It may not be possible to travel in a physical sense at the moment, but we are lucky enough to live at a time where technology allows us to travel virtually.
So, although it’s not the same as the real thing, your students can still enjoy some of the benefits of travel. Plus, taking a virtual trip may also be a nice breather for them from the unusual situation we all find ourselves in.
Here are just some of the places they can visit:
Yellowstone National Parkhas a few webcams trained on points of interest within the park, but one which may be of most interest to your students is the one that’s trained on Old Faithful. This is a cone geyser which is highly predictable and usually erupts every 44 minutes to 2 hours.
Below the webcam, there are a few resources your students may like to use to enhance their knowledge, including a worksheet to help them predict the geyser’s next eruption! Now, if that’s not bringing geography to life, we’re not sure what is!
And if your geography students enjoyed their ‘trip’ to Yellowstone National Park, then they’ll also enjoy a ‘trip’ to Yosemite National Park, where they can explore granite domes and cliffs, meadows and waterfalls.
Want even more geography?
Google Arts & Culture offer a variety of adventures exploring National Parks from Alaska to Hawaii, with rangers as your guides.
See the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, the volcanoes of Hawaii, the glaciers of Alaska, the caves of New Mexico and the coral reefs of Florida!
It’s possible to enjoy virtual tours of many of the museums and chapels of Vatican City. This is a great way for religious studies students to see for themselves the power and wealth of the Catholic Church.
Vatican City is also home to some of the most famous masterpieces of Western art, so this will be of interest to art students too. Of course, the highlight for many will be the spectacular Sistine Chapel.
If your students do happen to have a VR headset at home, they’ll be pleased to learn that these virtual tours are compatible.
If you have any animal lovers among your students, then they’ll love the live cams at San Diego Zoo. They can watch penguins, polar bears, baboons, elephants and tigers, among others. Warning – it can be highly addictive watching these incredible creatures, so this might make for a great treat at the end of the day!
Like many museums and art galleries around the world, the Louvre has closed its doors to visitors. But you can still explore some of its exhibits by taking one of its virtual tours!
This is a fantastic opportunity for art students to see some incredible pieces from Rembrandt, Tintoretto and Delacroix, as well as some spectacular Egyptian antiquities. You can zoom in on the artworks to study them more carefully, and there’s even a description telling you more about it – this is in French, which could be great practice if your students are also learning French!
Explore Tokyo and the Tohoku region of Japan with a range of 360° virtual reality videos. You can explore Japan’s seasons, restaurants and cuisine, winter sports, shopping, summer festivals and much, much more!
This is a great opportunity to explore a beautiful, fascinating country on the other side of the world.
If exploring Tokyo has given your students a taste for virtual travel, they may also enjoy a ‘trip’ to the Great Wall of China, one of the greatest monuments in the world!
We hope your students enjoy some of these virtual reality trips. For more ideas, the MCN (formerly, Museum Computer Network) has some great suggestions.