By Travel with Kate, on March 21, 2016

Expedia brings travel to the kids of St. Jude

Vacations are a cherished part of many a childhood, but when you are a sick kid, travel is not always possible. And visiting far-flung dream destinations can be even further from reality. That’s why I was so touched by this gesture Expedia made to kids at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Expedia employees learned about the dreams and hobbies of St. Jude patients and set out on travel adventures with a camera crew. They were equipped not only with 360° video technology, but also the ability to live stream their experiences back to the kids at the hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Their adventures included deep-sea diving in Mexico, dinosaur fossil hunting and running with wild horses in Argentina, and playing with monkeys in the Monkey Jungle in Miami. The result: The kids got to have profound travel experiences without physically going anywhere. You can watch the video below.

St. Jude treats the sickest kids with the toughest diseases. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, and food—because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened in 1962. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. And they won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

Learn more and donate at StJude.org.