Travel might not be in the cards for you right now, but did you know that you can experience fascinating places, meet interesting people from all over the globe and learn incredible new things — all from the comfort and safety of your own home?
September 27 is World Tourism Day, and given the difficulties associated with travel during the pandemic, you might be happy to discover that YouTube offers another way to experience the world.
Most people have heard of YouTube, a video-sharing platform that allows people to upload and share content they’ve created for free, but did you know that it’s much more than a “young person’s hangout” filled with music videos and mindless cat videos?
During the pandemic, many people have turned to YouTube as a unique way to connect with their communities. As stay-at-home orders continue, we see places of worship offering online services and local businesses ranging from knitting shops to hardware stores, and even theme parks, finding ways to modify the in-person experience to connect with customers.
With a few quick searches, you can travel around the world, learn about different cultures and discover unique places without leaving your living room.
Never been to Morocco? Travel there with Mark Harrison by watching his 10-minute video that explores all the colors, sights and sounds of this beautiful place. Want to dive down to the Titanic to see what she looks like more than 100 years after that fateful iceberg collision? Try watching this gem from Lusitania 25. Wondering what it would feel like to stand atop an active volcano? Check out Mojo Travel’s top 10 active volcanos.
Cook your way around the world
Watching travel videos might inspire you to learn more about a new place and its people, and one of the best – and most delicious – ways to immerse yourself in the traditions of other cultures is by cooking authentic regional foods. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn more about traditional Newfoundland cuisine, what a home cook in Ayrshire, Scotland makes for “tea”, or how to make traditional southern American “soul food”. Or perhaps you’d like to learn how to make authentic Indian dishes (Indian Easy Cooking), or perfect Korean cuisine. YouTube is your go-to resource for free online cooking demonstrations and exciting new meal ideas!
If you’re interested in something, the odds are very good that someone out there has created an amazing video about it that you can find on YouTube!
Nothing replaces hopping on a plane or a train and seeing new places, meeting new people or trying new foods, but when those options aren’t available, YouTube tourism can help you continue to explore, learn and enjoy the world around you.
If you think you’d like to start a channel and share your own hidden talents with the world, check out YouTube help for information on how to create your very own channel.
Keep learning and exploring
Did you know that YouTube is also a hotspot for fascinating educational information and how-to videos that can teach you virtually anything you might want to learn? You can find videos such as Trailblazing Women in History A Video Tour of the Civil Rights Museum and How to be a Better Public Speaker, as well as beautiful painting tutorials, small space gardening tips and even step-by-step instructions for carving a tiny, perfect owl.
417959A CAN/US 09/20
