** “When virtual travel gets to the point where surfing the web in the virtual class carries the same penalties as surfing it in a physical-presence class, then I might say it’s arrived.” **
This happens, depending on the degree of immersion.
One of the reasons cell-phones are dangerous is because people lose track of where they are and what they are doing, blithely sauntering or driving into danger.
Just as a surfer might be blithely unaware of the circling Great White.
Better immersion techniques will exacerbate this problem. I recommend virtual reality chambers for recreation and for remote presence participation. In such a chamber, you would don a suit designed to feed you with information about the remote location and its occupants, and capture motions and facial expressions, as well as speech that you might produce.
In such a chamber, one might well “pace” back and forth while “presenting” information on a “stage”.
Or one could simply relax and observe while someone else does that, and look around at the other participants to see what their reactions are.
The easy configuration is to have everyone seated. Then you only need to put on a jacket with data-gloves, and a visor-type helmet or cap.
BTW I keep an obsolete computer around just to fly FU2 and ATF NATO with my obsolete visor type helmet (VFX1).
You build up a tolerance but until they solve the inner ear and focus distance problems VR headsets will remain pukey.
Just ain't gonna work for meetings. Covers too much face anyhow.
Lots of screens and cameras (1 face following camera plus 1 screen for each remote location for each participant) are all all ready available, but add up to $ and bandwidth.
For games/sims and demos of short to moderate duration VR's day will come.
I wouldn't want to get near a public VR chamber as you describe. They don't make disinfectant strong enough or electronics tough enough. Just ew. (How did they clean the Holodeck in Trek universe?)