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Website of the Week — Wikitravel

03 April 2009

Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative online destinations.

Guide books are great for travelers … until you find that the museum you'd planned to visit is now closed on Tuesday or the morning bus no longer runs. Our Website of the Week is a travel guide that is kept current by the thousands of contributors who use the site.

Wikitravel

"Wikitravel.org is a project to create a free and complete, up-to-date reliable world travel guide. It's built in collaboration by the community," says Brent Conver, who oversees travel sites including Wikitravel at parent company Internet Brands.

If you've ever used the popular user-written encyclopedia Wikipedia, you'll feel right at home at Wikitravel.org.

"So it's going to look very similar. They will be able to go in, type in a country or city that they're looking for in a search box.

"The articles are very in-depth, and they're all kind of in blog format, so you kind of read down and you don't have to click through a bunch of different pages to get there. It's all in one, very consistent location. So it's actually very easy for the traveler on the road to go through."

Like other wikis, Wikitravel is written by its users - 30,000 of them, Conver says, who have written more than 20,000 articles in English and almost 20 other languages. The contributors are mostly visitors to the places they're writing about, but you also get the local perspective of people who live there.

Because of the large number of contributors, Brent Conver says Wikitravel can be more up-to-date than conventional travel guides. Also, he says the 'anyone-can-edit' format improves accuracy.

"We have a really vibrant community that spends a lot of time editing other people's edits, making sure that they are as accurate as they can be. And quality turns out to be really important to the community. So really, we're very focused on making sure that we're having the most accurate, up-to-date information available on the Web.

Like any wiki website, Wikitravel isn't going to be 100 percent accurate all the time - but then, neither are conventional travel guides. Check it out at Wikitravel.org, or get the link to this and more than 200 other Websites of the Week from our site, VOAnews.com.



Comments:

1. Saba Institute for Arabic Language and Eastern Studies

The Saba Institute is a specialized institute for the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, offering you a unique study experience abroad. Saba offers classes in both Classical and Colloquial Arabic, as well as specialized courses targeting media and politics, history, or medicine, as well as the Qur'an and the Hadith. The institute has a highly qualified and committed teaching staff with many years of teaching experience, and offers highly flexible programs that can meet each student's individual needs.
Submitted by: hamoud (Yemen)
05-24-2009 - 09:12:23

2. photo

i need so many photo mugadhisho in 2006
Submitted by: yasin (somali)
05-15-2009 - 05:37:46

3. ART

ANY WAY TO MAKE ALL ARTIST AT ONE PLACE
Submitted by: SHAKTI (INDIA)
05-13-2009 - 16:24:27

4. Mahesana Water park details

We want to stay at mahesana water park, so kindly give us the full details of stay charges and meals. day and night
Submitted by: pravin surti (India)
04-26-2009 - 09:04:59

5. Transport

If you travell to Mongolia than to countryside your transport is Russian minibus/4*4/It's very famous in Mongolia and good for Mongolian roads.. If you travell to Khovsgol Lake by public transport we suggest you our Russian minibus..We taking between 8-10 person.Twice a week..That's the public transport way but!! Public transports are taking 15-18 passangers to Khovsgol!!!5 person at 4 seats!!!700 km and drives about 20 hours...Drives all night..When you arrive you have to find another bus to Khatgal/also public/It arrives late night.. We have same Buses,Same seats but less passengers...Only our passengers need to be between 8-10 person.. -Our advantage is arrives same time..With camping on the way..You will be not tired. -Starting in the Morning from UB to Khovsgol Muren. -With same bus you can go directly to Khatgal village near lake Khovsgol. We organizing all kind of activities in Khovsgol. Nice if you are travelling all togheter.. That's specially for tourists t
Submitted by: Khatgal (Mongolia)
04-26-2009 - 06:50:13

6. Transport

If you travell to Mongolia than to countryside your transport is Russian minibus/4*4/It's very famous in Mongolia and good for Mongolian roads..
Submitted by: Khatgal (Mongolia)
04-26-2009 - 06:27:04

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