I’m not too religious or superstitious, but there are days when you don’t want anything to go wrong, so you turn religious for a moment. Today’s that day. I silently whisper a prayer under my breath before I step into what I hope will be the adventure of a lifetime, and with a gentle click, I let the world around me dissolve into pixels. A second later, I find myself standing on a stunning seashore, the sand dotted with beautiful seashells. There’s a red board about ten steps away from me that says, ‘Welcome to the Republic of Seychelles!’

The clear blue ocean stretches out before me, and I could stand staring at it all day long, but at that very instant, right beside my avatar, Kiana’s avatar comes to life through an interplay of light and sparkles. The whole scene looks like it’s straight out of a larger-than-life movie where we are the main characters. I turn and look straight into Kiana’s eyes, catching that shimmer in them. It reminds me of how sunlight gets reflected on the surface of the ocean.

‘Hey!’ I greet Kiana with enthusiasm. ‘Are you ready for our Seychelles adventure?’

Kiana nods eagerly and a smile spreads across her lips. ‘Absolutely! I’ve been looking forward to this all week.’

‘So, they finally managed to deliver the headset to you?’ I ask her.

‘Yeah! It took a little longer than I’d imagined!’ she laughs.

‘Your voice sounds so familiar,’ I say. ‘We’re talking to each other for the first time, but it doesn’t really feel like that.’

‘I don’t know if the app has done some magic around voice modulation, but you sound familiar to me too.’ She looks at me, surprised.

‘Maybe! Do you find my avatar impressive?’ I quip.

‘Yes, you look amazing!’ she says as she checks me out from top to bottom. ‘And how do I look?’ she asks and does a little twirl.

‘Like a dream, Kiana! Like a dream come true.’

We’re interrupted by a buzzing sound in our headsets, and a robotic voice addresses us the next moment:

‘Good morning! Welcome to this virtual tour of the Seychelles islands, located in the western Indian Ocean, off the coast of mainland Africa. I am AILENA, and I picked Seychelles as the site of your first virtual experience together because both of you love good food, tropical weather and being out in nature. From hiking to camping, swimming and cycling, this setting offers a perfect chance for the two of you to enjoy these activities together. The island that we are standing on is called La Digue, and there are no motor vehicles on this island. The only way to travel around is to use a cycle! Now, I know that both of you love to drive, so your next VR experience will be a road trip. But let’s focus on today, shall we?