15 Virtual Reality Apps That Let You See the World Without Leaving Your Couch

You may be an avid traveler, but you’re physically incapable of seeing all the places in the world you want to see in your lifetime. Perhaps you cannot travel due to mobility or financial reasons, or you just want to check out a place before you spend money. Whatever the logic, virtual reality is here to save the day. Without leaving your living room, you could find yourself exploring the British Museum or the pyramids in Egypt. Unlike just watching videos of these places, virtual reality provides an immersive experience, making it feel like you’re actually there. The best part is you don’t have to deal with the crowds or fork out the cash for the trip.

That’s not the only benefit. Plenty of historical places are in danger from over-tourism, so you’ll be doing high tourist-dense destinations a favor by preserving your physical traffic from their sites. You’ll also be able to plan better for future trips by experiencing where you’re going via VR, so let’s look at some already available apps to explore the world.

1. Street View VR

Most of us have heard of Google Street View. You go to Google Maps, drag the little yellow guy to the location you want to check out, and you can see images of the place. This comes in handy when traveling to a new destination because you know what to look for when you arrive. You can also get a feel for the place you’re going.

Street View VR is the virtual reality version of that. Go to Street View as usual using your smartphone and virtual reality headset. You’ll find an icon on the lower right-hand side for 360-degree views. You can check out famous landmarks from the comfort of your home.

2. Navitaire by Amadeus

Amadeus is one of the leading travel booking platforms that travel agents use. They’ve developed a virtual reality app that allows you to check out everything for your trip. Instead of looking at a diagram of a plane to choose your seats, you can walk onto the aircraft and see which seats look best for you.

You can check out the interior of hotel rooms and rental cars before you leave home and lock in a booking. This app is relatively new and is aimed at travel agents rather than the general public.

3. Apollo 11 VR Experience

Image Credit: Immersive VR Education Ltd.

One of the best things about VR is that it doesn’t limit where you can go. For example, you can check out the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in VR, complete with stunning visuals and audio recordings from the mission.

You can be right there, walking on the moon during this historic event. The experience can be downloaded from Steam.

4. Titanic VR

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, you can hang out with the crew and go down with the ship. Then, you can explore the shipwreck.

It has over six hours of interactive experiences that give you a first-hand experience of what it must have been like in those final moments. It’s available on Steam for $19.99, or you can bundle it with Apollo 11 VR for $22.48.

5. Melckmeyt Shipwreck

“It was a dark and stormy night…” Nothing good ever starts with that sentence, and that’s exactly the same as the story of the Dutch Melckmeyt (Milkmaid) ship. It went down in Icelandic waters during the 17th century. However, don’t let that stop you. Take a tour of the ship with your VR headset.

You can find this VR experience on YouTube and hook your headset up to check out the wreckage. You don’t even have to hold your breath, though the amazing site may take your breath away.

6. VTime XR

You may have noticed this has XR in the title instead of VR. That’s because the developers class it as a “cross-reality social network.” You can connect with friends and fellow travelers in virtual destinations worldwide. It lets you explore, chat, and share experiences in immersive environments.

Meta Quest and its subsequent versions support this app.

7. Wander

Image Credit: Parkline Interactive, LLC.

Not only can you visit destinations that have been on your bucket list for years, but you can also time travel to them to see how they’ve changed over the years. The good news is that you don’t have to go alone. You can choose multiplayer mode to travel with a friend.

It also has speech recognition for easier searching and access to Wikipedia, so you can learn a little about the destinations you visit.

8. Tripp VR

Many of us go on vacation to relax. Tripp VR takes it a step further by allowing you to visit worldwide destinations and immerse yourself in a world of wellness while you’re at it. Imagine experiencing meditation and mindfulness exercises anywhere in the world. That would make the working week a little more bearable.

It works with most VR headsets and is available via a monthly or yearly subscription.

9. Nature Treks VR

Don’t get attacked by mosquitos and other creepy crawlies this summer — take a virtual nature trek instead. Relax and unwind in virtual nature, which offers a selection of serene environments and tranquil experiences. You can even do it with a friend.

It’s available on Oculus, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

10. Google Arts & Culture VR

Imagine exploring art galleries and museums from anywhere in the world. While a physical trip would allow you a limited time in these places, you can explore them virtually with the Google Arts and Culture VR app without a time crunch. You can even zoom in to see artworks up close and listen to informative museum curators.

In addition, you can travel back in time to look around places like the Temple of Zeus in Greece or witness the building of the Statue of Liberty. For this experience, your VR headset needs to be Daydream-ready. You can download the app via the app store.

11. National Geographic Explore VR

National Geographic is best known for its breathtaking photography, compelling storytelling, and exploration of the world’s cultures, nature, and science. So extending that experience into a virtual reality one makes a lot of sense.

This app is for those who love the idea of adventure travel but would instead do it from their living rooms. You can virtually climb mountains, hang out with alpacas, and more.

12. theBlu

Immerse yourself in underwater experiences that are not humanly possible with our lung capacity. Explore coral reefs, say hello to sharks, and swim with a green sea turtle.

You can check out a trailer for the adventure on YouTube and bring your Nemo dreams to reality. This VR experience is free to download from Steam.

13. Rebuilding Notre Dame

People worldwide were shocked when they learned about the fire that destroyed part of the 861-year-old UNESCO heritage building. Surprisingly, photogrammetry had just taken place weeks before the fire.

This 17-minute virtual video experience by Targo will show you the interior of the cathedral before and after the fire and can be viewed on Oculus’ website.

14. BRINK Traveler

From Death Valley to Arches National Park, Mount Whitney to Iceland’s Háifoss waterfall, BRINK Traveler transports you to 12 distinct locales. The itinerary will be expanded in the future to include more destinations. In the meantime, experience nature and even take virtual still shots of the stunning scenery.

This app stands out for its state-of-the-art photogrammetry and is available on Oculus Quest, Rift, and Steam.

15. When We Stayed Home

Is it too soon to say “lockdown”? The very word causes a shudder. However, while the world was learning how to make sourdough and hoarding toilet paper, a few people went out with their cameras, capturing scenes of places that would usually be crowded.

You can check places like Paris and Venice, wandering the empty streets while listening to residents’ commentary. This VR experience is available on YouTube.