Given today’s technology and what we do on an everyday basis with our smartphones, not to mention our computers, it is only expected that we will eventually be able to have virtual tours all over the world.
This is true,but virtual tours are not something new, at least not if you want to sit and click buttons, which would take you places, albeit you would still be in your chair, sitting, or on your sofa, lying.
For anyone who already has a sedentary job, this is really problematic and will only make their problems a bit worse.
What about virtual hiking tours? Are there any hiking tours that you can take virtually? There are, but with caveats, of course.
They Are Not Hiking Tours
Virtual hiking tours are like all tours, you don’t actually move, but you do get to explore various trails which were filmed for the tour. This doesn’t have anything to do with actual hiking, except you seeing that very route that you might want to take.
This has a couple of benefits, namely you being able to see the trail in first person mode, without traveling halfway across the world to see it for yourself.
This is great if you are preparing for an expedition or a hiking tour in a place which is really far away and which requires a lot of money to get there. But, it is also not a hiking tour, but rather a sitting tour of a hiking trail.
Should You Take Virtual Tours?
Why not, in the end, a tour is a tour and whether you sit or hike doesn’t matter, if it’s virtual. Watching something while hiking would put you in serious danger and this way, you still get to explore the world, but you do lack the exercise which comes with actually hiking any trail.
Virtual tours have plenty of benefits when it comes to actually exploring something far away, not to mention if you want to tour museums and places which are on the other side of the world. Tickets and accommodation can be expensive.
Try Regular Hiking Instead
You could take a virtual hiking tour, but only after you have done actual hiking.
Walking or hiking, which is walking but with elevation change, is a great activity, which is very healthy for us. Not only do you get out of the city and go into the wilderness, but you also exercise your legs and entire body in a way which is really impactful and healthy.
These are only the physical benefits and hiking, like any exercise, has many mental benefits as well.
Virtual Tours Are Great for Informative Purposes
You could never replace a real hike with a virtual tour, even if you were touring while on a treadmill. Knowing that, taking virtual tours is definitely a good idea if you want to see another place, especially if it is not close by and you don’t plan on visiting it.
While virtual hiking tours seem like a strange idea, they are still pretty and well suited to those who are not ready to push their bodies so far.
Virtual hiking tours exist, but you should know that they are not really hiking tours, in the sense that you won’t be doing any hiking. They are informative and beautiful, but are not hiking!