The Reality of Travel vs. the Virtual Experience
Wandering the cityscape of Hong Kong in a headset is a reminder that nothing beats exploring places and meeting people in real life.
7 September 2022
Astronauts have dubbed it the “overview effect” – the transcendent moment when the curve of the Earth comes into view from space, this fragile ball of life hanging in the inky void. I am watching this very thing during a solar eclipse as the sun slowly disappears behind the planet, leaving an ephemeral scimitar of light. As I realize I can reach out – almost godlike – and spin the entire planet with my right hand, I find myself feeling sweaty, nauseous, and strangely hollow instead of profoundly changed.
At Otherworld, a virtual-reality experience near London’s Victoria Station, I was briefed by an earnest young man wearing eyeliner in a white robe before entering a dark vertical pod. I left the virtual stratosphere, flying through glitchy skyscrapers in Hong Kong, the striated columns of Bryce Canyon, and briefly experiencing Google Street View, akin to a 3D version of online exploration. There, I glanced at my family home in the United Kingdom, where I noted the old Fiat convertible and recalled my stepdad from a past moment captured in this digital landscape. This twinge of grief was the lone emotion I derived from the experience. After a minute suspended in space, idly spinning the globe, I felt carsick and desperately sought the exit button. A voice inquired, “Toby, are you okay?”
During the first COVID-19 lockdown, virtual travel became widespread. I attempted to ascend Everest through a VR headset, abandoned a digital Louvre tour, and tried Assassin’s Creed, concluding that virtual exploration lacks the depth of authentic travel experiences. The digital future buzzwords like the metaverse, Web3, cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), artificial intelligence, and augmented reality will certainly ripple through travel but may not replace the essence of real-world experiences.
The Evolution of Travel
Technological advancements, particularly in AI, are already affecting how we experience travel. For example, DistrictHive in Granada, Spain, offers human recharging pods controlled by AI, managing the ambience based on external conditions. Moreover, travel agencies like Travala.com provide membership perks for NFT owners, while hotels like Ascott’s Lyf One-North in Singapore embrace VR and AR experiences, allowing guests to trade digital artworks and enjoy virtual games.
Futurist Ian Pearson predicts that future airport terminals and hotel rooms will adopt bare concrete designs, inviting us to decorate our spaces with AR projections. He envisions us connecting our brains to servers, inhabiting androids in various countries, effectively transcending our physical limitations. Nonetheless, it is clear that travel will inevitably transform as technology evolves.
The Timeless Essence of Travel
Despite the growth of the digital universe, travel remains the ultimate celebration of the real world—nature, people, connection, and human experience in all its richly complex forms. One of travel’s essential roles will be to serve as an antidote to cyberspace, offering invigorating new places and perspectives. At its best, travel challenges and thrills us, placing us in our rightful context within a vast, beautiful world.
While the metaverse promises community and connection, my default online experience often leads to isolated feelings. In contrast, real-life encounters can be surprising and kind, such as the student who offered me his bed during a delayed train journey from Shanghai to Nanjing or the former sheriff who helped me with gas when my car stopped on the Extraterrestrial Highway. These brief interactions have enriched my life more than weeks spent online.
Travel’s immersive and mind-expanding nature is an intangible, sensory experience—like the thrill of a taxi ride in a new city or the palpable presence of reality during hotel stays. Such moments are irreplaceable, regardless of technological advancements such as faster data roaming or cryptocurrency payments in remote locations. It is crucial to prioritize authentic experiences and exploration of this planet to maintain a meaningful relationship with our world. Hence, considering virtual escapism is essential; being alone in a digital galaxy isn’t as fulfilling as true human connection.
