11 Timelapses That You Should Watch to Pretend You’re On Vacation

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It’s nearly August, which means one thing: You should not be on a computer. You should not be in an office. You should have vacated whatever smelly urban heat island you call home in favor of more verdant lands. You should be hiking up a mountain or vigorously applying sunscreen on a beach or enjoying a family picnic or touring a nicely air-conditioned museum in a foreign land. Alas, we cannot all enjoy a summer vacation in a far-flung place. But we can dream! Here are 11 high-definition timelapses that will help you get away—at least virtually:

1. Iceland

Waterfalls, fjords, sheep, and snow! Remember snow?

2. Yosemite

Yosemite HD II from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Grab your hiking boots for this one, shot in California's Yosemite National Park. Note that Half Dome is a little smaller these days—it lost 5 million pounds of rock during storms earlier this month

3. Northern Chile

Ancients from Nicholas Buer on Vimeo.

The deserts of Northern Chile have some of the clearest, darkest skies in the world. Hello, stargazing.

4. Colombia

Colombia - Timelapse from MB Films on Vimeo.

Get eyefuls of greenery in the jungles of Colombia, and, for the more cosmopolitan traveler, the bustle of Bogatá. 

5. Burning Man 

Lake of Dreams from roy two thousand on Vimeo.

Every year at the end of August, thousands of people flock to the Nevada desert for Burning Man, a festival that's been described as part rave, part social experiment, and increasingly, part Silicon Valley networking event. Whatever it is, it's definitely a vacation from normal life. 

6. Venice

Venice in a Day from Joerg Niggli on Vimeo.

Nothing says "relaxation" like being on a boat.

7. Norway

NORWAY - A Time-Lapse Adventure from Rustad Media on Vimeo.

This timelapse features images taken across Norway on an almost 10,000 mile road trip over the course of five months. So. Many. Fjords. 

8. Rio de Janeiro

Time of Rio from MOOV on Vimeo.

Time to go to the beach? Time to go to the beach.

9. New Zealand

AWAKENING | NEW ZEALAND 4K from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.

For everyone who dreams of a Lord of the Rings-themed getaway. 

10. The Dominican Republic

Repeat: Take me to the beach.

11. New York City

STREETS - NEW YORK CITY from Tim Sessler on Vimeo.

New York City is generally a place people flee in the dog days of summer, but those sticky August days in the city have their beauty, too. At least when viewed from a safe distance.