Travel Journals
Is virtual travel here to stay, even after the pandemic subsides?
This Earth Day, people who usually celebrate by heading outdoors might need to rely on virtual tours instead. It will be a fitting opportunity to experience a technology that some experts have advanced as an eco-friendly solution to the problem of overtourism.
With about 90 percent of the world under a travel restriction, many would-be adventurers are turning to virtual reality (VR) to bring them to Machu Picchu or the Galápagos Islands. The potential for this technology to ease tourism’s carbon footprint is clear, underscored by some of the unexpected ecological benefits the coronavirus lockdown has surfaced—including cleaner air and water.
Even as it has eased pollution, the pandemic has been devastating for the tourism industry. But will interest in traveling virtually last beyond the pandemic? And will VR technology sustain growing interest?
More than a gimmick
For years, airlines, travel agencies, and tourism boards have used VR technology to market destinations to potential customers. Now, “the impact of COVID-19 may allow [virtual reality] to shake off its image of being a gimmick,” says Ralph Hollister, a tourism analyst at Global Data and author of a report on the VR travel industry.
Virtual travel experiences are seeing a surge in popularity. Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel company Ascape, has seen app downloads grow 60 percent from December (traditionally the busiest month) and double since January. The company has fielded increasing interest from educators and those working in nursing homes, Kondruk says, even as the airlines and travel agencies that usually license Ascape’s VR content have paused their accounts.
Photograph by Jonathan Irish, National Geographic Image Collection
Related: Had to cancel your vacation? Here’s what to do next.
Still, there’s a big gap between using virtual reality to “try before you buy” and treating virtual reality like the destination itself. To start with, the technology isn’t ready yet. 360-degree virtual reality videos are usually experienced through a headset (like Oculus Rift) or an app (like Google Cardboard). The headsets are expensive, heavy, can cause nausea, and aren’t comfortable to wear for more than 30 minutes. The apps have none of these problems, but simply aren’t as impressive, says Hollister.
Limited sensations are another hurdle. The videos focus on sounds and sights but can’t do much with smell, touch, or taste, and VR experiences tend to only be a few minutes long—hardly the equivalent of a two-week vacation in Spain. Of course, some researchers are working on ever-more-immersive VR features, including haptic suits, says Samuel Greengard, author of Virtual Reality. But while creating a full-body suit with enhanced sensory experiences might make a video of the Amazon or Antarctica more realistic, it still doesn’t fulfill the deeper needs that compel us to travel.
Roaming instinct
Tourists aren’t locals, and they aren’t business travelers. Tourists tend to be less directed in their explorations and more focused on new experiences and discoveries. “This simply can’t be recreated in virtual reality,” says Erick Ramirez, a philosopher at Santa Clara University who studies VR.
He compares the future of virtual travel to a classic thought experiment: Imagine that you could hook yourself up to an “experience machine” and simply feel happy forever. Philosopher Robert Nozick, who developed the experiment, “thinks nobody would want to be hooked up to such a thing,” Ramirez says. “I do think that there are some kinds of tourist experiences where the value in them is in the doing, not just in the seeing and hearing, and it’ll be tough for VR to replicate.”
We not only want to do things, we want to be the ones deciding what to do. On a fundamental level, virtual travel is constructed and fed to us; we see a world only to the extent that someone was able to film and engineer it. It is, as Ramirez puts it, “the most authoritarian of guided tours.”
Photograph by Sylvain Sonnet, Getty Images
Someone going to India for real can decide where to go and what to see. They can be surprised by themselves and by what they learn. Someone going to India via video might never see aspects that a VR production company obscures in order to create a more pleasant experience. “A tour that Elon Musk—just to pick on somebody—might design would look very different from what a working-class Indian living in India might design,” Ramirez says. “It’s important to keep that in mind as we go into these touristy VR experiences.”
Related: Meet the Indian women taking on a male-dominated travel industry.
For my part, I experienced VR travel in 2015, using Oculus to demo a short tour of the north coast of Vancouver, British Columbia. The demo was beautiful and looked similar to the real place, which I visited four years later. In other ways, though, there was little comparison. Part of the difference was sensual: the air was cold on my skin and I could touch the water. But much of the difference was the specificity of my own actual visit. In person, the experience was happening only to me, I had full control over what I was able to hear and see—and if I wanted, I could see and choose something else.
A green lining
Photograph by Idealink Photography, Alamy Stock Photo
Virtual reality may never replace traditional travel, but it still offers intriguing possibilities. If the technology becomes sophisticated enough, the more environmentally conscious among us—especially those aiming to reduce our carbon footprint (or people sensitive to flight-shaming)—might prefer this form of escape. VR travel does bring parts of the world to people who are physically unable to visit certain landmarks. Most of all, it could help bring people to places that are otherwise inaccessible.
Southern France is the site of some of the world’s earliest cave paintings, which are closed to the public because the Palaeolithic works are so delicate. Yet only four miles from the original a complete replica is on view. Ramirez suggests that virtual reality could be applied in a similar way—and even more accessible way—to sites around the world. Hollister, from Global Data, agrees that VR can play a unique role in recreating historic attractions. And Kondruk, the CEO of Ascape, says that the company has been working with Vietravel, a major Vietnamese travel agency, on recreating areas of the country where the government has limited tourist travel.
Related: See mesmerizing photos of Vietnam from above.
Ultimately, the impact of virtual reality on travel will be determined by the evolution and application of new technologies. So far, advances have been incremental—and not at a scale that is likely to disrupt the travel industry or support a drop in travel-related carbon emissions after the pandemic has ended. But just as travel platforms, from print to social media, offer some of the discoveries of actual exploration, virtual reality might bring faraway places closer—and in so doing encourage travelers to embrace sustainable practices wherever they choose to go (or not go) in the future.
Related: Scale the biggest trees on EarthDeep inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, a team of scientists are studying how these 3,000-year-old trees are reacting to sudden climate change.
In a world where travel has become increasingly immediate and customizable, expectations are at an all-time high. Modern travelers want experiences that are seamless, high-quality, and tailored to their preferences.
While online booking platforms promise convenience, they often leave too much to chance. This is where the travel club model stands apart. Offering a balance of personalization and predictability, travel clubs provide value that’s hard to match.
Personalized Planning Without The Guesswork
For many travelers, the hardest part of planning a vacation isn’t the destination‒it’s trusting that what they book will deliver. With a travel club, members avoid the trial-and-error of online listings and unvetted properties. Clubs focus on curating consistent experiences, combining destination expertise with member-oriented service.
Legendary Vacation Club is a family-owned business with five decades in international hospitality that has embraced this approach. By operating in high-demand locations like Los Cabos, Riviera Maya, and Punta Cana, LVC provides members with access to trusted properties and on-the-ground support, making personalized vacation planning less stressful and more reliable.
Long-Term Value in a Price-Driven Market
On-demand platforms often compete on price, but the trade-off is inconsistent service and surprise fees. A travel club, on the other hand, is designed around long-term value. Membership gives travelers access to preferred rates, special perks, and priority booking, all without sacrificing quality.
In competitive regions like Cancun and Vallarta, Legendary Vacation Club offers a distinct advantage. Members enjoy access to exclusive properties, including its Hard Rock resorts, all of which have earned the prestigious RCI Gold Crown award. These distinctions reflect not just luxury, but consistent delivery of service, something discount sites rarely guarantee.
Trust Built Through Proven Hospitality Standards
One of the strongest advantages of the travel club model is the trust it builds over time. For repeat travelers, the ability to return to known properties with reliable service is invaluable. Unlike one-off bookings, club memberships foster long-term relationships between travelers and providers, encouraging a higher standard of care.
In an industry where attention to detail defines the guest experience, long-term trust is one of the most valuable assets a club can offer. Legendary Vacation Club exemplifies this through its Riviera Maya location, where the Unico Hotel received the U.S. News & World Report Award in 2021.
Such accolades are more than symbolic. They signal a depth of operational experience that translates directly into member satisfaction.
A Better Way To Travel in a High-Expectation World
The rise of on-demand services has changed how people approach travel, but not always for the better. The travel club model offers something that algorithms and price filters can’t: a structured, member-first experience rooted in consistency, quality, and care.
For travelers looking to escape the uncertainty of one-size-fits-all solutions, a well-established club can provide a far more dependable alternative.
As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, the value of being part of a curated, experience-driven travel model becomes increasingly clear. For many, it’s no longer about just going somewhere. It’s about how well you’re taken care of when you get there.
Tech-enabled travel company Travel Counsellors has reported record £566m H1 revenues.
The Manchester firm saw 10% year-on-year growth in the six months ended 30th April 2025 as sales broke £500m for the first time, with Travel Counsellors citing growing demand for personalised travel advice.
The firm added 149 new travel advisors to its community, taking the business to more than 2,206 at the period end.
Summer 2025 is also set to be another strong season for the company with bookings across the peak summer season – July and August – 11% ahead of the comparable time last year, it added.
“We’re seeing increased demand from millennial customers for cruise and adventure travel,” said Steve Byrne, CEO. “This demonstrates this generation’s preferences for premium and differentiated travel experiences.
“These are consumers who want more than just a holiday – they want peace of mind, personalised experiences, and meaningful, memorable journeys.
“During the first half of the year we’ve continued to experience good growth across the business, which is once again a firm demonstration of the strength of our differentiated strategy and was underpinned by the record number of customers who trusted Travel Counsellors with their leisure and corporate travel needs.”
Travel Counsellors has also maintained its five-star Trustpilot rating, recently reaching 10,000 reviews.
“This is a strong testament to our customer-first culture that runs through everything we do,” said Byrne.
“It’s for this reason that more than two thirds of our customers come to us through word-of-mouth referrals – which is a strong endorsement of the level of care we provide.
“We are focused on continuing to disrupt the travel market over the coming years through superb, personalised service and our scalable, relevant, and differentiated business model.”
A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday (July 13) shortly after take-off. Visuals showed black smoke billowing from the Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft after the mishap.
London Southend Airport confirmed a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft. Witnesses have reported seeing a “huge fireball” emerging from the crash site.
Let’s take a closer look.
What happened?
A 12-metre plane with two pilots onboard crashed at London Southend Airport. Emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance service, rushed to the site.
Essex Police said they were “alerted” about “reports of a collision” involving the small Beech B200 aircraft at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 8.30 pm IST.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now, and that work will be ongoing for several hours. We would like to ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues,” it said in a statement.
As per the flight-tracking service Flightradar, the aircraft took off from Southend Airport at 8:18 pm IST and was headed to Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
Earlier on Sunday, the plane flew from Athens to the Pula airport in Croatia, before making the three-hour flight to London Southend, reported Independent.
After the crash, London Southend Airport closed operations until further notice. It said it will inform the public of any updates and those set to travel on Monday should contact their airline.
As per the airport’s website, five international flights had been cancelled after the accident.
Dutch company Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at London Southend Airport. The company said they were “actively” supporting authorities with the investigation, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
Besides the two pilots, it remains unclear how many people were on the plane. The cause of the crash is also not known yet.
David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West & Leigh, wrote on X: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
United Kingdom Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
“The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.”
I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible.
I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.
— Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 13, 2025
Witnesses describe London plane crash
Witnesses told British media that the plane crashed “head first into the ground”.
John Johnson, who was watching planes with his wife and children at the airport, told BBC he saw a “huge fireball”.
“You could see [the pilots] smiling and we all kind of smiled back, the aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take off point, powered up its engines and powered past us, carrying on down the runway,” he said.
“It took off in probably three or four seconds. It started to bank heavily to its left. I said to my wife, that’s unusual. We don’t find aircraft normally turning at that stage in their ascent.
“Within a few seconds of that, the aircraft almost inverted and hit the ground. There was a huge fireball.”
According to Johnson, the airport’s fire service responded immediately after the crash, with two fire engines reaching the spot.
They were followed by local police, ambulance and fire services.
Speaking to Metro, a woman said she was watching planes departing with her daughter from a viewing deck at the Holiday Inn on Sunday.
“It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left. With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground. We can’t believe what we have seen.
“It didn’t look like there was time to bail out. Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.”
James Philpott, a bartender at the golf club next to the airport, told BBC that he felt “a big heatwave” before looking up to a “massive fireball” in the sky.
“Everyone was just quite shocked… we haven’t seen anything like this. People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured.”
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What we know about the crashed plane
The plane involved in the crash at Southend Airport was reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air, a US-built aircraft with a jet turbine, according to flight tracking data.
It is a small plane capable of carrying more than 20 people for short-haul charter flights.
The aircraft was a medical transport jet equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, reported The Mirror.
However, as per the Independent report, the ill-fated plane was a luxury private aeroplane with eight seats and a comfortable leather interior.
According to BBC correspondent Tom Symonds: “This sort of aircraft is a bit like a Land Rover of the skies. It’s a bit like an all-purpose vehicle and we can see that it has been rented out for roles including medical evacuation, moving transplant material, aerial mapping, that sort of thing.”
Zeusch Aviation, which operated the plane, specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights as well as private charters.
Meanwhile, Essex Police said it was working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch. Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.”
With inputs from agencies
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