First Travelogue Tour

I recently joined the CVL (Community Virtual Library) Travelogue group, a new group that will offer tours of a variety of Second Life places on a quarterly basis.  Our first tour's theme was "Places to Play."  We visited 3 locations: Chelsea's Diner and Bowling Alley; http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vitae/127/162/1503, and the Celestial Game Tower. 



Chelsea's diner and bowling alley
1st stop on Travelogue Tour

 At Chelsea's Diner and Bowling Alley, our guide, Aiyden Crystal, showed us around the diner and bowling alley that also featured a nice game room.  The bowling alley has three lanes that can accomodate groups of 4 per team.  He also showed us a bit of the Butterfly Kisses sim which is PG-rated.  We saw the ice cream shop, and he pointed out some of the clothing and other stores that are on the sim, as well as a mini golf course.  Everyone agreed this is a great place to go with friends.



Bumper Cars next to the Movies @ Vitae
2nd stop on Travelogue Tour

 The next stop on the Travelogue tour was the Movies and bumper cars @ Vitae where I showed the group the theater that features a concession stand with popcorn and other goodies and shows full-length films.  By clicking on the box in front of the screen and adjusting your media settings, you have your choice of shows.  All directions are on a notecard, and you can even sync the movies for your friends to watch the same shows with you.  Next to the theater is the bumper cars which temporarily rez at your command and disappear when you vacate them.  Groups can have a lot of fun playing on these, and our group enjoyed a hands-on demonstration.



Celestial Game Tower
Final stop on Travelogue Tour

 The last location visite was the Celestial Game Tower where owner, Sorina Garrigus, showed us an amazing collection of all types of SL games that can be purchased or played on-site.  She said there are over 300 games on display! 

The next set of tours will be of historical places, and I am looking forward to attending, if not leading the group this time.  There are so many places to see in SL, so a group like the CVL Travelogue is one that can help introduce residents to those they have never visited before and may definitely want to explore further on their own.

Traveling on Your Computer Saves Money and is Still Fun

We're all concerned with saving money these days, so many people are travelling more locally for summer vacations. But have you considered that there are places you can go without even leaving your house and still have a great time when you visit some of the attractions of a virtual world?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that, in addition to being an author of the virtual romance, Cloudy Rainbow, I am also a publisher of a magazine aimed at librarians in the virtual world of Second Life. For this magazine, RezLibris, I have recently started a travel column that will feature monthly themes of places to go in Second Life. For instance, in our June issue that just came out, we feature an article on a museum devoted to King Tut, the Virtual King Tut exhibit at Kings Rezzable. In July, we will take a tropical vacation to the Costa Rica sims to scuba dive, horseback ride, and enjoy the many amenities of these islands. For August, we are planning more vacation fun with a trip to a Second Life amusement park or game sim. And in September it will be back to school to visit one of the many schools that offer virtual instruction or perhap one of the many real colleges that have a presence in the virtual world.

For those of you who have never experienced sightseeing in a virtual world, there are many benefits besides the financial. Have you often worried about what to wear to a party or other social event? In a virtual world, you can attend in your pajamas literally and your avatar, the 3D respresentation of yourself that you create in such a world, can wear gowns or tuxedos that cost $2 or less to buy. But you will also find that you are invited to as many pajama parties as formal events in these worlds, too!

Another benefit to virtual travel is that no passports are required; instead a password enables you to travel around the world and meet people from many countries, too. In addition to visiting many international sights that are recreated as places or sims in virtual worlds like Second Life, you may also visit locations not possible in real life -- science fiction worlds, immersive environments, role-playing lands to name a few.

But how to you find the best places to visit in a virtual world? In Second Life, many players or residents as they are known, have created blogs devoted to their travels (some of my favorites are Second Seeker, Mermaid Diaries, and SL Things to Do) as well as inworld groups catering to others who enjoy the same type of interests be it Art, Music, Science, Sports, or other entertainments. Even virtual travel agencies have sprung up along with virtual hotels, resorts, and clubs.

So for fun at your fingertips literally, pack light, save money on gas, and take a virtual vacation!