Expedia and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® Bring Adventure Travel to Patients by Leveraging 360° Virtual Reality Technology

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --  Expedia.com^®, one of the world's largest full service online travel sites*, today launched a campaign with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^® to raise awareness and funds through a first-of-its-kind, immersive virtual reality campaign.

The "Dream Adventures" initiative features four patients from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Each child was asked to share their passions and dream travel adventure, which ranged from playing with monkeys and running with horses to digging for dinosaurs and swimming in the sea. 

Working alongside 180LA, Expedia dispatched a team of employees, each armed with a 360° camera and live-streaming technology, to Argentina, Miami and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to bring the dream adventures to life.

The teams captured the experiences in real time, and live footage was projected onto the floor, walls and ceiling of a four-wall virtual reality installation at the hospital. This was the first time 360° filming, projection mapping and live streaming technology were used together. Through this innovation, Expedia was able to bring a truly immersive travel experience to the kids of St. Jude. Each child was able to explore, direct the actions of the on-site trekker and immerse themselves in the experience.

This campaign supports the Expedia mission, which is to bring the power of travel to as many people around the world as possible. Videos that captured these experiences and links to donate Expedia+ points are available at www.expedia.com/dreamadventures.  

As a long-standing partner of St. Jude, Expedia is committed to leveraging its global reach to benefit the beloved institution. The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $2.2 million, which is primarily covered by individual contributors. Thanks to generous supporters and the dedication of partners like Expedia, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

Expedia is leveraging the campaign to encourage its customers to donate their Expedia+ rewards points directly to the hospital. The Expedia+ rewards program confers points to travelers based on each flight, hotel, car or activity they book across Expedia channels. Typically, Expedia+ points can be redeemed for travel. Now, Expedia+ points can be converted to a monetary value.

About Expedia.com
Expedia.com is one of the world's largest full service travel sites*, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (https://www.expedia.com/, 1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of top vacation destinations, cheap tickets, hotel deals, car rentals, destination weddings, cruise deals and in-destination activities, attractions, services and travel apps. With the Expedia® Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.

Expedia, Expedia.com, Expedia Rewards, Find Yours, Vacation Deprivation and the Airplane logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners © 2016 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50

*Based on a comparison of other full-service online travel agencies, defined as those providing booking and services related to air, hotel, cruise, car and activities to a global customer base. Data based on comScore Media Metrix for Expedia, Inc. Sites, Worldwide, Average Monthly Unique Visitors, Oct '12-Sept '13. 

Web site: https://www.expedia.com/

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

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SOURCE Expedia.com

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