Pyramid Scheme

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If you can't quite picture your next holiday, try this: for three minutes you can experience 3-D images of Egypt's Valley of the Kings, catch a whiff of musty mummies, suck in a Red Sea breeze or spices at a local suq—all courtesy of a headset you can try on at a travel agent. "They're based on real-life smells—including mummies—and then exaggerated to become recognizable," says Jason Cremins of the U.K.-based Remote Media, which developed the technology. Beginning in January, European tour operator Thomson took the $28,000 headset around four British cities to help sell vacations in Egypt. Wherever the gadget was trialed, bookings increased —by up to 32% in one store. "People find it easier to imagine themselves on a holiday the more they know and see about a destination," says Douglas Glenwright of Thomson. More stores and destinations are in the pipeline as headsets become cheaper. "Customers could soon come into our shops to buy a lunchtime virtual holiday," says Glenwright. Maybe, but can riding a virtual camel ever match the real thing?