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IRL R00lz: Why Virtual Travel Will Never Be as Good as Real Life

Dan Gould wouldn't be caught dead in front of a virtual Louvre. Here, he explains why.

I know you're here because, in some way, you love travel, either as a globe trotter yourself or as a voyeur, enjoying others' adventures.

So I feel it's my duty to warn you about Journeys. The "virtual world" is supposed to be a travel guide that duplicates the real world, providing travel advice within the fake world for the real world. Confused yet? Using the internet as a tool to guide your travels makes sense. But wasting time in a virtual copy? Why bother?

All the posts on Jaunted every day make it pretty clear to me that IRL is pretty damn interesting. Forget anyone who says there is nothing left to explore, and that virtual worlds are the next frontier. The world is dynamic and changing, and new secrets and wonders always abound.

So if you're going to spend time in virtual worlds, fly to places that are completely different than the real world. Go pwn n00bs in World of Warcraft, or turn yourself into a cartoon in Second Life, but when it comes time to actually, you know, go somewhere, do me a favor and try meatspace for a change.

Related Stories:
· Journeys [Official Site]
· A Virtual World Mashup with Real-World [Trendbird]
· IRL Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]