Vritual World Traveling

If i had to travel to a virtual world i would most likely visit a place i was unable to visit in the real world on a short term notice. Somewhere like Africa, China, or the UAE would be favorable. Most people in the U.S. aren't able to say they have been to a place like this throughout their lifetime which is why i would like to experience these places. Of course there is nothing like the real experience of being in a place, smelling, hearing and feeling the different climate changes on your skin, however, if i was not able to travel because of my income i would be interested in traveling to exotic and far away places in a virtual world.
As talked about in class, virtual worlds can give people feelings and emotions as the real world does, but in a different sense. You could say that i have little experience with living in a virtual world. I have played many Sims games and at one point was putting in long hours that seemed to pass like minutes. Other video games serve as virtual worlds, like call of duty and Banjo Kazooee in which you have to pass levels to get to harder, more exciting areas of the game. Games like these have similar aspects as Triggerstreet, which was introduced to us today in class. On this website you have to earn a certain number of points in order to grow and become a higher part of the Triggerstreet society. Much time is spent on the making of these second worlds including many details in order to capture a most realistic feeling and sense about a specific place. If these worlds on the Internet gave the same experiences as real world traveling because of the many details that are included in the very diverse areas of the virtual world, one could learn much about the world within a short amount of time and best of all, at no cost to the user. Life experiences such as these could teach one how other people live, it introduces a new way of living for you, and disparity between you and others.
One thing I would not do in a virtual world is get involved with relationships and create somewhat of a second life online. I would specifically use this as a tool for traveling to places i would want to know more about. When people get too involved within virtual communities they miss out on what is happening in the real world. if there were not a demand for such sites, the sites would not exist. In reality many people may feel like outcasts so they visit these worlds to fulfill their desires. the safety of these net worlds allows for dissonance to take place.
Traveling or living in a new world can teach you life altering lessons and puts a new perspective on the area you are familiar with and grew up in. This is one reason why traveling through different virtual worlds could be a positive learning experience especially for people with lower incomes. Virtual worlds, if used correctly could be an advantage for those who want learn more about the different nations throughout the earth.