Google Street View: See The World With The Click Of A Button

Don't have the time (or money) to see the castles of Japan or the valleys of Norway? Not to worry -- you're not alone in being glued to your office chair.

Enter Google Street View: your tool for seeing the world without spending a dime.

Google Street View began in 2007 as an experimental project to capture the world in pictures, according to the company's website. In 2012, the program came under fire after being accused of collecting personal data in more than 30 countries around the world. While the company admitted to accidentally gathering information from unsecured WiFi networks, its biggest offense has been the delay in deleting it.

Whether you're a fan of the search engine's cameras or not, our guess is that you'll enjoy some of these photos we've gathered from Google Street View below. We know it's not as great as the real deal, but give yourself a mini-vacation anyways.