Just because social distancing the new norm, doesn’t mean you can’t get some distance when you need it during the coronavirus pandemic. When the walls of your apartment are closing in and you decide self-isolation just isn’t for you… don’t panic. Because you can now virtually trek through some of the world’s most beautiful national parks. It’s time to try a little thing we’ve decided to dub ‘virtual glamping’. We’ve even rounded up a few of the best working-from-home toastie recipes and prepped a simple how-to for hot cross bun s’mores. Thank us later! Click here to virtually visit Joshua Tree National Park.

Technology is coming to our travel-hungry rescue yet again, and this time it’s Google Earth which is allowing virtual travellers to glamp, hike and marshmallow-toast their way through some of the most beautiful places in the world. Here’s how to virtually visit 6 of the world’s best national parks – all from the comfort of your couch, bed or beanbag (hey, we’re not here to judge.) Let’s start with Yosemite National Park. Perched high in the Sierra Nevadas of California, it’s home to the awe-inspiring Glacier Point, El Capitan, Mirror Lake and some of the world’s oldest Sequoia trees. Click here to virtually visit Yosemite National Park. And if you’d like to add a little more depth, hop over here for a live webcam view.

Alaska might be best known for Nat Geo reality shows about ice road trucking and doomsday prepping, but that’s not all it’s famous for. Denali National Park in Alaska is home to some of the most beautiful views on the planet, including this one. It’s a favourite for those seeking to escape, well, everything. Denali National Park is home to six million acres of wild land – yep, you read that right. Six million. Including North America’s tallest peak, Mount McKinley and the awe-inspiring Savage River, and it’s bisected by just one thin ribbon of road. 

 So, if your virtual glamping journey has you feeling hungry for a little isolation, Alaska-style, check out the National Parks Service virtual tour of Denali National Park here, and you can also visit via Google Earth here.

Carved out by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is one of America’s most famous landmarks. Some of the most amazing views come from Lipan Point on the South Rim and Guano Point on the West. A wander along Tanner Trail is also highly recommended. For the glampers among you, we suggest making a large batch of this amazing flavoured popcorn and a pitcher of our new watermelon and gin slushies. (Just watch out for the squirrels, they steal everything.) 

 You can virtually glamp in Grand Canyon National Park courtesy of Google Earth here.

Dry Tortugas National Park is off the coast of Florida. It’s made up of 7 islands, protected coral reefs, beaches and the 19th-century Fort Jefferson. So if you’re in the mood for something a little tropical, then this is the place for you. Garden Key is a popular spot for sunbathing and wandering along the sand, Loggerhead Key is great for sea turtle watching and the wreck of the Windjammer near Loggerhead Reef is perfect for divers. Natch, on this particular virtual visit, you won’t actually be doing any of those things, but with this tropical passion cocktail, you’ll forget you’re even in quarantine. Corona-who? Virtually visit Dry Tortugas National Park via Google Earth here.

Home to some of the world’s most dramatic and eerie rock formations, Badlands National Park in South Dakota is high on the must-glamp list, even when one isn’t house-bound because of a pandemic. For this virtual glamping trip, we humbly suggest a small yurt on the living room floor made from bedsheets, warming your hands beside the gentle glow of your mobile phone and a large batch of quarantinis. Must dos are: walking Castle Trail, taking photos at Window Trail and, for the adventurous among you, hiking Saddle Pass. 

You can virtually glamp your way through Badlands National Park here.