Its a whole new kind of armchair travelling. Google Maps lets you see the world without ever getting out of the house. Sure, its nothing like the real thing, but its the closest you can get.

Recently, in an effort to remember the name of a street in Prague (where I travelled last year), I looked up handy Google MapsIve found everything from obscure independent little shops to my own residential building with this useful little app. I tried to plot the name of the street, starting in the direction I knew it would be from my hotel, peering at familiar and unfamiliar names of stores and buildings until found a white strip on the map that might be the street I was looking for. Still confused, I zoomed in further, attempting to identify the tiny squares (indicating landmarks) that would offer some clueuntil I zoomed so close that suddenly, I found myself looking down a familiar street. I could see the Romanesque building with the jade green roof that had been the landmark I looked for, whenever I was trying to find my way. And just like that, it was like I was in Prague again. Well, almost.

Its not something thats ever going to replace actually travelling somewhere. But if your bank accounts dangerously low; if youre confused about whether Seychelles or Maldives ought to be your Indian ocean beach holiday; if you want to keep doing 360 degree rounds of the Grand Canyon until you finally muster the guts to do a real, intense hike there; or if you just want to plan your trip to the tee, Google Maps has changed the way people think about armchair travel.

Some of the fabulous experiences you can participate in?

- Travel down the canals lined with old, pretty buildings in Venice - See the penguins up close in Antarcticaand dont feel the chill - Go underwater at the Great Barrier Reef without the breathing equipment - Gape at towering Mount Everest without the arduous trek up to base camp - Take the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon and descend 4,000 feet all the way to the Colorado River - Do as the Romans do and get 360 degree views of the Colosseum - See the Australian bush without spending endless hours on a hot, dusty ride - Try floating on the Dead Sea near the West Bank - Forget about the anacondas as you cruise the Amazon

And its not just Google thats mastered the art. You can check out http://www.airpano.com, which offers 360 degree virtual tours of the Great Wall of China, city tours of Moscow and Florence, glimpses of the great wildebeest migration in Kenya, a grand tour of Iceland, and a trip to the North Pole, along with many others. Also, visit The Armchair Travel Company (www.armchair-travel.com) for virtual tours of the Taj Mahal, Westminster Abbey and St Pauls Cathedral.

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