Virtually explore new places during the lockdown
Most of us are currently staying at home to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus, which is the right thing to do. For those who are essential to the economy and must continue going out to work, we appreciate your efforts and the risks you take.
However I’m sure many of you are dreaming, as I do, of the day when cities and borders reopen, and we can go out again. Not only for our jobs, but also to exercise, explore the world and visit new places.
While we wait for that day to arrive, there are Youtube channels to help you simulate the experience — though nothing beats the real thing. When putting this list together, I had four requirements to make the experience as realistic as possible:
- high video resolution — so you can watch this on TV and feel immersed in the location
- no or little background music — I find hearing the actual noises of the place — traffic, people talking around the camera, waves on the beach — helps immersion
- no commentary
- camera at head height
7 Youtube channels I recommend
Some videos have sound recorded on two microphones (called binaural audio) to give the sound “direction”. You can hear cars passing on the right while people talk on the left, for example. Use headphones for the best experience.
Prowalk Tours — a mix of walking tours, mainly focused on Italian cities. Some music/commentary for the intro, but natural sounds afterward.
Wanderlust Travel Videos —very good videos from cities in Asia, especially Vietnam and the Philippines. It also includes walks of nature trails, as well as a couple of indoor videos from museums. No music or commentary.
Wind Walk Travel Videos — focused on American cities, excellent sound and video quality. Includes some driving videos. No background music or commentary.
Living Walks — UK and European cities, including tours of less well-known small towns. No background music or commentary.
World Nature Video — a great mix of content for cycling or jogging. More focused on the “workout” aspect, so videos have background music. Frequent posts from all around the world.
4K Relaxation Channel — absolutely beautiful nature and scenery, great video quality. These are documentaries with no commentary, but some music during drone shots. Intended more for general relaxation than exercise.
Relaxing Soundzzz — another relaxation/focus type channel. You can have it running on TV while you’re working on the couch, for example. Long static videos from beaches or forests, where sounds are the main highlight.
Enjoy your virtual exploration!
