Here is our list of the best online field trip ideas.
Online field trip ideas are activities that happen in an in-person tour but are recorded to present to virtual teams or live-lead on video calls. The teams gather to enjoy the online experience and visit places from their homes. Examples include the Disneyland tour, zoo tour, NASA tour, Aquarium tour, and dairy farm tours. The purpose of these activities is to get shared experiences, travel the world virtually, and ensure virtual team building among employees and students without being physically present in the area.
These experiences are examples of online employee engagement ideas, remote team activities and free online team building activities.
This list includes:
- online field trip ideas for elementary students
- online field trip ideas for middle school students
- online field trip ideas for high school students
- online field trip ideas for adults
- free online field trip ideas
Let’s get started!
List of online field trip ideas
Online field trips are great activities for virtual teams. Such tours help the teams enjoy a virtual tour together without being physically present on location. Through virtual field trips, the employees can get shared experiences and collect memories, which helps team building. Online field trips also help the remote teams visit the world without being physically present at the spot. Although these tours cannot offer the same level of fun due to less interaction, the field trips still let you visit different places.
Here is our list of the best ideas for online field trips. These tours are great for students, employees, and adults, as virtual tours are usually not specific to an age group.
1. Virtual Safari
A virtual safari can be just as mesmerizing as an in-person adventure. The virtual experience is made possible by safari guides who use cameras to keep their viewers updated. The guides also use camera vehicles and shoot captivating footage. Then, the guides broadcast the shows daily and upload them to YouTube channels where folks can access them anytime.
Since these experiences are equal parts adventure and animal fun, online safaris are among the best online field trip ideas for middle school students. You can arrange safari themes snacks for your students and set a session after the tour where they can as questions from the guides.
Check this out: Virtual Safari: Bush walk through the Savanna
2. Virtual Aquarium Tour
An undersea adventure is among the best online field trip ideas for elementary school students. These adventures can have an effective learning experience in the classroom. You can contact a local aquarium for discounts or look for websites online. Experts record these tours to make them more engaging.
You can share facts about the animals depending on the grade for which you have arranged the trip. In case you have an older class, you can discuss which creatures live at what depths and what makes them unique.
Check this out: Georgia Aquarium – 4K Walkthrough
3. Virtual Museum Tour
Museums make for exciting educational field trips. There are plenty of museums you can choose from depending on the subject you teach. You can also ask the students to vote for the museum and choose accordingly.
You can give the students a tour using Google Street View. However, if you want the students to have a closer look so they can observe and understand, try looking for videos by guides. There are usually short videos on YouTube where the guides discuss each object individually and discuss exhibitions in detail.
This activity will help students learn more about the museums, but they will have many unanswered questions. Therefore, the best idea is to book a tour with a live guide where an expert can answer questions over Zoom or other video conference platforms.
Check this out: The British Museum.
4. Virtual Art Museum Tour
A virtual museum tour is one of the best online field trip ideas for high school students. If you have art students, then you can arrange a time to view artworks by famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo Di Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Pablo Picasso.
The students can learn about the art movements the works were set in and get a closer look at the canvas. A field trip such as this will allow your students to see the methods used and discuss the details they may have missed looking at the same paintings in their textbooks.
Maybe some students might get inspired and create an idea of their own!
Check this out: museums on Google Arts & Culture.
5. Virtual Disneyland Tour
A great way to engage elementary school students is to take them to Disneyland. You can visit the happiest place on earth without leaving your classroom!
You can arrange a virtual Disneyland tour using Google Street View to give the students online access to the park. You can tell your students about the history of Disney or make them learn about the activities and games at Disneyland.
To make this field trip more interesting, you can have your students dress up as their favorite Disney characters, perform skits based on their favorite movies, and draw cartoons.
Check this out: Disneyland 360
6. Tours Of Cities All Over The World
If you are looking for online field trip ideas for adults, then you can always have a tour of remote cities that you have never visited. It should be easy to book a tour on an online platform such as Zoom. A guide will take you to the most popular destinations and share historical backgrounds. The adults can learn about different cultures, traditions, and foods.
You may also find recorded walking tours of different cities on YouTube. If you do not want a costly field trip, then seek out free experiences. To take your tour up a notch, ask the visitors to bring one of your decided city’s popular dishes. If you are planning this tour with adults, then you can ask them to cook dishes at home and bring them over on the day of the tour. This tour will give you an in-depth experience without actually walking the city streets.
For a field trip for your students, you can ask them to learn a fact about the city and share it with the rest of the class. Or, you can prepare food yourself and let your students try it! This activity will give them a delicious learning experience!
Check this out: A virtual walk in the world
7. Historical Places Tour
Historical site tours are among the best online field trip ideas for middle school students. The easiest way to do this tour is to explore via Google Maps Street View photos. However, if you want a better experience, then you can find a 360-degree virtual tour online.
You can pick exciting spots, such as the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Italy, or the Acropolis in Greece. These areas are sure to transport the visitors back in time and put them in the shoes of ancient Greeks or Romans. Booking a guided tour online will make the field trip easier. The guide will describe the history of the place and help your students understand its significance.
Check this out: Great Wall of China — Google Arts & Culture
8. Virtual Tour Of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter is ideal for middle school students but also fun for older students and adults. This Wizarding World is located in Universal Studios, with all the Harry Potter games and magical activities you can think of to elevate your experience.
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter has accurate classrooms, students with their uniforms on, and even famous spots from the book, such as Hogsmeade and Diagon alley. You will find popular shops of Hogsmeade, such as The Three Broomsticks and The Hog’s Head, in the experience as well. Of course, you can sit on the rides, but there are also virtual rides that your students might like.
Check this out: Bonvoyage With Kids
9. Virtual Broadway Show
Your high school students will surely be excited about a Virtual Broadway Show. This show should be fairly easy to arrange since you can find Broadway shows on many online platforms such as Disney+, Boadway HD, and Amazon Prime Video.
Here are some shows you can check out:
- Hamilton
- Tick Tick Boom
- Falsettos
- Richard II
- Holiday Inn
You can arrange a virtual Broadway show and watch world-class artists with your team from the comfort of your home.
Check this out: Virtual Broadway Experiences.
10. Virtual Rainforest Tour
A virtual rainforest tour is undoubtedly much safer than an in-person one, but you will get to explore the same ideas. You can find many free virtual 360-degree rainforest tours. Teaching your students and employees about the importance of conservation and how rainforests are essential alongside a virtual field trip will increase their knowledge.
You can make this tour better by planning an indoor camping trip. You will have to arrange tents for your students and help them set those up. You can bring games and snacks for them as well.
The virtual experience with your camping setup will be the perfect way for your students to understand what it is like to explore a rainforest. Participants can also listen to nature sounds and talk about all the animals and bugs they might find there.
Check this out: Virtual Walk through a Tropical Forest
11. Virtual Concert
Thanks to the rise of virtual concerts, you can easily buy virtual concert tickets and watch your favorite artist perform live anywhere in the world. This idea is best for middle and high school students, and is more fun when the audience can vote on the artist.
A virtual concert is the best option if you want a free online field trip idea. In case you cannot find any live shows, you can also stream previous concerts. There are many concert documentaries by popular singers. Here are some that your students might enjoy:
- This is us
- Elvis: That’s the way it is
- Homecoming
A virtual concert is exciting for students and adults alike. However, make sure you have asked about your audience’s preferences to make the experience fun.
Check this out: Songkick virtual concerts.
12. Virtual Nasa Tour
Nasa has a variety of virtual tours free of cost on YouTube, categorizing it among the best free online field trip ideas. Some of these tours are even in 3D! You can take your students to space stations where NASA astronauts perform research and experiments. Your students can learn about how the astronauts work and why their work is pivotal.
Another idea is to play documentaries for the students and discuss the work. This idea is probably more suitable for middle and high school students since elementary school students might not understand documentaries.
However, if you are teaching younger students, then you can make the tour fun by asking them to dress up as astronauts and picking a NASA-themed virtual field trip idea that is more suitable to the age group. This activity will help them learn better while having the time of their lives!
Check this out: NASA’s 3-D Tour of the International Space Station
13. Virtual Island Tour
An island tour is enjoyable for students and adults alike. You can plan a virtual island tour through Google Maps Street View or YouTube videos of the 360-degree interactive tour. Depending on the island you are visiting, you can tell your students the importance of the island, its culture, and interesting facts. You can make the field trip fun by having a summer-themed picnic or lunch.
You can contact the island’s local tour guides if you want them to give you a tour instead. Some places even offer online tours on horseback to make them more fun!
Check this out: Local Islands – Maldives Virtual Tour
14. Historical Art Building Tour
Your art students need to look at previous works to find their own art style and how it matches that of some well-known artists in history. Museums are helpful, but it is better to take your students to places where artists display their art pieces. Then, you can have a tour in order of the art movements according to their timelines. The buildings are mesmerizing to look at, and they will also help your students get inspired by the works of well-known artists and their dedication to creating art.
Here are some places you can put on your list:
- Sistine Chapel
- Bauhaus Building
- Raphael Rooms
- Palace of Versailles
A historical art building tour is a great idea to awaken the hidden artists in your team. The tour will also increase their knowledge of the arts and famous historic artists.
Check this out: Historical Sites You Can Visit from Home.
15. Virtual Space Tour
If you want to take your NASA tour to the next level, then you can encourage the students to explore different planets and even the moon. For example, NASA has a free-of-cost video of the moon where they show the terrain and talk about high mineral composition areas and evidence of surface water ice.
You can also look for other tours that take you over different planets in the solar system and explain how each of them is different and what makes them unique. This idea can also make it easier for your students to understand how the solar system works.
Check this out: Tour of the Moon 4K – Moon: NASA Science
16. Virtual Dairy Farm Tour
With this virtual field trip idea, your students can learn about a dairy farm without getting the smell of an actual dairy farm. You can book a tour or find a recorded video. The field trip will include information on how the farmers care for calves and milk cows, and store the milk. This activity can be ideal if you are looking for some online field trip ideas for elementary students. The farmers will show you all the machines used to help them with the process and answer any questions your students may have.
Check this out: Dairy Tour 360 | Virtual Farm Experience
17. Virtual Animal Shelter Tour
The virtual animal shelter tour is excellent for all ages because most folks love animals. A virtual field trip to an animal shelter will show how animals are cared for and raise awareness of shelter pets. The guides will take you and your students over the entire process, from how they groom the animals to socializing animals to be more friendly, especially if they have been affected by their previous owners. The guides also show how they protect the animals from illnesses and fleas and how they are trained.
If the tour is from a local animal shelter, then they might encourage the students to adopt a pet or donate. Your students might just give some of the pets a new home!
Check this out: Virtual Reality (VR) Tour of the Sanctuary | Best Friends Animal Society
Conclusion
Virtual field trips are inexpensive, exciting, and fun. These trips encourage students and adults to learn and have fun and do fun activities in the comfort of their homes. With online tours, you do not have to be in the same room as everyone else. With platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet, everyone can experience a field trip from their homes, ensuring great team building among remote teams and students in different parts of the world. Best of all, there is no chance these trips will get canceled due to bad weather!
Read about online employee appreciation ideas.
