Virtual Worlds, and International Travel

I've been taking a look at Second Life, Entropia and a couple of other games sites recently, especially after my last post about AI incubation in Virtual Worlds, and it occurred to me that I'd love to create a virtual world showcasing the very best travel destinations to visit.

Recently Entropia announced that they're going to update their VR engine by the middle of next year to take advantage of new real life looking worlds. If I had the spare cash lying around to do it I'd happily pay for a bunch of servers to recreate Berlin Mitte, or the Pyramids of Egypt.

Hot on the heals of both of these announcements comes the news that MetaPlace are taking signups for the alpha release of their new virtual world software that will allow any website owner to design and then host their own virtual world directly off their website. Wow, can't wait till I can start hosting my own virtual world

I predict that in the next 2-3 years it will be reasonably common for any Internet user to browse the virtual world looking for their perfect holiday destination. Imagine being able to walk around Berlin Mitte in the virtual world, and while you're there visit a virtual travel agency, make your booking, and by the time you log off the confirmation email has arrived with your itinerary and all you have to do is pack your bags and look forward to a great holiday.