WASHINGTON: Jem Jenkins Jones was stuck at home in Wales for much of the past year amid pandemic lockdowns but managed to fulfill a promise to her 10-year-old daughter to see the northern lights from Iceland and South Africa’s game reserves – in virtual reality.
“She was amazed,” she said, calling the VR travel experiences “a lifesaver for us”.
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Erdt sits in her living room and travels to foreign cities virtually using her Oculus headset. She lives in Portland, Oregon, but with VR, ‘I like to walk around my sister’s town in Wallingford, England, occasionally because I can’t be there.’ — AFP
Erdt, who administers a Facebook group of VR users, said there are ‘some great travel experiences’ in virtual reality, which can be remarkably realistic. — AFP
This illustration picture shows a virtual road trip on a computer and the travel application logo from Alcove displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia. — AFP
Alcove claims it enables users to visit exotic locales such as Australia’s coral reef or the island of Malta, while adding a ‘shared’ experience which enables people to interact and even ‘lead’ a family member without the technical skills to navigate in a VR headset. — AFP
With VR, those confined to their homes can take a virtual jaunt to Machu Picchu, the rainforests of Borneo or a road trip across the United States in a convertible. — AFP
Erdt said she once sat at a VR poker table at 1 am with a guy in Australia who was eating KFC (chicken). ‘I could hear his KFC crunch. It was a trip.’ — AFP
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