What makes Travel 2.0 different from the first, booking-oriented wave (e.g. Expedia, Kayak, AA.com) is that it is fully interactive and expands via user-generated content.
A Travel 2.0 site is structured to allow users to easily contribute words and images, reviews and travelogues. Consequently those who visit a Travel 2.0 site can glean multiple insights about a destination, hotel, or other aspect of travel.
Several Travel 2.0 sites encourage visitors to add their own videos. Travel wikis, mashups, and blogs that enable comments also are considered Travel 2.0. For contributors there is no compensation involved, other than the satisfaction of seeing one's words or images on a public Web site.
If you'd like to know more about Travel 2.0, explore the sites below, where you're welcome to join the conversation:
Travel 2.0 Web Sites
Trip Advisor
The original travel 2.0, site with 5 million-plus hotel, destination, and attractions reviews written by travelers
IgoUgo
Travel 2.0 advice in a community-oriented setting
Turn Here
Travel 2.0 videos with a higher level of professionalism, some from established travel 1.0 businesses such as InterContinental Hotels
Flickr Travel
Close to 2 million travel photos uploaded by people from around the world
Gusto
Combines elements of MySpace and Delicious in a travel 2.0 peer-recommendation site
Travel the World Wiki
Small, self-editable travel 2.0 wiki; records a contributor's IP address
Hotel Chatter
Savvy blogposts on all matters hotel-related; uses editorial oversight
Realtravel
Blogs, photos, and 2.0 videos from "real travelers"
YouTube Travel
Acquired by Google, You Tube is the go-to site to view others' and upload your own Travel 2.0 videos
WAYN
Keep track of friends' whereabouts and meet fellow travelers on this Travel 2.0 site
Where's Yours?
A travel 2.0 site for nature lovers; allows them to pinpoint favorite places on US map
Wikitravel
Larger of the travel 2.0 travel wikis aiming to be a world-wide travel guide built by individual contributions
For couples planning a vacation, a Travel 2.0 site offers them the opportunity to see and read about places other travelers have been to and recommend. There is a downside: Life is short, and how much of it can you devote to reading about or watching other people's amateur videos? On the other hand, you may discover tips you won't find elsewhere — and later you can have the fun of creating your own content for the world to view.
The term Travel 2.0 was coined by PhoCusWright, a company that specializes in travel research and hosts top-level business conferences for travel innovators.
