This open access book takes a fresh look at the nature of the digital travel experience at a
time when more and more people are engaged in online social interaction games and other
virtual experiences essentially involving online visits to other places. It examines whether
these experiences can seem real to the virtual traveller and if so under what conditions and
on what grounds. The book unpacks philosophical theories relevant to the feeling of being
somewhere emphasising the importance of perception and being-in-the-world. Notions of place
are outlined based on work in tourism studies human geography and other applied social
fields with an aim to investigate how and when different experiences of place arise for the
traveller and how these relate to telepresence - the sense of being there in another place
through digital media. Findings from recent empirical studies of digital travel are presented
including a survey from which the characteristics of digital travellers are identified. A
review of selected interactive design trends and possibilities leads to the conclusion which
draws these strands together and looks to the future of this topical and expanding field.
