Trouble-free holidays with Wonder Rotunda

You're lying on the couch, watching TV, or perhaps reading a magazine. But all is not well. When you came home from work (if you still have a job, that is), the mailbox was full of bills. You can't think beyond paying the rent, due in three days.

Yes, the financial crisis has meant changes for almost all of us. And what we seem to be taking much less of this year is probably exactly what we need most: holidays. According to the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, travel abroad has been down eight per cent from last year.

But don't worry: the internet is here. Wonder Rotunda offers all kinds of exotic locations without ever having to leave home. Officially, the site is for children, as an educational tool to open their eyes to some of the wonderful places on earth, but with an online invitation to "join their child", adults can be part of the fun, too.

Users of Wonder Rotunda must create an avatar, or virtual self, to enjoy some of the site's attractions, including diving at the Great Barrier Reef and hot-air ballooning over the Serengeti. If the recession has made you fed up with life on Earth, take a seat in Apollo 11 and fly off to the moon.