The Best Themed Virtual Experiences For The Year End Party

This year-end rather than cancel the highly anticipated Christmas/New Year party, keep the date and level up festivities with a virtual event that’ll bring everyone (and perhaps even your sister offices) altogether in an online party. Now that you’re not limited by venue capacity or team location, expand your creative chops and uncover which virtual experience best suits your work setting, and will leave everyone feeling appreciated, rejuvenated, and connected to their colleagues. To help kickstart the party planning, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite thematic virtual tours and experiences.  

INDULGE CULINARY ASPIRATIONS 
Celebratory year-end affairs aren’t complete without something delicious to nibble on. Rather than having a meal together over Zoom, learn to make a unique dish from a foreign land. This virtual workshop experience from Singapore teaches all parties to make ondeh ondeh, one of Singapore’s more popular desserts. Bite into delicious glutinous rice and sweet potato balls filled with palm sugar and coated generously with shredded coconut, it’s a sweet treat with a distinct Peranakan influence that’s sure to delight. Another exotic dish that’ll whet all appetites is this Sri Lankan Curry cooking class where you’ll learn how to make your own curry paste ground from fresh curry leaves, a truly local Sri Lankan practice. A fully customizable experience, adjustments can be made to cater for vegetarians or to explore other signature Sri Lankan dishes.   

UNCOVER HISTORICAL SECRETS 
Learn something new while satisfying everyone’s travel lust with an experiential “outing” to far-flung historical sites. Explore the archaeological zone known as the great pyramid of Cholula in Mexico City established almost 3,000 years ago and dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl. Fun fact: It’s four times larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Equally impressive, sneak a peek of the 2,300-year-old Great Wall of China in this live virtual private tour that walks the steps towards the first watchtower (one of 22 built along its 21,196 km length) and admire this marvel of construction and the stunning surrounding scenery.  

GO OUT INTO THE WILD 
How’s this for a team bonding experience? Get up close and personal with a pride of lions in this virtual wildlife encounter that brings South Africa’s Kruger National Park to a screen near you. Hosted by an ecologist and conservationist, he’ll share real-life experiences with these majestic creatures and bring you so close to them, you’ll hear their growls loud and proud. Ever wondered which creatures glow in the dark? Witness this unusual occurrence on a virtual tour that’ll head out into the bush and shine a light on bioluminescent (lights up on its own) and some biofluorescent (lights up with UV light) creatures. Spoiler alert: You might catch a bossy possum in action. 

EXPLORE AN EXOTIC DESTINATION
When an in-person team incentive trip isn’t possible, there are still options to enjoy a destination together. Schedule this immersive virtual experience that tours the city of Siem Reap and the UNESCO heritage site of Angkor Wat. Led by a local guide who’ll show off the hidden gems and cultural landmarks not often seen by visitors, it’ll leave everyone with a deeper understanding of the rich culture and history of the Khmer people. In a vastly different continent, not many individuals realize that the city of Ohrid, Macedonia is one of the oldest human settlements in all of Europe dating back over three million years old. This live streaming tour will tour major sites like the fortress of Tsar Samuel from the XI century, an ancient theatre from 2 B.C, home to historic gladiator battles, as well as the lake of Ohrid, one of the largest and clearest natural tectonic lakes in Europe.


TOUR SOME VINEYARDS 
For a more inclusive office gathering, rather than organizing a wine tasting, why not sign up for a virtual walking tour of vineyards in Argentina or Chile. Learn more about Argentina’s Mendoza wine heritage on this walkabout of a working vineyard located in Lujan de Cuyo where our host will explain the wine-making process, from plant to bottle, and why the country’s most highly rated Malbec wines originate from this region. Another compelling option is this excursion through the best Chilean wineries of the Maipo Valley to learn about their history of the “Bordeaux of South America”, the grapes, terroir, and what makes their cabernet sauvignon wines so highly desired by wine connoisseurs.