I have stared out my window every morning since lockdown. It is not as glamorous as waking up in a safari game lodge overlooking the watering hole where elephant and zebras laze in the sun, or some country in Asia with picturesque views of lush greenery and mountains.
With armchair travel becoming a huge trend during quarantine, everyone is switching on their laptops and exploring the world from the comfort of their homes.
Thanks to apps and websites like WindowSwap, you too can escape to exotic locations as you take in the glorious views before you.
When I heard about WindowSwap from a friend, I found the concept quite peculiar. Everyone was going gaga over it. I thought to myself, "Who has the time to look out someone's window?"
Yet, the curious person I am, I decided to type in the WindowSwap website and see what all the fuss was about.
"Open a new window somewhere in the world--->" it instructed.
Once I clicked on it, it took me to Jiyan's window in Başakşehir, Istanbul in Turkey. Immediately, my eyes moved with the camera, observing every last detail.
There were colourful buildings as far as the eye could see. Some were taller than others. Below, children enjoyed each other's company in the playground while cars glided through the highway in the distance.
As my travel FOMO rose, I opened a new window, unsure where it would take me next.
My next destination was San Francisco, USA. I peered out of Anu's window as the sun retired for the evening. In the distance, I saw mountains and trees.
I spent around thirty minutes looking out many stranger's windows. I travelled to Villongo in Italy, Bordeaux in France, Copenhagen in Denmark and Barcelona in Spain.
According to its website, WindowSwap is a quarantine project by Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam.
The website reveals more on the project.
"Window Swap is here to fill that deep void in our wanderlust hearts by allowing us to look through someone else's window, somewhere in the world, for a while.
"A place on the internet where all we travel hungry fools share our 'window views' to help each other feel a little bit better till we can (responsibly) explore our beautiful planet again," it stated.
Travellers can post their own videos, which needs to be a 10-minute, horizontal HD video of your window and frame, along with your first name and location for credits.
Click here for more info