Desperate to go abroad without worrying about traffic light systems and PCR tests? We take a look at just how virtual reality can improve our travel experiences…
If the last year has taught us anything, it is just how much travel means to us. While we used to be able to book a last-minute flight without a care in the world and hop to any country we liked within a short few hours, this has all been taken away from us. Instead, we have been introduced to a world of PCR tests, Green, Amber and Red lists, quarantines and rocketing prices. This lack of travel and stimulation that it has offered, has had many of us dreaming of the days when we can go abroad again. While we are still waiting for the borders to reopen and life to go back to normal, it has us looking for different ways to get our culture fix from overseas. Here are some top ways that virtual reality can improve the travel industry…
It can show you how hotels really look
One of the main parts of a trip away is your hotel and if you end up somewhere that is completely unlike what you expect, it can ruin your holiday. We’ve all been in a situation where we have looked through a brochure, only to see images online and be surprised at home different it looks. With VR you can place on a headset and go on a virtual tour around the hotel, discovering exactly what it looks like. You no longer have to just rely on images that can manipulate a location or show hotels in a better light than they are. You can easily see the facilities, if it suits your requirements and whether you like the feel of the hotel before you spend money on booking it.
It can transport you to faraway places when you can’t travel there physically
One of the best things about travel is that it offers a form of escapism. After all, when you have been dealing with a stressful time at work, all you can dream of is stepping onto a white sandy beach with crystal clear waters. With VR you can place a headset on and be transported to anywhere in the world. Budget and border restrictions are no longer an issue. You can wander the most stunning desert planes in Egypt, see the northern lights in Iceland or wander around the base of the Eiffel Tower.
Jenny Colebourn, the Gatherings Product Manager at Mesmerise says about Virtual Reality and travel, “VR allows you to explore and immersive yourself in a new way, a way that’s not possible with 2D content or video. It’s very difficult to appreciate or understand what it feels like to be in a totally different place just from 2D videos and pictures. VR allows people to visit a new place for a few minutes, so they can truly feel what it’s like to be present there.”
It can help people to get over their fear of flying
According to stratosjets.com, between 33% and 40% of all people experience some form of anxiety when it comes to flying. This can range from mild anxiety to fear that is so crippling it prevents them from travelling via plane. If this is the case, it can severely restrict where you go in the world and many people miss out on things they want to do as they are so uncomfortable with the method of transport. Luckily, VR is a great way to help people get over their fear of flying. VR can place people in the airport, going through the motions of catching a flight. This can get them used to it and see that flying is not as scary as they might have built up in their heads. They can practice at home and prepare themselves, learning coping mechanisms to help them get on a real flight in order to head abroad.
These are just a few simple ways that VR can help to improve travel. While VR is still in relatively early days, the possibilities it presents are endless and we can’t wait to see just how many industries it can revolutionise.
