With viruses, lockdowns, and quarantines, there's not been much scope to travel these past few months. And people have had to go online to socialise with friends and family, with video chats, meet-ups, and more. But the background to all this is always so blah, isn't it  

Perhaps you'd like to pretend you are somewhere in Greece while calling your BFF You can do that now. You know that Facebook lets you socialise face-to-face in virtual group meetings via Messenger Rooms. The feature that could connect up to 50 people from Facebook or the Messenger app was an instant hit. Now Facebook has taken it a notch higher by introducing 360-degree virtual travel experiences.

Messenger has launched a new set of backgrounds people can use while on messenger rooms. The 360-degree background filters created using augmented reality moves with the person and feels like a real-time image, making it a cool feature to use in an otherwise normal chatroom.

The service was introduced with the background image of the Louvre in Paris. According to the creators, a new filter or a 'new place' will be added each week over the next couple of months. It is aimed at giving people&rsquos conversations a touch of that wandering vibe they all miss.

Using the Messenger Room, one can 'travel' over the Mediterranean while having a chat with their friends with a background of Santorini, Greece (from August 21). Or they can enjoy the view from the courtyards of the Taj Mahal from August. 28, or have a chat while walking the busy streets of Venice hosting the Venice International Film Festival from September 4. And on September 11, it's the stunning Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

Messenger Rooms also offer other features including fun AR filters, and games. It gives its users the ability to screen-share and watch videos or play presentations. Messenger Rooms shot into popularity due to the lockdown. It found a larger user base as people have complained of security and privacy issues with Zoom, the previously &lsquobig&rsquo video calling app. With the addition of the new feature, Facebook plans to hold on to this new user base.