When you travel by armchair, you can travel in time as well as space. Serious modern travel writing in the West goes back 150 years. In those earlier days, th

When you travel by armchair, you can travel in time as well as space. Serious modern travel writing in the West goes back 150 years. In those earlier days, the differences between your culture and the visited cultures were much more pronounced and authentic. And the lived experience of the travelers themselves are different enough from our lives today to provide valuable insights in themselves. In the East, the tradition goes back even further. See the book Inscribed Landscapes by Strassberg. Pros: Travel in time and space. Safer across nearly all dimensions, more comfortable seating, familiar bathroom facilities, no language barrier, tiny logistical expense in either money or time, more authentic than the curated tourism industry bubble in which most travelers find themselves. No passport control. You can get the same tchotchkes online as you could there in person. If you want images beyond the words, the Internet is always there to fill in the visual blanks. And when you get homesick, all you have to do is lift your head. Others can add the cons.