Are you a traveler? Are you nostalgic of places you once been to or places you have lived? Or just a person with curiosity about the world and the many places to visit?
As a person who travels worldwide, I was a bit skeptical of the travel-based VR app Wander (available for the Oculus Quest/Oculus Quest 2) since I am a heavy user of Google Maps and user of their Street View.
But I decided to give Parkline Interactive’s “Wander” a try, for one, I have been wanting a travel-based app for my Oculus Quest 2 and at under $10, I felt that “Wander” is worth giving a try at that pricepoint.
But the second reason is because the app utilizes app data from Google StreetView, I felt that it could be more immersive and would help me plan out future traveling but it also filling in this need for international travel, during a time when it’s not possible to travel to those countries.
Of course, the first thing I had to check out is visit my parents home and look at my home and then check out the years they were last updated by Google and seeing my father (who passed away recently) in one of the years featured. So, it was cool to see my dad on there. And cool, that I was able to favorite it and see that location as a piece of art in my VR home area for “Wander”.
The next thing was selecting Tokyo, Japan (Shibuya to be exact) and see how much has changed since I last traveled there before the lockdowns. And because Tokyo businesses tend to change frequently, Google has released updates of locations near the Shibuya Scramble area almost quarterly.
I never realized it but while you can look for a recent StreetView from 2021, in this metropolis, I noticed that it would fluctuate to certain years. But nevertheless, it did fit the needs of what I wanted and seeing for myself of the many business that I have been to, which have closed down during Japan’s numerous State of Emergency declarations. But it also made me sad as I really want to travel to the area as soon as I can, whenever possible.
But it also made me see the potential of using this to map out places I want to visit. I was also impressed that I was able to go inside massive train stations, so that was cool to see.
And I was able to introduce my wife to her hometown, and she was able to give me a tour. I thought that was pretty awesome and the fact that she was able to get into “Wander” (as she tries to stay away from VR, as her eyesight is very bad and she gets motion sickness) and she was thrilled to see her parents home featured (as the land for the home was sold and the home and shack were demolished not long after). But for me, I was thrilled to finally see my wife’s hometown and take a stroll to her favorite places she often visited.
Technically, I do like the speech recognition, multiple navigation modes but the wonderful use of this app. I do like that you can join with other people online who want to share tours.
For the most part, “Wander” is easy to use. It may require some practicing in order to get use to how to make the map disappear, how to move the map and how to bring another panel which you can do historical jumping to see the changes over the years.
I like it a lot as I see this more than just a VR app for travel but I saw it as a necessary travel investment for a person like myself who likes to do a lot of research prior to visiting a country.
Now, is there anything I would like to see for “Wander” for a next update?
One thing I would love “Wander” to incorporate is certain symbols separate from favorites. One for restaurants, attractions and places you want to visit next. I don’t mind if there is a limit like what Google Maps does with their yellow star, green flag and red heart. But I would love to have certain distinctions outside of favorites which can be saved.
So, let’s say if I wanted to go back to “Wander”, I can see the places I really wanted to visit, restaurants or attractions I wanted to check out. But because I have never been to those locations, they are not “favorites”.
Another is something that I’m seeing in other VR games, that I would mind having as an extra feature. A lot of games are incorporating YouTube integration. Because I do a lot of research on my travels, while it’s cool there are sounds to choose for ambiance, I would like to listen to music while I’m doing my travel research via a YouTube jukebox or radio integration.
I would like to see a “Travel” postcard function. “Wander” postcards where people can send a short message to those who assisted them on Wander as a thank you or to other Wander users.
But these are just a few ideas.
Overall, “Wander” is a wonderful app for those who love traveling or for those nostalgic of places they once been to or lived. But if anything, I find using this app on VR much more convenient and as an avid traveler, I can easily say that “Wander” is a must buy for those who have the same “wanderlust” for travel as I do.
Parkline Interactive’s “Wander” is recommended!
