz Bernay of the six-person boutique operation JSB Journeys has an affinity for all things Latin America. “I’ve traveled through, and lived in, every nook and cranny of South and Central America.” She has connections across the continent and continues to cater to all manner of requests. One client, for example, needed a last-minute, after-midnight jewelry store appointment in Lima to pick out his wife’s present, and another requested a strict kosher trip to Argentina with dinner at a local rabbi’s home.

12. Jules Maury, Scott Dunn Private

The elegant, charming Jules Maury grew up globetrotting. She was the daughter of a Dow Chemical exec whose career took him (and his family) all over the world. Maury became a travel specialist by happenstance while living overseas; friends persistently asked her advice due to her insiderish knowledge and fine taste. Now she’s made it her career. Based in London, she runs the  ultra-elite offshoot  of Scott Dunn. Maury’s team focuses on custom itineraries worldwide, with an emphasis on forging access to the impossible.

13. Deborah Calmeyer, Roar Africa

Zimbabwe-born Deborah Calmeyer is the go-to Africa expert for any ultra-high-net-worth traveler. She has on the ground offices in both Nairobi and Cape Town, plus headquarters in NYC. Roar Africa offers traditional safaris, but Calmeyer has also established a standalone division that ups the ante on the already-luxe trips. Roar Privé ‘s focus is villa exclusive rentals in the bush. It also offers private-jet-based safaris , which have proven so popular that they regularly sell out months in advance.  

14. Kevin Jackson, EXP Journeys

When money is truly no object, EXP Journeys comes in. Jackson and his team create bespoke, one-time-only events in extraordinary locations, often with six-figure budgets or higher. Take the dinosaur dig in the southwest, for instance, in which guests helped discover a new species with a well-known paleontologist. Another standout was a dinner arranged in partnership with Navajo Nation that saw travelers break bread with the last living Navajo Code Talker from World War II.

15. Jonathan Alder, Jonathan’s Travels

Florida-based Jonathan Alder is another Africa insider: He once dropped everything to fly to East Africa to scout private aircraft for clients to use on a month-long trip across the continent. He recommends camps like Angama in the Masai Mara: Come for the walking safari, stay for the glass of champagne overlooking the valley. “It’s the exact spot where the movie poster for Out of Africa was taken,” he says. As a bonus, Alder is also an expert in Japan.

16. Stuart Rigg, Southern Crossings

For more than 30 years, Sydney-based Stuart Rigg has helped travelers explore Australia and New Zealand. Logistics and connections of all kinds are tricky Downunder, so his assistance is particularly welcome. There’s virtually no request he can’t find a way to fulfill. In fact, one celebrity tasked Rigg with organizing his 50th birthday at a mansion in Sydney. The manse’s gym had to be fully refitted and the A/C recalibrated to ensure the traveler’s ideal temp. The birthday bash itself was on a private island right in the heart of Sydney Harbour.

17. Julian Harrison, Premier Tours

Julian Harrison was born and raised in South Africa, before working as a guide there. This primed him to run a travel firm focused squarely on the continent. Beyond luxe safaris, Premier Tours offers trips to often-overlooked islands, like the Bazaruto Archipelago. Harrison is also known for working wonders when problems strike; whether that’s commandeering an aircraft to whisk clients from an unexpected flood in Kenya or handling immigration issues when a pet-chewed passport prevented a traveler from entering Johannesburg. (Harrison arranged a special appointment at the US embassy to replace the passport in situ.)

18. Alex Wix, Wix Squared

Longtime luxury travel specialist Alex Wix only launched her firm seven years ago, but she has become a go-to for trips to Morocco (where she’s based), Australia and Asia. Her expertise is in the hard-to-reach spots in those three territories, though it’s in Morocco where her connections are truly unmatched. For example, she can arrange a candlelit canyon dinner near a luxury camp in the picturesque Agafay desert. Wix loves a personal touch, too: She once organized silver and gold Temari  (Japanese ornaments) for one couple traveling to Japan. 

19. Ashley Isaacs Ganz, Artisans of Leisure

Artisans of Leisure is known for its ultra-luxe private tours of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The NYC-based firm has previously arranged a visit to a nuclear research lab in France (CERN) and a rendezvous with a well-known Bernese Mountain Dog for some Silicon Valley-based millennials. It has also coordinated a wealthy family’s private-jet adventure to Greece, France and the UK. If you’ve always wanted to score the best room at the Ritz Paris or Claridge’s in London, Ashley Isaacs can guarantee it.

21. Jaclyn Sienna India, Sienna Charles

Jaclyn Sienna India’s clients pay an annual retainer to keep her on speed dial, as she doubles as a lifestyle concierge and travel agent. If a villa on the Côte d’Azur in summer or a yacht in Sardinia’s seas is your focus, consider adding the Beverly Hills-based firm to your contacts. Sienna focuses on villas more than hotels, explaining: “It’s hard to get someone who has three homes worth $30 million or more each excited about a new hotel—hotels don’t offer the level of service they once did.” Another key differentiator when it comes to Sienna’s programming is the fact that all the guides she recommends have been sourced first-hand. That way, she can vouch for their quality without concern.

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Commercial crew program: virtual reality tours.

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Get ready for an immersive, Virtual Reality tour of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program!

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program VR 360 Tour Video Playlist

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Kayla Cardona of ‘Selling the OC’ Opens Up About Selling the Most Expensive Listing in Show History

Netflix’s “ Selling the OC ” is back for Season 3—and raising the stakes by featuring the show’s most expensive listing ever: a $28 million waterfront mansion represented by real estate agent and series star Kayla Cardona .

Ahead of the third season, which premieres May 3 on Netflix, Cardona tells Realtor.com that the five-bedroom, nine-bathroom, Newport Beach, CA , home is also a record for The Oppenheim Group, the Los Angeles-based brokerage where she works under Jason Oppenheim .

“Jason probably won’t like this,” Cardona admits. “But it’s also the biggest listing in the Newport Beach office.”

Excited to hear more about this groundbreaking and gorgeous listing, we got Cardona to fill us in on the final sale price and how she spent her big commission. She also offers up some solid advice for any buyer or seller looking to make the best deal in today’s tricky housing market.

Season 3 begins with you hosting a broker’s open house for the $28 million listing in Newport Beach. By season’s end, will we get to see you ring the famed office bell to celebrate a sale?

The status is that it is sold. I actually closed about a month or two after we got done filming, so I was not able to capture that moment. But if you go on my Instagram, I definitely have that video, and it was very exciting for everybody.

It was listed for just under $28 million, but we sold it for $24.5 [million] , no contingencies. It closed in like 10 days—all cash. It was a quick, smooth sale, and I’m just very excited.

(Realtor.com)

Did you do anything in particular with the commission you earned from that $24.5 million sale?

Honestly, I was able to catch up on my taxes, and I did do a little bit of traveling. But I put most of it back into my business because I also have my life coaching business that I run. It was nice because it gave me room; and then I also invested in a podcast studio, and I brought back my podcast. So that’s been extremely helpful.

Now that you’ve reached this career milestone, what have you learned since your first listing as an agent?

My very first-ever listing was this one-bedroom condo in Mission Viejo for like $400,000 or something along those lines. I was, of course, a newer agent, and I was so excited and so proud of myself with how far I’d come. It was a win for me.

The takeaway really is just you got to keep going, and you got to keep pushing—even though everyone else around you is saying that you’re not good enough. I remember my last brokerage before joining The Oppenheim Group basically said I’ll never make it in luxury, and I sure did—and sold the $24.5 million [listing]. That team that said I couldn’t do it has never sold anything double digits, so [I’m] very proud of myself.

What’s your best advice for buyers and sellers in today’s housing market?

The market is definitely picking up. People are realizing that it’s back to reality. People got spoiled back in 2020 when rates were down to 2-2.5%, so when people see it’s now just over 7% , it’s scary. I think people need to keep in mind that [in] the history of interest rates, the median is 8%.

My advice for sellers is if they want to sell their property for top dollar, they need to do renovations. What I’m finding in the market today is buyers are willing to pay premium for properties that are completely done and turnkey, ready to go. They don’t want to move into a property where they have to do renovations. If you want top dollar, get renovations done, [and] do the maintenance around the home to sell at the best price.

For the buyers, don’t worry about the interest rates. Everybody knows it goes up and down. What you want to do is purchase now and then refinance when the interest rates go down. What you don’t want to face is waiting and then prices are super high, and you still [have] to pay that interest rate anyways. So, buy now, and renovate and sell now.

Do you think a mansion tax similar to the one that’s now in place in Los Angeles County would ever come to Orange County?

OC is very much a bubble. We kind of have our own rules. I personally don’t think it [would] pass if that [was] an idea. We’re a bit more conservative.

What’s your personal home like, and are there any renovations on your to-do list?

I live in Irvine currently, and I don’t have any renovations planned quite yet. I live in an older home, so I definitely want to start opening that up and just kind of [do] fun renovations around the home, for sure. I definitely want to start with my kitchen. I’ve just been so busy with all my other businesses and, you know, [I’m] still a single mama, so it’s very difficult to do everything that I do, wearing all the hats that I wear, and then also try to renovate my home.

Is the luxury real estate market as competitive as reality TV makes it seem?

It’s just as competitive as they show it, but luxury real estate takes up a very tiny percentage of the full picture. The bread and butter is usually the $1, $2, $3 million [listings] and obviously anything underneath. Everyone wants to break into the luxury market, which is great, but it is extremely competitive.

Do you agree with how you’re portrayed on “Selling the OC”?

Season 3 is definitely accurate. Season 1 and 2 [were] not accurate whatsoever. They made it seem like I was a pot stirrer and I was bringing up certain situations in [the] wrong times, which was inaccurate. They made it seem like I cared about certain things that I absolutely did not. Storylines were inaccurate, as well.

It was unfortunate living through that and the aftermath of it coming out because you have tons of fans that are ride-or-die for us, and so they think it’s all 100% real.

Even though the drama is real, it doesn’t necessarily mean how it happened or how people said certain things at certain times is accurate. Some of the storylines aren’t always accurate.

I’m really excited for Season 3 to come out because people are really going to see who I am, how I am, and the growth in my real estate career.

All episodes of “Selling the OC” Season 3 will be available to stream Friday, May 3 on Netflix. 

Karli Mullane is an entertainment journalist and host who covers celebrity lifestyle and news.

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Kendall Jenner recalls having anxiety-induced ‘meltdowns on planes’ during early modeling days

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Kendall Jenner’s anxiety issues were once triggered by air travel.

“I remember having these meltdowns on planes,” the “Kardashians” star, 28, shared in her summer 2024 Vogue cover story , which was published Thursday.

“They would come out of nowhere. I’d be like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’ something’s wrong with my heart: palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, double vision, tingles. The whole thing.”

Jenner said she would call her mom, Kris Jenner, “hysterically crying” and say, “I need them to stop the plane, I need them to turn around.'”

The fashion model has been very open about her struggles with mental health in the past.

In 2018, Kendall shared she didn’t walk any runways in Europe and New York City for the spring/summer fashion week shows that year because she felt she was “gonna go crazy.”

“I was on the verge of a mental breakdown,” she admitted to Elle at the time.

Then, in 2021, Kendall told Vogue that she has been experiencing anxiety since she was a child, and at times it making her feel as if she were “dying.”

“I remember being really young – I’d say 8, 9, 10 – and having shortness of breath and going to my mom and telling her that,” the Hulu star explained.

Are you keeping up? More on the Kardashians:

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“I’ve had times where I feel like I need to be rushed to the hospital because I think my heart’s failing, and I can’t breathe, and I need someone to help me. Sometimes I think I’m dying.”

More recently, Kendall confessed on her reality show that she is scared to have children because of her mental health struggles.

‌”Honestly, the scariest part for me is, am I just going to get worse throughout life?” the reality star said during a conversation with Scott Disick in the October 2023 episode.

“Because I feel like it’s worse than ever right now. The older I get, is it just going to get worse and worse?”

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Despite Kendall’s fears for the future, the 818 Tequila founder told Vogue for their latest issue that she has actually gotten her issues somewhat under control, noting it’s been two years since her last panic attack.

Kendall shared that deep breathing, distraction, meditation, journaling and periodic consultations with a spiritual healer have been really helpful — as well as speaking weekly with a psychotherapist.

“A huge thing I work on in therapy is feeling worthy of where I’m at and knowing that I can’t let what’s being said about me on the internet, especially about my worthiness, get in my head too much,” she explained. “I let it get there, and I think that’s what brings me down a lot of the time.”

Kendall shared that her older sister Khloé Kardashian has advised her to not read mean comments on social media to protect her mental health.

The face of L’Oréal Paris also makes an effort to get out of bed, put “one foot in front of the other” and get her “blood flowing” to make her feel better.

She added, “When I say I’m struggling right now, I’m not doing those helpful things. Choosing to sit in my bed and mope all day is setting myself up for failure.”

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