Whenever you are traveling, one of the things that you can rarely control is what lighting you will have for your photography. Whether it is the lighting inside of building that was never meant to have electrical lighting or the direction of the sun from where you are viewing an area. Obviously, we all try to take advantage of good lighting when it exists and minimize the impact of poor lighting when we can’t control it. We rarely have the time during a trip to try and plan to visit a place when the lighting is at its best, so we fall into the camp of people who take pictures of their trips versus trying to create the perfect photograph. That doesn’t mean that using the “point and click” approach doesn’t sometimes produce wonderful photographs and it is also why we take so many pictures during a trip in the hopes that a percentage of them turn out the way we wanted them to.
Eiffel Tower from the Seine Fountain Lights in Piazza Navona in RomeLights on the Streets of ViennaLight and Shadows in Cochabamba, Bolivia Inadvertently Capturing Our Shadow in IcelandShadows Across a Trail in Colorado
While nothing can ever replace experiencing a location for yourself, there are many places that offer people the opportunity to take virtual tours. In this digital age with advanced technologies, companies and museums are able to take hundreds of photographs and combine them together such that all of the people are removed and you can explore the location as if you were completely by yourself. Especially in today’s world with limited travel opportunities, it can be a way to continue to discover new places.
The Parthenon in the Acropolis of Athens, GreeceStanding in Front of the Louvre in Paris
Generally speaking, we have only used virtual tours prior to going to a location in order to give us a sense of what we might see when we get there. No virtual tour can truly give you a sense of the size of location or let you see it under specific circumstances like at sunset. As much as a virtual tour might let you walk in the Acropolis in Athens or stand before the Great Pyramid in Giza outside of Cairo, going there yourself is always going to be a better experience.
The Great Sphinx Walking the Vatican Museum Halls
Of all of the places that you can see using a virtual tour, museums are probably the best experience. You can stand in front of your favorite painting for as long as you want or walk around a famous sculpture without having to maneuver your way through the crowds. In many cases, the images of the artwork are almost as good as seeing it for yourself. It still won’t truly give you a sense of the overwhelming sense of walking through museums like the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, or the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, but it is better than flipping through pages in a book.
The Mona LisaEnormous Statues Inside the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
In the same way that many of us grew up reading articles in National Geographic or watching travelogue shows to get us excited about traveling, future generations will like take advantage of virtual tours to control the experience for themselves. Hopefully it will serve as inspiration and not a replacement to the actual experience itself. What are your thoughts on virtual tours, would you recommend them to others?
You Can’t Virtually Ride a Camel at the PyramidsWe Were Very Happy to Visit the Acropolis
We have written several times over the past three to four years about how travel has impacted our lives. Looking back at the way we have viewed how travel influences our lives is as interesting in some ways as the actual travel has been. It is important to reflect upon the actual act of traveling as it is the experiences that come from travel. Here is a chronological look at the different articles we have written about travel in general.
Sitting at a Restaurant in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain
January 2016 – Shared Travel Memories. One of our early posts where we discuss traveling as a couple.
Lighthouse on the Northern Coast of Africa in Morocco
July 2017 – Do You Have a Specific Travel Goal. We shared our thoughts on having very specific goals for our travels and what we would consider to be our ultimate travel goal.
View of the Prague Castle Complex
August 2017 – There is Always One More Place to See. No matter how many places you go, you can always find different countries, cities, regions, or specific sites that you would like to visit.
At the Louvre in Paris
November 2017 – Every Trip Makes You a Smarter Traveler. We looked back at our first out of country experience and how different we travel now than we did then.
February 2019 – What Do You Hope to Get From Traveling. Regardless of the reason for your travel, it has an impact on you, so we explore the benefits of various travel styles.
Paddling in a Small Canoe in the Amazon
March 2019 – Our Traveler Evolution. Exploring the various phases our travel style has gone through over the years.
Standing in Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) in Transylvania
February 2020 – What Was Your Wanderlust Moment? We looked back at the trip that influenced the way that we have traveled since that experience.
Halong Bay in Vietnam
March 2020 – Travel in an Uncertain World. In a world where things are continuously changing, travel is often impacted, but especially in today’s world.
