History of Travel in North Carolina
From pirates to peddlers, and from horsemen to henchmen, many have travelled the great state of North Carolina. The following is an account of those travelers influential to the state.

Native Americans Were Native American Indians the first to settle on the plains and mountains of North America? Only brief historical records of Indians exist through the tribal customs still practiced today and the Indian reservations of North America. It was the need to move ahead and explore new frontiers that pushed the Cherokee Indians into small reserved plots of land.
Viking Visitors Were the very first travellers to visit North Carolina Vikings? We have very little historical record of Vikings, but there has been speculation that Columbus already knew how to get to this country, and was not the first to meet the native indians!
Columbus and the Ocean Sailing through the Atlantic Ocean, Columbus took three ships and voyaged westward. Did Columbus make the first contact with the Indians in 1492? What happened to the Lost Colony?
Riding the Range Horses have been a favortie means of travel for many and are perhaps one of the most fun, most environmentally friendly, and historical means of travel that still is used today.
The Locomotive The train is still a very popular means of transporting goods and traveling through the state. Amtrak operates in North Carolina as a passenger rail service.
The Automobile Benz and Ford contributed greatly to travel and transportation. Many Ford cars and trucks as well as the popular Mercedes Benz cars are in use today.
The Aeroplane The Wright Brothers advanced the aviation industry with their airplane designs and tests. Today, the aviation industry has skyrocketed in to space. Chuck Yeager, another historical figure, has been a hero to our nation. Mankind is truly destined for the stars!

Effects of Travel and Transportation
Since travellers first set foot on the Ocracoke island of North Carolina, ventured across the rolling plains and into the hills of Appalachia, this state has become a popular place to live and settle. The beaches, the coastal plains, and the mountains have inticed the senses of many settlers and tourists.

North Carolina Appalachian Mountains

As a result, North Carolina is now riddled with thousands of roads and highways and is home to several major airports like RDU and Charlotte Douglas. Traffic, pollution, and other transportation problems will continue to effect the land on which we travel. We must all be aware of the toll travel and exploration (now called tourism) have on the earth.

Visual Evidence of Travel and Transportation effects

Traffic Cones: NC's other state fla

Hidden Junkyard in the mountains

Truckload of Saturns on I-40

What will become of North Carolina transportation? Will the highways continue to grow and spread through the state as the main transportation method for years to come? Why do we use combustible engines when there are better methods?

Avenues for Modern Travel
If you want to travel and see new places, try virtual tours and exploring digital space. Not only can we visit places that exist now through virtual reality, but places that exist long ago and places that don't exist anywhere else but digital space.

View some beautiful scenes from North Carolina!

Virtual Reality as a partial answer to the effects of transportation

Each year, hundreds of millions of people all over the world, use a variety of transportation to move themselves from their homes to their workplace, to their vacation spots, to their shopping malls, and to visit their families. As means of travel have become expanded and developed, the earth that we travel on is taking the toll.

Not only do people travel to work and through town out of necessity, but many travel even greater distances to enjoy nature, or visit a scenic lookout. This increases the amount of traffic in tourist season and causes the state DOT to build more roads through more tracts of land.   Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina

Visiting foreign lands, going across our country, or just touring the state, people love to travel and love to explore new places. But the earth is feeling it, the planes, trains and automobiles barrel through miles of land and space. Creating runways, railways, and highways that are dangerous, machines that are pollutants, and an atmosphere that induces unknown amounts of stress on our environment, and our own lives.

Virtual Reality has the opportunity to be one of the key alternatives to the need for travel in many circumstances. For instance, instead of travelling hundreds of miles to meet with other corporate representatives, the attendees of a meeting can participate in a videoconference. No travel time, no travel expense for the company, no jet lag, no pollution from the plane or taxi. When participants of a meeting can virtually get together, many positive effects result.

Another example of Virtual Reality in good use is for the virtual tourist. Instead of wasting countless hours on a dangerous road to get to one city, the city can be explored through VR from hundreds of angles and perspectives, from a worm's eye view to a bird's eye view. Many places are beginning to capture panoramic views of their towns, the stores, the parks and many other areas of interest. Tourists can see the sights, meet the shop owners, and buy things, right from that store, all online, through virtual telepresence and never leave their homes! No travel time, no travel expense, no dangerous roads to travel, and no pollution, the earth sighs in relief.

How about the educator, and the student? If I can learn at home, participate in an online class, and get my assignments over the net, why travel to school? No car repairs, no expensive gasoline to pay for, no car accidents on the way to school, and no being late to class because the engine will not start. Distance Education, providing a wide range of distant learning opportunities is gaining increased popularity.

What about those who love the feel of travel and moving about, and those who want to really be there, to get out of the house, to see other people, or to be social? That is why VR is only a partial answer. VR can have a substantial effect if we use it wisely.

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