I'm a new owner of an Oculus Quest 2 headset (https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/) and my first impressions are this is terrifyingly good.
Currently on the Oculus platform there's not much "travel" content besides the usual 3D films you can find on YouTube VR. However where this device excels is in interactive content, and I think this is a huge opportunity for travel.
For example, an app called "Wander" provides a VR streetview experience (powered by Google) and you can explore any city and any number of famous sights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyN-1kDhEMs
After a few days of trying the Oculus Quest 2 out, here's a few thoughts:
1. For context, 10 million Oculus Quest 2's shipped by November 2021, so this is just the beginning of the market cycle. And since it's such a new platform, we don't even know what kinds of VR travel games or apps will "stick" in this new world.
2. Oculus Quest is easily accessible for people of all ages. We all know how to look around in the real ...
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I've driven through every U.S. state except for Alaska and Hawaii (both on my list).
I've been on so many road trip routes, but if I had to choose a favorite road trip in America I would say the Pacific Coast Highway.
👉 What are your favorite American road trip routes, and why?
PS: What advice could you give to someone who wants to become a road tripper?
I recently wrote a piece with 10 basic tips to help people get ready for their next American road trip: brainzmagazine.com/post/road-trippin-usa-tips-for-trips
I really enjoyed the California 101 (Pacific Coast), especially from Santa Cruz down to Monterey. We stopped at some beaches along the way, and thinking that Australia was on the other side of the ocean made it a really meaningful experience for me.
I’ve also driven from Miami towards Key West, which was interesting but the novelty wore off after a while (also knowing we had to drive back the same route!)
The best tip I have for a USA road trip is to have an Australian accent because everyone is so friendly, no matter how small or remote the town!
The best cure for the Overseas Highway route redundancy (Miami to Key West) is to have different stops on the way back to Miami, versus what you do on the way to Key West. There are a LOT of attractions on that route, despite it only taking about 3.5 hours with minimal stops.
With respect to the Pacific Coast Highway, I really enjoyed the Oregon coast.
It's hard to beat the Blue Ridge Parkway through NC and VA...tapping on the Shenandoah Drive on the end. Mountains, waterfalls, wineries, historic small communities, live bluegrass music, moonshining, picturesque churches...what's not to love!??
I wrote this a couple of years ago after a coast-to-coast drive - it includes some of my best tips for road-tripping by car!
shortweeks-longweekends.com/22-essential-budget-and-safety-tips-for-road-tripping-during-the-pandemic/
That is beautiful country that you mentioned and many of those attractions can be found on the Appalachian Trail road route that follows the foot route: www.roadtripusa.com/appalachian-trail/
Jeff,
The AT does offer so many gorge-ous settings for hikers. But being old & tired *smile* I prefer the BRP! LOL!
I've been trying to become more of a hiker, mostly because of its therapeutic benefits.😊
PCH highway is amazing! I prefer North to South since most of the pull outs are on the ocean side so you don't have to cross traffic to pull out.
Yes, I agree, there are so many great stops along that route and you get to witness many of the best attractions of California. La Jolla, Laguna and Huntington Beaches are fabulous and central and northern Cali are great, too.
A few years back, my family took an RV trip across the country and back. I really enjoyed our travels on Route 66. Sure some spots were kitschy, but that’s what made it fun. The nostalgia of an America of the past was evident in every roadside attraction.
I still need to do Route 66, I hear it's a good one.
This spring I did a short one LA > Paso Robles > Santa Monica > LA and it was really nice. Great scenery just on every turn, wonderful small towns, lots of wine and cool places to eat. Would do it again :). Next year I'm hoping to do coastal Virginia for wine and oysters.
California sure has a lot to offer with respect to road trips, Virginia is also good with lots of history. I still need to explore the Virginia Civil War Trails.
I want to do Route 66 shortly. My last road trip was from LA, CA to NOLA through the south-western states and it was fantastic.
I need to do Route 66 myself, and the Southwest is AMAZING!!