Boulevard
Virtual reality is transforming travel and hospitality. What started as a nascent technology is fast becoming a promotional and advertising tool in business. For consumers, it's a new way Plan: Imagine walking through a hotel room before booking, or exploring the sights and sounds of a place while narrowing down a list of vacation destinations, all from inside your home and using your phone.
It's not a distant technology either. Several virtual travel apps are already available, and companies such as Qantas, British Airways and Marriott have already started experimenting with it as a marketing tool. On the consumer side , YouTube, and Facebook are just a handful of the major sites that now support 360-degree content.
But even if you don't intend to physically move around, VR is a fantastic video medium for wheelchair wanderlust. It takes Google Street View's approach of dragging your mouse over 360 degree photos and turns it into an immersive experience where you can explore those environments in greater detail. You can travel to places you may never be able to go (or want to), including destinations off-limits to tourists or just plain dangerous. And when you add a tour guide's narration to these videos, the experience becomes that much greater.
While video resolution quality isn't quite there yet – depending on production quality, viewing using VR glasses and headsets can be nauseating – it's improving. As we've seen experimented in 2015 with Marriott's "VRoom Service", using the
Samsung Gear VR
, the audio-visual "sensory experience" made us feel like we were there (pardon the cliche). Expect to see more content uploaded in the near future, including a mix of high-quality professional videos and those shot by consumers on their phones or cameras.
So if you bought a VR headset with your new Galaxy phone, or you got a cardboard viewer like
part of a promotion
, here are some sites and apps that will give you a taste of virtual travel.
GoogleEarth Virtual Reality
Have you ever wanted to fly around the world?Google Earth VR app for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive
does that and more
— virtually, of course. Google Earth VR launches you into space, but you can zoom in on any part of the globe and within seconds you'll have a bird's-eye view of the location in question. With a simple long press and swipe of your controller, you can fly from the top of the Eiffel Tower inside Disney World - and it's happening faster than you think.
If you need inspiration for your next adventure, Google offers tours of famous sites, as well as themed destinations. You can even switch from day to night - just point to the sky and swipe. You can also type an address and Google Earth VR will transport you to said destination, where you can capture and save snapshots of what you see.
Oculus
Boulevard
In Boulevard (formerly WoofbertVR), you can explore 3D renderings of various museums and cultural sites located in England and San Francisco. However, the app lets you do more than just look around. You can access a tablet virtual tour at the press of a button, which will give you text information about what you are watching and allow you to take a brief audio tour. It can even show you which exhibits you can engage with more.
For example, if you press the famous painting by Édouard Manet from the 19th century,
A bar at the Folies-Bergère
, you'll be transported beyond the frame and into a lively reimagining of the events depicted in the painting.Or, if you tap on a 1969 photo of painter Helen Frankenthaler, you can walk through a 3D rendering of her workspace minimalist, making you feel like you've just stepped back into a memory. If you're looking to indulge in fine art on your next trip abroad, Boulevard could be your ally.
Oculus
Gala360
Virtual reality has transformed photo galleries into 3D experiences.Gala360 consists of a collection of shots taken by professional photographers, all of which allow you to examine events, museums, monuments and different places with a simple finger slip.
You can walk around and explore the cavernous lava tubes of Hawaii, for example, or take in the stunning views of Yosemite National Park. Some experiences even have audio commentary, providing you with additional context about what you're seeing as you Scroll through the different photos in the app. Many of these experiences are free, however, premium content will cost you $1 per month.
Oculus
google play
Lufthansa #TravelCompass
For its YouTube page, the German airline Lufthansa has created several
On-site 360 degree videos
in Beijing, Hong Kong, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Each 46-minute clip takes you through a notable area of each of these cities, like Wan Chai Street Market in Hong Kong or Lombard Street in San Francisco. don't need a VR viewer, although it's more immersive if you use YouTube
Android app
with
Google Cardboard
viewer.
google play
GoPro
Action camera maker GoPro is getting into the VR game.
Odyssey
uses 16
Hero4 Black
cameras to capture 8K panoramic video, and its user-friendly 360 camera,
fusion
, is coming soon.Of course, GoPro's videos are short of amazing, and its
those at 360 degrees
are no exception.
surfing in Tahiti
to
riding a BMW bike
over the rooftops of Gran Canaria and
inside an Indycar
over the Golden Gate Bridge.Check
New York personal tour
along with photographer and Instagrammer, Neil Britto. GoPro won't be the only major camera company to dabble in VR:
Samsung
,
Nikon
, and
Ricoh
all have 360 cameras, and we can expect to see their content. The New York Times, for example, has a series of 360-degree videos created using the Samsung Gear 360.
google play
itunes
Nasa
Chances are most of us will never experience space travel in our lifetime, let alone travel to Mars. Thanks to thousands of images that have been beamed back to Earth from its Sojourner and Curiosity rovers, NASA was able to create 360-degree videos and images of what a walk on Mars would look like. The most recent panorama comes from the Curiosity Mars Rover, from a site known as
Ogunquit Beach
.
google play
itunes
Ascape
As indicated by his name,
Ascape
is a fully travel-focused VR app. Available as an app for Android or iOS, and viewable on a phone or VR viewer, Ascape offers plenty of 360-degree video and photo tours - from the Star Wars Parade to Disneyland Hong Kong reindeer races in Norway - and are neatly categorized (called "collections"). You will need to download each experience, which could take up a lot of space on your phone.
google play
itunes
Littlstar
Littlstar
is a VR “cinema network” hosting a variety of 360-degree photos and videos, available on the web or through its app for Android or iOS.
air
and
to travel
The categories contain lots of content from around the world, including videos from Discovery and National Geographic. When you watch all the travel videos, discover the many others, including technology, sports, cars and fashion.
google play
itunes
You visit
Like Littlstar,
You visit
lets you experience its content on the web (via a web browser or the Oculus Rift) or with a VR headset via its app for iPhone or Android.YouVisit has a variety of
travel related
360-degree photos and videos, from the temples of Ayautthaya in Thailand to the Louvre Museum in Paris and by helicopter over New York. You can even hop aboard the
carnival breeze
and explore the different parts of the cruise ship.
google play
itunes
Wild inside
Destination BC, an agency that promotes tourism in British Columbia in Canada, has launched a virtual reality experience called "
Wild inside
”, which explores the natural areas of this western province. In the videos, the viewer travels the Broughton Archipelago of the Great Bear Rainforest, but has the option to take one of two paths – the coastline or up a mountain.Wild Within was first developed for the Oculus Rift on a desktop computer, but is now available as an app for iOS or Android.
google play
itunes
Discovery
Discovery is one of the leading media companies to dive into virtual reality. Last August, it
launched its Discovery VR initiative
which allows users to discover TV shows like
Gold Rush
,
Survivor
,
Puppy bowl
, and
MythBusters
, in an immersive way. In addition to exploring exotic locations, you can swim with sharks, go downhill skiing with Bode Miller or learn to forage, for example. Discovery VR content can be watched online, but it's better via a phone and
Google Cardboard
or similar viewer, or Samsung Gear VR (via Oculus store).
google play
itunes
Oculus
Update: Added Boulevard, Gala360 and Google Earth VR.
Editors' Recommendations
Best Cheap Student Laptop Deals for August 2021
The Best Fantasy Movies on Amazon Prime Video
The Best Action Movies on Amazon Prime Video
The best movies on Apple TV+ right now
The best thrillers on Netflix right now