--- description: Google Earth’s new Voyager feature will transport you across the globe in an instant, and offer thematic tours of digital destinations title: Google Earth Launched an Enthralling Virtual Travel Tool image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4ae2fdb1fdac64f/6988c382cf40a8bad2c474f2/gettyimages-669823170.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Google Earth Just Launched This Enthralling Virtual Travel Tool by [Feliz Solomon](/author/feliz-solomon/) ## Feliz Solomon Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 7:15 AM CUT  A Google Earth map of Venice, Italy on a screen as Google Earth unveils the revamped version of the application in New York on April 18, 2017. A Google Earth map of Venice, Italy on a screen as Google Earth unveils the revamped version of the application in New York on April 18, 2017.Timothy A. Clark—AFP/Getty Images by [Feliz Solomon](/author/feliz-solomon/) ## Feliz Solomon Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 7:15 AM CUT Whether you’d rather dive into shark-filled waters off the coast of Fiji or hover above the frigid Mirny Airport in Siberia, Google Earth’s new Voyager feature will get you there in an instant — and keep you distracted for hours. Google revealed a number of new tools Wednesday to help users navigate the virtual globe; a tool called “Voyager” offers a menu of thematic tours, while new “knowledge cards” provide factoids about sites and scenes throughout the world. Upgraded imagery makes flying over the Andes or island hopping at the Mili Atoll more realistic and stunning than ever. Google’s editors recommended a few of their favorite routes. [_Land Art from Above_](https://earth.google.com/web/@10.938133,11.420311,367.26490546a,18015657.6d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CjkSNxIgMmM1NGVjMGMwNzczMTFlN2IxMGJhYjg0NThhYTgzNjQaE0xhbmQgQXJ0IGZyb20gQWJvdmU "undefined") lets users jump from one massive sculpture to another — from Robert Smithson’s _Spiral Jetty_ in Utah; to the [Hartland County Corn Maze](https://earth.google.com/web/@43.408482,-96.649925,421.07250945a,987.12d,35y,-90.38h,0t,0r/data=CjkSNxIgMmM1NGVjMGMwNzczMTFlN2IxMGJhYjg0NThhYTgzNjQaE0xhbmQgQXJ0IGZyb20gQWJvdmU "undefined") in Harrisburg, South Dakota; then on to _Northumberlandia,_ a giant female nude reclining across the English countryside. Other tours take you barhopping to the favorite water holes of Ernest Hemingway; diving into Indonesian waters; or exploring the sights and avenues of cities such as New York, Tokyo and Paris. A tour of the Grand Canyon conveniently drops users off at the park’s visitor center; from there you can click on the most popular vistas and enter Google’s street view from the cliff’s edge. The tools are easy to navigate, and the options are diverse — there are even a few routes designed for parents to [explore with their kids](https://earth.google.com/web/@19.42034,-99.181794,2305.7892481a,339.68d,35y,-52.21h,60.28t,0r/data=CjkSNxIgMDVhYjE1OTQ2ZTIyMTFlNjg1NGNhZGU3NGExNTMwNDEaE0V4cGxvcmUgTWV4aWNvIENpdHk "undefined"). There’s something for everyone, but a few stood out as favorites: [_Ultradistancia_](https://earth.google.com/web/@51.75329527,-34.51822778,15000000a,0.1d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=Cj4SPBIgYTY4MjUyNWM4NWQzMTFlNmE4Y2UyMzM0ZDZjODhhZDUaGFVsdHJhZGlzdGFuY2lhOiBBaXJwb3J0cw "undefined") is an art project by Argentinian photographer Federico Winer, who spends hours scouring Google Earth for uncanny patterns, enhances the images and turns them into high-resolution prints. In this series, he discovers surprisingly mesmerizing bird’s-eye views of airports across the globe. [_Wonders of the Ancient and Modern_ _World_ ](https://earth.google.com/web/@-12.8787865,51.0538055,13.79683172a,14475797.44295895d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=Ck0SSxIgNWU3MWNkMDBmZGM3MTFlNmFhMzExYjMxZWFiNDNjN2QaJ1dvbmRlcnMgb2YgdGhlIEFuY2llbnQgYW5kIE1vZGVybiBXb3JsZCgC "undefined")lets you wander across the ruins of Pompei, then fly to Antarctica and land square in the kitchen of Scott’s Hut — cabin frozen in time with relics of the explorers from Robert Falcon Scott’s fatal expedition to the South Pole around the turn of the 20th century. [_Amazing Urban Gardens_](https://earth.google.com/web/@35,-40,-3886.57996329a,1000d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CjsSORIgNjlkNTc5ZjMwYjc3MTFlN2E3NjMxNWY2OWQzNDJmYmYaFUFtYXppbmcgVXJiYW4gR2FyZGVucw "undefined")explores a vertical forest in Italy; sprawling manicured grounds of Curitiba, Brazil; the 143-acre Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Japan; and the modern greenhouses of Singapore known as the Garden by the Bay. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4745873/google-earth-voyager-technology/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4745873/google-earth-voyager-technology/"},"headline":"Google Earth Just Launched This Enthralling Virtual Travel Tool","datePublished":"2017-04-19T07:15:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:42:57.194Z","description":"'Voyager' offers thematic tours of digital destinations across the globe","url":"https://time.com/4745873/google-earth-voyager-technology/","keywords":["Tech","Newsfeed","Google","Technology","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4ae2fdb1fdac64f/6988c382cf40a8bad2c474f2/gettyimages-669823170.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Feliz Solomon","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/feliz-solomon/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4ae2fdb1fdac64f/6988c382cf40a8bad2c474f2/gettyimages-669823170.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-INTERNET-COMPUTERS-GEOGRAPHY-TRAVEL-GOOGLE","caption":"US-INTERNET-COMPUTERS-GEOGRAPHY-TRAVEL-GOOGLE","creditText":"Timothy A. 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