Check Out the Creative Virtual Travel Website WindowSwap

Many people had to cancel vacation plans this summer because of the crisis and have investigated one of the many new virtual travel websites to satisfy their travel bug. I recently came across WindowSwap, which invites you to post a short video of your city, neighborhood, or backyard as seen through your window. It's hard to explain, but it's addictive as hell.

The Guardian: "Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam started the WindowSwap project while under lockdown in Singapore by asking a few close friends to share the view from their windows with them. In June they expanded it, asking people to send in 10 minutes of horizontal video via email, to be uploaded on their website. They have received hundreds of submissions from dozens of countries across the world since. “Until we can explore our planet responsibly again I guess, this is a way to travel without moving,” says Ranjit over the telephone from Singapore."

I was hooked after visiting Ula's window in Doha, Qatar watching her very charismatic cat track birds flying near her apartment complex. Actually, cats play a staring role in quite a few of the videos. Nilay's window in Istanbul features some very cool background music and a beautiful sunset over the city. David has an amazing view of the Jakarta skyline. The view from Lina's window makes you feel as if you are wandering through a meadow at the foot of the rugged mountains outside of Aeschirie, Switzerland. Suzanne looks out on Roman ruins from her window in Montpellier, France.

Many videos feature local street noise, dogs barking, wind and storms, emergency vehicles, and local music. And, oddly, some folks seem to have pointed their video recorders out the window and then decided to make love somewhere in the background, the occasional moan caught on tape.

Windowswap is a wonderfully engaging way to spend an hour or two. but I have to warn you, when you are done you may miss travel even more than when you started.

#travel

By: Don Lam & Curated Content