1 billion downloads — How has Google Earth changed your (travel) life?

One billion.

That's how many times Google Earth has been downloaded since it launched in 2001, affording the world the ability to digitally soar across and explore our planet upon a platform of satellite imagery topped with 3D structures. The plug-in, released a few years later, enabled this 3D exploration within a web browser, which 3D Travel has used to build virtual destinations in Hawaii (3DHawaii.com) and Las Vegas (3DLasVegas.com).

To celebrate the landmark number, Google Earth launched One World, Many Stories, tagging its digital planet with the experiences of people who have used the groundbreaking application in their lives, from protecting the environment to teaching geography to — our personal favorite — virtual travel. You can explore the many ways Google Earth is being used today, and then you're invited to share your own story.

So we want to throw it out to our users, 3D afficionados and Google Earth fans: How have you used 3DHawaii and 3DLasVegas to plan your vacations? Have they opened your eyes to these destinations in a new way, or triggered a new direction for your travels, or helped you build an itinerary? Did you discover a remote beach, or an under-the-radar restaurant, or an adventure that you added to your bucket list? Were you so impressed with the 3D rendering on a hotel that you decided That's the one for me?

Share your virtual travel story with Google Earth — your entry can come in any form: descriptive story, images, KML file/tour, YouTube video.

About 3D Travel, Inc.

In June 2010, 3D Travel, Inc. launched 3DHawaii.com, the first of its planned 3D travel sites. The concept was so appealing that major clients such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center signed contracts well before the site went live. In December 2010, 3DLasVegas.com was launched and included major clients such as MGM Resorts International.

3D Travel, Inc. is developing many new and exciting features and partnerships that it plans to announce over the next few months. The company has built a world-class team with offices in California and Hawaii, and is now planning the launch of additional 3D travel destinations in the coming months.