Travel Virtually Anywhere

Today, I've seen the Eiffel Tower, checked out recent earthquakes near and peered into Mount Saint Helens. I saw cousin Nancy's house in Minden, LA after swooping in from the Amalfi Coast. Big Ben was amazing, but so was revisiting Central, Hong Kong. Travelling sure has gotten easier, at least, virtually.

In case you haven't guessed, I visited all of the above sights with GoogleEarth. Right now, I'm looking at the new World Islands that were created off the coast of Dubai. One of them looks just like a sand dollar. I'd sure like to go to Dubai someday, but this is far easier. In fact, who wants to actually TRAVEL (long lines, lost baggage, another language) when you can VIRTUALLY travel to any destination in the world? I mean, the hassle of packing and loading- and when you get there, who knows what the weather will be like, the people could be rude, the food might be overpriced and tough.

Here is my recipe for stress free travel (and a more controlled experience)

Download GoogleEarth. Learn how to use it- rotate, zoom, etc.
Pick a destination. Your only limit is your imagination, and the earth itself.
For a truly authentic experience, go to your local grocery store and buy some sort of Americanized food to eat while travelling. For example, if you want to visit the Great Wall of China, you might pick up some fortune cookies (preferably chocolate dipped- just like in China!)

This way, you can avoid dirty cities, weird people, and culture. Travelling is about seeing the sights, not experiencing the culture. Oh wait, I forgot, travelling is actually not about the sights... it's about meeting people, it's about learning about other cultures. I guess I'll have to book myself an airline ticket to get that experience, but if you're satisfied with seeing the sights alone, cancel the tour and download GoogleEarth.