Make my trip

How wonderful it is to travel and see places we have never set eyes on before! And with advanced technology just a mouse click away, it is child's play to get hold of information regarding travel from the Internet. This week, we look at two interesting and useful sites, both aimed at making travel planning easier. Even if you are not planning to make a trip in the near future, check these out to get an idea of what you are missing.

www.whatsonwhen.com

Completely different from your regulation travel Web site that stops at textbook descriptions of places and boring itineraries, this one puts the focus on the what's happening where at any given point of time across the world.

Whether you want to when the Idaho Shakespeare Festival is on, or when New Orleans will be showcasing the world's worst films, you can find it all here.

The site has neatly arranged its content in various categories, such as themes -- film, dance, music, etc and offbeat ones such as adventure, natural phenomena and mind-body-spirit -- continents, cities and dates.

With the search facilities that come with pull-down options, you can search by events of a particular nature in a certain place on such-and-such date.

Most of the world's most eagerly awaited events are featured in depth, as are the most happening cities. You can search for events of interest as far away as one year.

Some of the events written about may seem quite unheard of, such as the Helston Furry Dance or the Ramayana Ballet in Bali, and that gives you new ideas of where to go the next time around.

And If you happen to be at the happening place, and want to write about it, you are most welcome -- the site has a provision for submissions of this nature. Updates of a featured event are also entertained.

www.1000traveltips.org

This began as the work of a single individual from Belgium who was sharing his own exotic travel experiences, which has grown by leaps and bounds into a compendium of travel-related information by many contributors.

The site makes no bones about the lack of emphasis on layout or looks, and stresses the value of the information it contains. It keeps getting updated often, going beyond just essential information.

Intended mainly for budget travellers, it provides a unique perspective as the contributors are all providing first-hand experiences, so you know what to expect if you are following in their footsteps.

And, as in the previous site, you are welcome to provide your take on a place you have visited, or provide updates on a spot already featured. All in all, worth the time spent.

Compiled by C. Ramesh

Please e-mail us at bleditor@thehindu.co.in if you have queries on computer usage or if you find an interesting way of using the computer.