#stayhome: 18 Virtual Excursions to Beat Quarantine Boredom

Since March 12, public life in Germany has come to a standstill: no museum visits, no concerts, no short trips or vacations. Around the clock, millions of people worldwide are stuck in their homes - it's no surprise that boredom quickly sets in, which even Netflix, YouTube, and similar platforms can't alleviate.

That's why Travelcircus has identified 18 virtual excursions that can be enjoyed comfortably from the sofa - alone or with the whole family! From African safaris to Metallica concerts to a trip to Hogwarts, the travel experts have the best tips for combating cabin fever.

Due to the current situation, cultural institutions around the world are closed. But don't worry: art lovers can still indulge their passion and even visit museums that would normally be too far for a day trip!

Many art houses are currently offering virtual tours of their most popular exhibits - from Egyptian mummies to Roman aqueducts to the Mona Lisa! And the best part: long lines and overpriced tickets are eliminated.

With over eight million objects spanning more than two million years of art history, the British Museum in London is a treasure trove to discover. It's no wonder the cultural institution attracts around six million visitors each year. Since the museum must remain closed due to Covid-19 for now, interested individuals can now view its fascinating exhibitions virtually.

Among its most significant exhibits are a selection of Egyptian mummies and the Elgin Marbles from the Greek Acropolis. However, other European, African, and American masterpieces are also waiting to be discovered from the comfort of your sofa.

With a click, art enthusiasts can access the British Museum

As the largest art museum in the USA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art - commonly known as The Met - offers so much culture that it needs to be divided across three locations in New York City: The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters.

Unlike other museums, The Met makes art accessible through regular events. Changing exhibitions allow visitors to draw parallels between a variety of epochs and artistic styles and explore new avenues of creativity. And interested parties don't even have to leave home: the museum has already been explored millions of times online.

With a click, art lovers can enter the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Located in the former imperial palace, The Palace Museum is one of the most important cultural sites in all of China. Valuable artworks from past imperial dynasties in the form of paintings, poems, sculptures, household items, and ceremonial artifacts allow visitors to dive into long-gone eras.

Those wishing to visit The Palace Museum virtually can choose from 15 different exhibitions that invite discovery with various objects. Tip: The film "Inside the Forbidden City" rounds off a virtual visit perfectly.

From the invention of the automobile to the establishment of the Mercedes-Benz brand and groundbreaking successes in environmental protection: The Mercedes-Benz Museum lets car enthusiasts experience over 130 years of automotive history. With an exhibition area of 17,000 square meters and nine floors, the most beautiful cars and exciting information await visitors - even virtually!

Besides the exhibition spaces, the museum, shaped like a rounded Reuleaux triangle, is also an architectural landmark in its own right. So, turning on your laptop to check it out is definitely worthwhile!

With a click, car fans can access the Mercedes-Benz Museum

With the Louvre in Paris currently being one of the largest and most famous museums in the world on pause, it's even better that the cultural site can now also be visited from home. The best part: The endless waiting in line to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa is eliminated!

But that's not all: More than 60,000 square meters of exhibition space await virtual visitors, showcasing around 35,000 exhibits, including the Winged Victory of Samothrace from ancient Greece and the statue of Hercules by François Joseph Bosio. For those who want to learn more about the Louvre beyond a virtual tour, the documentaries "The Louvre Saga 1" and "The Louvre Saga 2" are highly recommended.

With a click on this link, art lovers can access the Louvre

And here you can go directly to the Mona Lisa

For those who enjoy clubbing or attending concerts in the evenings, there's a danger of suffering from a lack of music right now. To avoid this, many famous bands - from pop to metal - are currently streaming past concerts or even hosting free live sessions from their own living rooms.

Even the DJ scene is active: Regularly, people can turn up the volume from home and dance to the best sounds of the Berlin club scene. So, let's get started!

Since March 13, the Berlin club scene has gone silent, threatening the existence of many club operators and DJs. That's why the initiative "United We Stream" has made it its mission to equip the living rooms of the world with digital club sounds - live.

So, music enthusiasts can tune in daily from 7 PM to midnight to the streams of DJs like "Andreas Rauscher", "Mehr is Mehr", and "Atlantik", some of whom even perform live in empty clubs. Party-goers can also financially support their favorite locations with a voluntary donation to help secure the dance floor for the future.

With a click, music fans can go to United We Stream

James Blunt was one of the first musicians affected by the Corona restrictions: His concert at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie on March 12 could not take place as planned due to Covid-19 restrictions.

But that's no reason for the British singer-songwriter to cancel the entire show. Instead, he performed the entire concert to empty seats. Telekom streamed the concert via livestream to the entire world. Fans can still watch the ghost concert afterwards.

With a click, music fans can access the James Blunt concert

Even lovers of classical music don't have to miss out on concerts during quarantine: Daily, recordings of past opera and ballet performances are streamed from around the world - sometimes even according to the regular schedule. Each stream is available for 72 hours.

With a click on this link, connoisseurs can access the Vienna State Opera

Every Monday a Metallica concert? This is a dream come true for every metalhead! Just in time for the start of the week, the California band streams past concerts on their YouTube and Facebook channels.

The first concert featured a show from Slane Castle in Ireland in the summer of 2019 - and 40 years of band history is still waiting to be discovered! So, your living room can comfortably be turned into a one-man mosh pit.

Here's the link to Metallica's YouTube channel

And here's the link to Metallica's Facebook account

The five guys from VoxXXclub have something special planned for their fans: Under the name "Really Dahoam Tour," the folk and pop musicians will hold five concerts from five living rooms.

On April 3, April 17, May 1, May 15, and May 29, each band member will sing and perform for curious listeners. The concerts start at 7 PM and can be streamed on the band's YouTube channel. In the meantime, impatient fans can warm up with "Rock mi".

Here's the link to the YouTube channel of VoXXclub

Since schools and daycare centers have been closed, kids are quickly feeling stir-crazy at home. To bring some variety to their homes between homework, Hot Wheels tracks, and dollhouses, virtual zoo visits are particularly suited for this purpose.

Kids can explore their favorite animals either alone or together with their parents.

Since 1954, the zoo in Altenburg has been delighting visitors as Germany's only island zoo with over 100 different species and more than 500 animals. With such diversity, it's no surprise that the park has been voted Thüringen's most beautiful zoo.

In addition to regionally known animals like donkeys, Uhus, and rabbits, both young and old animal fans can also admire meerkats, porcupines, and macaws - even virtually. With a mouse click, visitors can stroll along the island bridge through various enclosures to the vivarium.

With a click, animal lovers can visit the Inselzoo Altenburg

In the safari park Safariland Stukenbrock, the exotic animals of the zoo are the main attraction alongside roller coasters and carousels. Spanning around 65 hectares, visitors can find giraffes, lions, and elephants, immersing themselves in the charm of the African savanna.

Animal lovers can virtually stroll through the park with a mouse click, enjoying the feeling of being on a real safari from the comfort of their home.

The animal park in Cottbus offers its virtual visitors a tour of the 25-hectare area. Here, visitors can admire about 1,200 animals from 170 different species. With mature trees and pathways fed by the Spree, even a virtual visit feels idyllic and calming.

In addition to elephants, snowy owls, and peacocks, the animal park showcases leopards, kangaroos, and zebras. This way, the virtual excursion becomes a true animal world tour!

With a click, animal lovers can visit the Tierpark Cottbus

Nowhere else can you find as many animals virtually: With about 9,400 animals from 804 species, Zoo Leipzig is one of the most species-rich zoos in all of Europe and rightfully holds the title of "best zoo in Germany."

Almost two million people flock to the Leipzig Zoo each year to see animals like orangutans, koalas, and tigers - and even virtually, the zoo is currently more in demand than ever! No wonder, six themed areas ensure that both young and old can lose themselves in the animal world for hours.

To allow animal lovers to participate in the 10th anniversary of the Butterfly Jungle despite the current Corona closure, the Krefeld Zoo came up with something special: It streamed live from the Butterfly Jungle - including a large Q&A session amid the 200 butterflies.

Fans of the delicate creatures were able to get up close and personal with their favorites while soaking up exciting knowledge. But don't worry: the livestream can still be watched.

With a click, animal lovers can go to Zoo Krefeld

Sometimes, virtual museum, concert, and zoo visits just aren't enough to escape the daily grind at home. The only solution is: turn on your laptop and dive deep into seemingly foreign worlds!

Is there anything better than looking into a faraway sky when you're feeling cooped up? Probably not! That's why a webcam above the Canadian city of Churchill currently allows the vibrant Northern Lights to shine into our comfortable homes - at least when they make an appearance.

Also known as Aurora Borealis, this phenomenon can be particularly well observed from Churchill, as the Canadian city lies within the so-called Aurora Oval, where the lights occur more frequently than average.

With a click, interested viewers can see the Northern Lights

Elephants, rhinos, lions, buffaloes, and leopards - spotting all the Big Five on a safari is a matter of luck. If you want to challenge your fortune from the comfort of your home, now is your best opportunity: Five webcams in three different South African national parks allow you to go on safari from home.

The cameras are set up at a watering hole, so with a little patience, you might just catch a glimpse of some animals. It's worth sticking around!

If you've already binge-watched all the Harry Potter films and read all the books multiple times during quarantine, you deserve a new challenge! What could be better than a digital escape room? Whether alone or with friends, once or multiple times - here fans can put their knowledge to the test and mentally dive into the world of wizards!

Various puzzles require attention and intelligence, while an exciting story unfolds where the player acts as a Hogwarts student themselves. Expelliarmus!

With a click, wizards can access the Escape Game