Armchair Travel

by Sandy Berger


Without a doubt, travel and sightseeing are fun and enriching experiences, yet travel takes a lot of time, money, and energy. If you are short of cash and pressed for time, why not stay at home with your computer and do a little armchair traveling? Get ready for an adventure because now you can do more than just look at pictures in travel brochures and dream about a vacation. Be prepared to take a virtual tour around the world and experience real-time events taking place on street corners and harbors or at other unique venues via the Internet.

Today many Internet sites use Web cams to capture happenings in locales around the world. A Web cam is a digital camera that records live action and transfers it to the Internet. Web cams allow you to view real-time activities.

To give you an example of what Web cams are all about, you will want to visit a Web site called Around the World in 80 Clicks. The tour starts in New York and continues to Canada, Ireland, France, Monaco, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Peru, and seventy-one other great sites around the world. Each stop is unique. You may see a live camera showing activities at the Eiffel Tower, a casino in Monte Carlo, or a street corner in Montreal. Sometimes the information is given in the local language, adding an even more foreign flare to the experience. Because pictures are worth a thousand words, it’s never boring.

In addition to Web cams, there are also virtual tours that can take you to any place in the world while you sit in your den wearing your robe and slippers. As the multimedia content of the Internet matures, more and more great virtual Web sites are starting to appear.

Everyone has heard of the Taj Mahal, but not everyone knows what it looks like or even where it is located. Why not make that your first stop? The Taj Mahal Virtual Tour can be found at http://www.taj-mahal.net. This Web site uses a Web browser plug-in called QuickTime to display this world famous landmark in detail. If you don’t already have QuickTime installed, you will be asked to download it. QuickTime allows you to use directional arrows to pan across the vistas of the Taj Mahal. You can also click on the icon in the middle of the screen and drag it in any direction to get a complete 360-degree viewing of the palace and surrounding grounds. You can use the same technology to view interior vistas as you explore the many rooms of the royal residence.

A well known and much-loved museum called the Louvre in Paris also has a wonderful virtual Web tour. Like the Taj Mahal, the Louvre uses the QuickTime mechanism to show you around. Go to the Louvre Web site at www.louvre.fr/louvrea.htm and click on Virtual Tours. You can peruse the painting and drawing galleries, the sculptures, and so much more – all in surround vistas that make you feel like you are really there. Be sure to click on the architectural views to experience the impressive glass pyramid of the Louvre at night. It is spectacular.

With Web sites and technology getting better and better, we do not have to leave our homes to get a real feel for what the rest of the world is all about. If you surf around the Web a little, you are sure to find more exciting Web sites like the ones I’ve mentioned. Let the Internet’s Web cams and virtual tours be your ticket to armchair enjoyment. All aboard!