Virtual Travel While Social Distancing

All across Maryland, most places in the United States and around the world, we are practicing social distancing to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Unfortunately, it's hard to stay connected to loved ones, and staying at home is not something that a lot of people enjoy.

Coronavirus: Things to Do at Home

If you do enjoy some alone time, there are resources to keep you traveling the world from the safety of your couch. You can:

See Landmarks in 360 Degrees

From the safety of your home, you can travel the world. Google has a collection of 360-degree views locations all over the world.

Use your WiFi to fly to the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the mysterious Machu Picchu in South America, or the beautiful Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

Appreciate Art Online

Feast your eyes on the most famous art of the world.

• Pop by the Vatican Museums which offer 360-degree tours of the Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and more.
• You could also go to France to visit the Musée du Louvre's online media page and YouTube channel for interesting online information and videos, including three virtual tours.
• Amsterdam features the Van Gogh Museum that houses the biggest collection of Vincent Van Gogh's incredible works. Their site offers history, examples of his paintings, and more.
• And we'd be remiss if we failed to mention the Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York worked with Google to provide beautiful 360-degree views of their spectacular collections.

Explore Virtual History Museums

More interested in history than art?

• The National History Museum in Washington, D.C. has every exhibit available to tourists for virtual tours.
• The British Museum in London has an impressive website with a virtual tour that includes the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.
• The National Women's History Museum in Virginia has powerful online exhibits and oral histories to explore from anywhere.

Simulate Space Travel

If you are interested in space or NASA, check out the online tours offered by both Virginia's Langley Research Center and Ohio's Glenn Research Center.

Augmented reality experiences are also available via The Space Center Houston's app.

Tour Aquariums and Zoos Online

Museums not your thing? How about a virtual tour of the New England Aquarium? In addition to the tours, there are activities for families to try at home. And the National Aquarium right here in Baltimore has an extensive online presence with information and pictures about all of their fascinating creatures and a floor-by-floor virtual tour.

You may not be able to walk around the zoo, but you can peek in on the animals at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore with their live camera feeds. Need some Panda love? Visit the Panda Cams from Zoo Atlanta!

Visit Theme Parks From Home

You may not be able to fly to Florida right now, but you can use your mouse to visit some of the biggest parks in the sunny state, including Sea World, LEGOLAND and Disney Parks.

Take in Virtual Opera and Theater

The Metropolitan Opera had virtual shows in March 2020, but will continue to offer radio broadcasts throughout the year. Closed because of the coronavirus, they will be streaming encore presentations from the award-winning Live in HD series on their website for the entire duration of the closure.

Visit the Sydney Opera House and listen to some wonderful podcasts or take a virtual tour of the building. Google even created 360-degree visuals of the outside and inside of the biggest opera house in the world.

If you travel to Russia on your WiFi tour of the world, don't miss the Bolshoi Theater. And Google’s collection of costumes, 360-degree views of the building and more than 400 images from the historic theater make this a great stop on your journey.

Have Dance Parties at Home

DJ D-Nice created Club Quarantine, a virtual dance club that had a lot of famous visitors. He has live shows on Instagram Live, which is explained further in The New Yorker. And there are more dance parties all over Instagram Live as listed in this Today article. Dancing is a great way to get some exercise during COVID.

This list is far from exhaustive. There are many more virtual opportunities. Check out Google for more places to go while social distancing or any time. Please stay home and stay safe – and enjoy your travels!