Due to the Coronavirus, AEGEEans have traveled less than ever before. It’s a pity, but we will travel again. Maybe not this summer and it’s probably not normal to travel till the end of 2020, but AEGEEans will travel again. Yes, we can (or we will!).
However, during these hard times it has never been so easy to travel from your bed. I am not talking about lucid dreams. All you need is a laptop, your backpack packed with cosy pyjamas and don’t forget your warm tea. It will be the cheapest trip ever of your life (I know, we just love cheap traveling).
So I would like to give you an opportunity to explore parts of the world which you can check online. There are plenty of museums, cities and landscapes where you could virtually travel to. I know it’s not the real thing, but it’s for free! I categorised it in a few topics so choose what you like, sit down and let the possibilities of the internet do it for you!
Museums
- Guggenheim Museum, New York
You have to be a fan of modern art to like this, but it’s a unique opportunity to explore the lovely building and art of the Guggenheim Museum. They have three locations in the world (also Bilbao and Venice), but the most famous one is in New York. You can explore the museum with Google Street View and you can virtually walk in the museum. Normally I ticket for this museum is quite expensive, but just walking around without any effort by yourself is really a thing I love.
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Maybe you already have visited the Rijksmuseum. It’s one of the most famous museums in the world and it’s just two hours away by train. If you are too lazy for that, and if you prefer to watch it for free, be my guest. You can watch it with Google Street view and choose which part of the museum you want to explore. A normal ticket would cost €19 and it’s really worth it to visit it in real life, but we love free stuff – at least I do as a true Dutchman.
- Musée d’Orsay, Paris
My French isn’t that great and I cannot say more than ‘Je suis baguette’, however Paris is for me a charming city which has plenty of interesting things to offer. Musée d’Orsay is one of them and this museum has an incredible exhibition from the period 1848 to 1914. So it is worth visiting, also in real life! Again, you can visit it with Google Street View and walk virtually besides precious history without being afraid that you will break something. What a life hack!
Online tours to explore world wonders
- Machu Picchu, Peru
Don’t want to cross the whole world to travel to Lima, then travel into the mountains to Cusco and then walk for days to reach Machu Picchu? Hear me out! You get a complete FREE tour when you explore the site of YouVisit. A guide will tell you all about the history of Machu Picchu, without any altitude sickness. If you are lucky, you could even spot an alpaca!
- Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Nearby the capital Caïro you will find the one and only ancient world wonder that is preserved anno 2020. All of the other ancient world wonders turned into ruïns. Nevertheless, the Pyramids of Giza is something you have to see once in your life and you probably will, but the year 2020 makes it incredibly hard for you to experience it soon. Therefore you can find a lovely modern tour of these pyramids and discover an ancient world in pre-corona times.
- Northern Lights, Sweden
I think I can consider the Northern Lights as a world wonder too! In the village of Abisko in Sweden, a tour operator made it possible to experience the Northern Lights without getting it cold, because you can watch it with a lovely 360 video. The psychedelic music makes it even more wonderful. This company has more 360 videos to offer, like a lovely Husky sled tour!
Cities and areas
- Alaska, United States of America
I know, Alaska is not the first thing that comes to your mind when you want to travel. It’s definitely not the easiest place to reach and let’s not talk about the expensive flights and trips you would be paying for. There is a nice 360 video of Alaska you can explore from your heated room. Preferred in bed of course.
- Jerusalem, Israël
Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and has a rich but turbulent history. AEGEE-Groningen was very lucky to explore this city in real life in 2018. If you want to relive your memories or if you have never been to the city before, you can explore the city with a 360 tour and you get a lot of information about the city.
- The talking walls of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires is famous not only for being the capital of the tango and the birthplace of our queen Máxima, it is also famous for street art. You mostly find the street art in the outskirts and suburbs of the capital, but now you could watch it from anywhere across the world. Since we cannot travel, it would probably be watched from your house in Groningen. A non-profit organisation is providing online tours to experience the cool street art in the different neighborhoods. Definitely something to check out! You can have three different guided tours and also experience their tours in New York and Malmö!
- Moscow, Russia
Last but not least, you can have a guiding tour which shows you all of the highlights of Moscow in just the matter of a few minutes. You never know when you have the opportunity to explore Moscow in real life, but this 360 video tour provides a glance of the amazing Russian capital.
