Instead of paying for airfares, wouldn’t it just be cheaper to virtually explore the world using the internet? However there are caveats: you won’t feel the atmosphere, be able to taste the food & keeping in mind that absence of one’s physical presence whilst browsing online isn’t considered “travel” by the majority, satellite images can be outdated in some cases if they haven’t kept tabs on particular locations.

You can’t replicate real life and first hand experiences simply from virtual exploration since that requires not only physical presence but, to see first hand what it actually is rather than reading from some article regurgitating that information. You could just explore a place via street view, but don’t rely on those images a lot since places evolve overtime meaning those street view photos can get old fast.

Like, if that picture was last captured in 2018 but when you try to find it today in real life, it’s no longer there (either it’s permanently closed or another site is built over meaning that place no longer exists). This is the downside on “street view” travel as buildings get demolished, businesses close down, sites close, etc. these are the hidden real life nuances that Google Earth can’t conceal.

Google Earth or Street View only offers a restricted access of a place (like aerial or street view) while interiors are user submissions (again, pay attention to the date of photography & submission since that’ll no longer be there or the environment can shift from the last time those pictures were taken). One can fall into the trap of a place that once existed but today its no more.