A year ago, when it was practically impossible due to the pandemic, Amazon launched the service Amazon Explore . It is a platform that allows you to travel or have experiences in a distant place in a virtual way, connecting to a local expert who will host us .
Of course, it is not the same as being in a physical place. But Amazon Explore is growing because of how convenient and cheap to share with someone who, live, shows us a place, takes us shopping in a market, gives us a cooking class, teaches how to prepare a cocktail … The possibilities are almost endless.
Recently Amazon announced that now you can book experiences for groups up to a maximum of 7 computers connected . Thus, a group of friends or family can share the experience live from different points. Group experiences start at $ 14 dollars per person. Below you can find some examples.
How Amazon Explore works
1. On the Amazon Explore page you can consult different types of experiences grouped by thematic areas (Culture and History, Shopping, Food and Drinks, Nature and Outdoors, Learning and Creativity, Wellness and Beauty, Events and Entertainment) or by countries. Experiences can also be filtered by duration. Most last less than an hour and cost less than $ 79 dollars.
2. Once the experience has been chosen, a date and time must be reserved in the available calendar. You can also choose the number of people. Private one-to-one experiences tend to have a somewhat higher price than those in which one participates in a group booking the same experience.
3. The reservation is made effective by paying it with the Amazon account, like any other purchase on this platform.
4. Some experiences require or suggest that some things be purchased separately. For example, in a cooking class, if you want to prepare a dish at the same time as the host of the experience, you will have to buy the ingredients and have the necessary utensils ready.
5. On the day of the session you have to connect to a link. Your computer will be connected to the host’s smartphone, which you can see, hear, and communicate with. But he won’t be able to see you, he just listens to you. That person will guide you live through the experience.
6. During the session you can take all the photos you want. The platform has a button that captures the screen if you want to have a memory of the moment, make a step-by-step of a recipe, remember an object, etc.
All experiences are offered in English, but you can ask if the host can speak Spanish. In the case of private experiences in Spanish-speaking countries, it should not be an impediment.
Although the service of Amazon Explore is still in beta phase, there are already thousands of experiences that can be hired in dozens of countries.
Some of the new group experiences Amazon Explore
- Get up-close with wild animals in Costa Rica at the Toucan Rescue Ranch
- Meet the playful pups at Costa Rica Dog Rescue
- Virtually learn about the history at Sensoji in Tokyo
- Virtually tour Hong Kong’s working-class neighborhood, Sham Shui Po
- Learn about Mexican coffee from a traditional family roaster
- Empanadas and the culinary heritage of Argentina: a virtual cooking demonstration
- Ljubljana love stories: a virtual tour with romantic stories from Slovenia’s capital
- Peruvian Pisco: a virtual cocktail class
- Haunted History of Chicago: A Virtual Walking Tour
- Down Under: Life in the Southern Hemisphere
- Enchanting Rialto: a stroll through the markets of Venice
- Munich: the city of Churches, p alaces and beer gardens
Mystic Peru: Secrets, Legends and Fortune-telling