Do you need a vacation? Who doesn’t in these days of COVID? But with restrictions on travel in place and safety concerns, what can we do?

Here’s a solution: Virtual Vacation Day, and it’s today!

Take a break today and escape to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go through your computer screen, tablet, or smartphone. Here’s a page where you can start, with options like going to the edge of space, touring the Louvre in Paris, riding a giant rollercoaster, or a panoramic hike of Switzerland. Or take a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon.

If you’re looking for something more interactive, try hopatour.com and the virtual airbnb experiences. Many of these tours are $20 or less. I’ve tried three tours from airbnb during the past week: a forest bathing experience in Kyoto, a bicycle tour of Kyoto, and Lakota quiltmaking. Each experience has a guide who conducts the tour over Zoom, and the guests can talk to them and ask questions.

Virtual Vacation Day started in 2016. In 2018, March 30 was established as the official annual date to celebrate Virtual Vacation Day.