10 Free interactive things to do to make the most of your time at home

As the old saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. Having to stay at home has opened doors to a myriad of online classes, tours and experiences we may have never otherwise been exposed to. If you find yourself at home with extra time on your hands, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore some of these fun and interactive experiences first hand.

You can travel the world, without leaving home. Ride Disney attractions, attend a cooking school in Italy, learn Salsa dancing in San Juan, workout with celebrity trainers or hike through Carlsbad Cavern. Any one of those sounds like fun, but what if you could experience all of them in one day, from the comfort of home? Here’s a list of 10 fun and free, virtual experiences to make the most of your time at home

Ambiant Drone Videos

Ambiant drone videos are the ultimate virtual vacation. Nature Relaxation Films uses 4k video and soothing music to deliver breathtaking videos from all over the world. Since the videos are captured from above, it allows you to view scenery from a perspective you wouldn’t normally see on land. Fly above Norway, Scotland or Fiji, or soar with giant parrots in the rain forest, or just site and admire hours of footage of waves crashing on the beach. Nature Relaxation Videos is a perfect escape from the doldrums of being at home.

Spotify Playlists

If you need to lift your spirits, music can be very therapeutic. Spotify is a music streaming service that is available on your desktop or app. Search through Spotify’s library of hundreds of thousands of songs and playlists to find the music to put you in the right mood, or that remind you of your favorite places to visit. Try Hawaiian Dreams for sounds of the islands, Made in Scotland for authentic Celtic music, or French Classic for a more romantic Parisian sound.

Virtual Concerts

With venues shut down from coast to coast, many artists are using the opportunity to perform for the world through virtual venues. Billboard Magazine composed a list of artists and performances that you can enjoy from the comfort of home. Like Billboard’s Facebook Page for easy access to all the concerts.

The Metropolitan Opera in New York is also offering nightly opera streams. The operas are only available until 3:00pm the following day so look over their schedule to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Check out your favorite recording artist’s Facebook pages. Singers such as Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Coldplay, Michel Buble, and others are featuring live feed performances for fans to view. As a plus, they’ll sometimes even give you a behind the scenes look into their lives at home.

Free Online College Courses

Colleges everywhere are opening their doors, virtually, and making education affordable to everyone. You can find online courses in just about every subject including the Science of Happiness from Yale, Nutrition and Medicine from Tufts University, Modern Poetry from Yale and Entrepreneurship from Taylors University. Visit Open Education Database for a complete list of courses

Virtual Cooking Demos

Staying at home can be the perfect opportunity to brush up on your culinary skills. Food is one of the most searched topics on Google and the ease of video recording has give rise to thousands of taste tempting cooking demonstrations, both live and recorded. Facebook-only cooking channel, Tasty, now has 30 million followers, and recipe videos typically get millions of views. Be warned, Tasty can be addictive and seductive. You might find yourself heading to the grocery store to stock up on supplies to try the taste tempting recipes for yourself.

Celebrity chefs such as Michael Symon and Alton Brown are also turning to Facebook live to showcase their talents. Discover Puerto Rico is featuring authentic cooking demonstrations, Salsa dancing lessons and cocktail mixing classes live from their Facebook Page and Instagram Live.

Virtual Theme Park Rides

If your vacation plans are interrupted from COVID-19, have no fear. You can still experience the thrill and excitement of major theme park rides, attractions and entertainment from home via YouTube. Simply search your favorite theme park and you will be surprised by how many virtual experiences surface.

Visit Disney Parks channel for front row viewing of Disney’s Magic happening Parade, or Dapper Dans Music From Home performance. Check out this virtual coaster ride from Universal Orlando Resort and Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean from Theme Park HD. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, or couch, with these virtual rides!

Live Zoo Feeds

Need a happy distraction to get you through the day? Zoo and animal sanctuaries from around the world offer a birds-eye view of animals as they frolic and play. EarthCam’s Animal Cam website provides live feed video of over 56 animals including Elephant bating in Indonesia and African safari viewing from Camp Kuzuma in Botswana, Africa.

The San Diego Zoo offers several different live cams from around the zoo. Watch Bald Eagle eggs hatch from the Eagle cam in Hanover, PA, or follow the adventures of April the giraffe and her offspring at Animal Adventure Park in New York.

Health & Wellness Streaming

Can’t get to the gym? No worries. Beachbody On demand is a streaming service that offers instant access to world-class Beachbody fitness programs, healthy recipes, meal plans, and health & wellness support. The fitness programs are suitable for every age and level of ability. Via the internet or app on your tablet or smartphone, anyone can complete these workouts from the comfort of home using very little space and without having to purchase extra tools and equipment. Beachbody on demand is a paid streaming service starting at $8.25/ month. But for a limited time, you can take advantage of a 14-day no obligation free trial of Beachbody On Demand (choose the 3-month membership option but it will not be billed until day 15), or a 30-day free trial with 6 or 12-month commitment.

Kids can even take part in the workouts. Since most schools have cancelled classes and kids don’t have access to formal recess or P.E., Beachbody is offering a series of youth fitness programs for free. These programs are designed to make family fitness fun and a part of your daily routine. You can access Beachbody’s free kid’s workouts here.

Jennifer Reynolds Travels Armchair Travel Series

Jennifer Reynolds is a travel industry expert with a passion for travel, history and geography. Since growing up in Ontario, Canada, Jennifer has traveled to every continent and has worked in many different aspects of the travel industry. Like so many of us Jennifer found herself at home with some excess time on her hands so she collected photos and notes from her personal journeys around the world and created a series of Facebook Live presentations. Each of her video presentation s is less than 30 minutes long and features practical travel advice and stunning travel photography. Jennifer’s complete series of armchair travel videos can be found on her YouTube Channel, Jennifer Reynolds Travels.

Google Treks, Google Earth and Google Arts & Culture

Discover the world with Google. Google technology is mind blowing. It’s virtual reality at it’s finest. Through the use of satellites and digital video and imagery, Google can take you places you would never be able to go to as a tourist. Use Google Earth to pinpoint any place on the globe for a 3D tour, including facts, photos and videos for hundreds of cities and sites. Use the Voyager tool to take a guided tour around the globe with some of the world’s leading storytellers and scientists. Google Treks gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world’s most awe-inspiring views. Take a 360° tour of places like the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and Japan’s Mt Fuji. Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute. Not only can you view famous works of art, but you can also enjoy virtual museum tours and watch on-stage performances of world-famous performers in 360° video.

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