The new staycation

A live tour of the Pyramids of Giza with Egyptologist guide Ahmed Zaki

Walking along the cobbled streets of London, learning salsa in New York City, haggling in the floating markets of Venice or soaking in views of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Feels like a distant bucket list? Fret not, for while we wait for travelling to return to a more easy-going experience, you can slip into armchair traveller mode to explore your favourite destinations around the world with live tours and 360-degree virtual and augmented reality experiences.

Expedia

Hop on and off the Paris bus. Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Seine River, skip the line and go straight into the Louvre museum, and discover the old-world charm of Le Marais. Expedia has a range of live virtual tours by local guides and semi-recorded webinars with interactive features like videos and polls.

Log on to expedia.com
Cost $17 to $150

Qua Qua

Qua Qua uses 360-degree virtual reality across its 6,000 videos that feature 200 global cities and 1,500 points of interest. You can visit multiple countries in a day with the virtual immersive experience. If you have VR glasses or headsets, you are in for a visual treat. The website lets you choose between a day or night view. If you find yourself standing by the bank of a canal and spot a temple behind you, all you have to do is click on it. And voila! You are inside the temple and watching a video about its history and other interesting anecdotes. While these videos are now free, Qua Qua intends to commence charging a fee for these tours.

Log on to quaqua.com

tourHQ

A live tour of the Pyramids of Giza with Egyptologist guide Ahmed Zaki

Have you explored the lesser seen sides of Egypt? With the camera focusing on attractions over an interactive Zoom call, an expert guide will share facts about hidden alleys, regional dance forms and local cuisine. The guide will regale you with interesting stories and tips as well. With over 180 online experiences spanning continents, tourHQ'S most popular virtual trip is a wildlife safari in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Naturalist Kelvin Zulu drives you deep into the jungles where you can spot impalas, elephants, hippos, baboons, leopards and lions. There's an outside chance you may even catch a predator chasing and devouring its meal.

Log on to tourhq.com
Cost $9 to $100

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