VR Immersive Experience:
“Portal Airline” Cross-generational Event
↑ The secret that made this VR experience feel “real”
↑ The participant was awed by the VR Northern Light experience
Event Sessions
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM, October 19, 2025 (5 participants)
02:00 PM – 03:30 PM, October 19, 2025 (9 participants)
Project Background
This project was inspired by a deeply personal experience. After a beloved family member’s cancer diagnosis limited her ability to travel, I wanted to bring the wonder of the world closer to people with limited mobility.
Through an immersive VR journey to the Northern Lights, I integrated 360° visuals, physical set design, human guidance, and AI-powered tools to create an accessible travel experience.
In collaboration with the Silver Center of NAPCU(National Association for the Promotion of Community Universities), we brought this experience to older adults and younger participants alike.
My Roles
◆ Creative Producer: Managed resources and timelines, coordinated team, collaborated with the Silver Center of NAPCU to ensured smooth event execution.
◆ Experience Designer: Designed the event journey, crafted an authentic VR travel experience, and arranged the space to enhance immersion.
◆ Event Facilitator: Played a flight attendant to reinforce the travel narrative and immerse participants in the experience.
Project Challenge
How can we recreate the feeling of travel for people with limited mobility?
Inspired by a family member whose illness limited her ability to travel, I explored how VR could recreate the feeling of travel. In collaboration with NAPCU’s Silver Center, we explored older adults’ needs and ways to create meaningful virtual travel experiences.
Design Highlights: : Seamless Blending of Virtual and Reality
We aimed to ensure participants felt this was an actual trip, not merely a video viewed through a VR headset. To achieve this, we structured the experience around three core design elements.
Setup Physical Environment
Transformed a conference room into a cozy Nordic-style living room with warm lighting, comfortable furnishings, and fragrance to create an immersive atmosphere.
Provide Human Touch
Branded the experience as “Portal Airline” and dressed as flight attendants to welcome participants, check boarding passes, and assist with VR devices.
Leave a Tangible Memory
Used realistic boarding passes and AI to composite participants’ photos with the aurora, printing the results as Polaroids to create lasting memories of their virtual journey.
Guest Journey
Participants’ Feedback
We were genuinely touched by the participants’ feedback, which confirmed the experience provided them with a meaningful sense of real travel.
“Because the aurora feels so incredibly distant, this trip truly felt like a dream realized.”—Ms. Ye (50+)
“This was an unexpectedly wonderful and curious journey. The ticket and the cozy, comfortable ‘plane’ setup made the experience so lifelike. What was most touching was how ‘thoughtful and relevant’ the design was throughout. The virtual VR sensation created a very real, touching feeling—that is what true warmth means.”
—Anonymous
“I truly appreciate the team’s meticulously designed, surprising, warm, and complimentary trip to see the Icelandic aurora. They transformed the dazzling Northern Lights into a memory with depth, a story, and real warmth. I thoroughly enjoyed this brief but profoundly moving journey.”
—Ms. Zhang (70+)
Afterword & Special Thanks
Special thanks to Professor Huai-Hsuan Chen for the opportunity to collaborate with the Silver Center of NAPCU and for her valuable advice on hosting successful events for older adults.
I’m also grateful to my co-worker BPW for collaborating on the experience and excursion details, and to Angus for capturing these amazing photos.
Finally, I sincerely thank every participant for their support and participation. I look forward to continuing this initiative and creating more opportunities for people with physical limitations to explore the world and experience the joy of travel.
