The other day, when I was putting out the garbage and recycling for collection, I stopped to have a chat with my Saturn VUE, Chloe. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve been on a nice long drive, Clo. But soon. Soon we’ll take a long drive, maybe to the Okanagan. Stop at a few wineries. Explore some back roads. Put on our favourite tunes and roll down the windows. Soon it will be spring and hopefully stay-at-home orders will be lifted.”

She seemed to understand that trips to the grocery store are all that her immediate future holds and wasn’t too resentful.

So let’s not tell her that I stepped out on her a little.

I recently discovered the site, Drive and Listen. It uses dash cam and other city driving footage from YouTube and pairs it with the soundtrack of a local radio station. Currently there are 30+ cities on the site, and more are being added on a regular basis. I spent some time exploring places like Beijing, Delhi and Havana.

It certainly isn’t the same as actually being there, but it’s a nice way to scratch that wanderlust itch.

Bonus site: when you’re working from home and just want a new view out your window, try the site WindowSwap. People around the world upload videos of the view outside their window. I’ve enjoyed a lot of cool scenes from around the world, plus met some adorable pets that video bomb the window view. Check out these windows from Serbia, Maine and Istanbul.

Any particular city or town you’d like to take a virtual drive through? Or do any of the above capture your imagination? Let us know in the comments.

~ Kate T.