How I Travelled Around the World without Leaving My Home

For as long as I can remember, I've saved all my disposable income for travel. But with borders around the world closing and social distancing now a common practice, I've been feeling a bit like I'm grounded. The earth has sent us all to our rooms and we have no choice but to oblige.

I'll have to admit. When my sister sent a message to our MEXICO2020 WhatsApp group chat saying she had received a notice from our airline about cancelling our trip, grey clouds loomed over me for the rest of the day. This was supposed to be my first-ever beach vacation.

The wanderlust in me was slowly and painfully starting to die – until my colleague came to the rescue. She shared an article that lists trips you can virtually take around the world. I was intrigued yet skeptical. Was this going to be a big spoiler for when I finally do get to travel again? Plus, I thought, virtual travel could never be the same as exploring these places in person. In the end, the desperate travel junkie in me won out, and I decided to give it a shot.

Upon reading and searching further, I found myself in a rabbit hole of immersive and highly informative tours that left me amazed. For instance, did you know that Google Arts & Culture partnered with 2,000 world-renowned museums and galleries to offer sneak peeks of their collections? Excitedly, I showed all this to my husband and, within just a few clicks, we were standing on the Great Wall of China's bumpy pathway watching the sunset over the rolling mountains.

We didn't stop there. Next, we went to Paris, where we explored the beautiful hallways of the Louvre, observing collections of Egyptian artifacts from the Pharaonic period. At the Palace of Versailles, we admired the opulent gold decor in the king and queen's chambers, and learned about the daily routines of royals circa the 1700s. In Agra, India, we watched the Taj Mahal's white marble exterior change colours as shades of light reflected off it differently as dawn turned to dusk.

My favourite was Google's The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks series, which allowed us to take an underground tour of a lava tube and fly over an active volcano in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. We also visited the largest cave chamber in North America (as big as six football fields!) and got to experience life as a bat in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico.

My virtual trip around the world has left me energized and inspired – and all the more ready for the real thing, when the time comes. I now appreciate each of these destinations on a deeper level, and am motivated anew to work toward my favourite financial goal: travel.

On Our Minds is a regular feature written by RBC Direct Investing's Inspired Investor content team.