You’re lying on your comfortable sun lounger looking at an inviting sparkling blue sea as a light breeze drifts through the air making the bright sunshine comfortable to relax in; you’ve got a long, cool drink in one hand, while the other rests behind your head, you’re feeling totally relaxed and you think “This is the best vacation that I’ve ever been on.” In reality, your work deadlines, kids’ school exams and ash cloud, not to mention your fear of flying, are all keeping you grounded and the closest that you’re getting to a sparkling blue sea is a Saturday afternoon at Mellieha Bay before the tourists hit the scene.

However, it seems that help is at hand as one of the latest fads for people who are keen to interrupt the routine of their daily lives is to experience an online vacation. While not quite the same thing as going on holiday, it is possible to visit a new place without having to hassle about flight prices, luggage restrictions and airport delays. How? Virtual holidays is the answer.

Websites such as www.armchair-travel.com and www.holidaysfromhome.co.uk both offer their viewers the chance to experience a new destination from the comfort of their home so I decided to go on holiday with both these sites to fully experience the services that they offer.

I chose to cross halfway around the world with www.armchair-travel.com and headed to India’s Taj Mahal; I’d never been there so it seemed like a good place to start.

The website itself is rather unattractive, is covered in ads and has a very small sized font, so it’s not quite user-friendly; however, I managed to enter the Taj Mahal (which opened in a new window) and was quite impressed with the detail that I saw. I experienced a 360 degree view of the Taj Mahal and via clear arrow signage I could move around the palace, both inside and outside.

Apart from touring the place, there are also videos available that explain the history behind certain features of the Taj Mahal, such as The Dome of the Mausoleum, The Minaret and the Muezzin and others. Other places that I had the option of visiting included Kew Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, London’s Houses of Parliament, Tredegar House in Wales, Berlin, Oman and Normandy D-Day Beaches.

Holidaysfromhome’s website is much more appealing to the eye and appears to be of a higher standard although the choice there is limited as there are only three available holidays – Australia, New York and Chocolate! Being female and a confirmed chocoholic it’s only understandable that I opt for the Chocolate destination.

What I am able to get is a preview, as for the full deal I’m going to have to pay £19.99. There is a free taster available that includes sound clips of a noisy airport and a plane taking off, to get you into the mood of travelling. After that the introduction to the Chocolate holiday shows a box of delicious-looking chocolates in a branded box and states:

“Love chocolate? Sit and enjoy delicious chocolates while you experience every stage of the chocolate journey, from bean to bar. The holiday stops off at Saint Lucia, Mexico and Belgium. There’s even a chance to taste samples and try some delicious chocolate recipes. The Chocolate Holiday comes with the specially written virtual guide book, a selection of chocolates and cocoa bean products. Perfect for chocolate lovers!”

So it appears that you will actually receive these chocolates to fully experience the holiday that you are about to embark on.

From the preview I discover that this holiday is also informative and educational as I am taken to St. Lucia where my guide Louis shows me cocoa trees and I find out that the sweet, brown chocolate we all know and love actually starts out growing in pods on tall trees.

This type of virtual holiday definitely helps to encourage people to jet off on the actual holiday so it could definitely be something that holiday operators might want to invest in as part of their marketing strategy.

The expansive reach of the Internet seems to have no boundaries so being able to ‘travel virtually’ comes as no surprise. However, can it really replace the experience of physical travelling? Admittedly I’m skeptical because ultimately seeing images or videos of places that you would like to visit, still remain merely images and videos. Your surroundings don’t actually change; you will still be in your living room when your ‘journey’ ends with chores waiting to be done and dinner to be prepared.

However I can definitely see the value in going on one of these trips before physically travelling to the place – it’s a lot more interactive and interesting than reading a guide book. Until then, you could give one of these trips as a present to the person who already has everything (and we all know someone like that).

Published in TECHNOLOGY SUPPLEMENT, The Sunday Times – May 23, 2010