Virtual Reality Vacations

The Google Cultural Institute released 1,000-gigapixel images of famous paintings from museums around the world, including works by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet. You can zoom in on the images and see the details of brushstrokes and even paint layers.

Adventure outfitter Mountain Travel Sobek is collaborating with JauntVR to produce virtual reality travel films. The first video in the series headed to Machu Picchu, where you can take the Salkantay Trek through Peru's most famous sites including the famous ruins.

A VR app named Ascape takes you on 360-degree video and photo tours of places like Disneyland Hong Kong.

In partnership with Samsung Electronics Australia and Rapid VR, Hamilton Island created a three-dimensional, 360-degree interactive vision that gives travelers the ability to depart their everyday reality and experience Hamilton Island from their phones.

You can fly with the pilots in the cockpit of a Qantas jet as it lands at Hamilton Island airport, relax at the world-class luxurious resort qualia, swim with sea turtles and an abundance of tropical marine life in the Great Barrier Reef, play golf at Hamilton Island’s Championship golf course, enjoy breathtaking aerial views from a helicopter tour over the iconic heart reef, and sail to the magnificent Whitehaven Beach on a yacht.

Lufthansa's YouTube page hosts several 360-degree on-location videos of Beijing, Hong Kong, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. The 46-second clips let you pan around a landmark area in the city, like Lombard Street in San Francisco. Good news is you don’t need a special VR viewer.

One British Columbia tourism agency started a multimedia experience named “Wild Within” that lets you explore the incredible nature the region has to offer. Viewers can venture through the Broughton Archipelago of the Great Bear Rainforest.

If looking at pictures of the blue waters and sandy beaches of Hawaii isn't enough to give you a mini escape, then these incredible 360 aerial views of Oahu, Kauai, Big Island, Maui, Molokai and Lanai should be. With the VT Hawaii tecnology you can explore the exotic landscapes and famous beaches.

Very few of us will ever actually set foot in the southernmost part of the world—making it the perfect place to take a virtual vacation. The folks over at Shakleton 100 have taken on the challenge and created a 360-degree, interactive video to help you explore parts of the continent.

Google Maps can show you places from the road outside your home to the far reaches of the earth. One of the coolest spots is their recent addition of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. You can go on safari through the park and actually spot wild animals like you would if you were there.

Now you can wander through the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History without dealing with the crowds. Venture through the hallways to explore the famous exhibits, and check out the butterfly garden. You even can take a look at past exhibits, something you wouldn’t be able to do in person.