Yahoo is to introduce a new personalised version of its travel planning website, that reportedly “merges online community, bargain hunting, and Internet mapping technology”.

Published: 09 May 2007

Yahoo is to introduce a new personalised version of its travel planning website, that reportedly “merges online community, bargain hunting, and Internet mapping technology”.

As per the information available, the site’s new features include a search history with links to recently visited places and attractions, as well as integration with Yahoo! Answers and user reviews. Yahoo Travel combines Yahoo FareChase, which finds low-priced air fares, with Yahoo Trip Planner, a social network for travelers and would-be travelers where they can plan trips, create interactive maps and keep online journals and photos

The site also features a recommendation system which takes into account variables such as what you have been viewing on the site, features which users who have similar interests as yourself have viewed and the overall ratings of the attractions included. Additionally, the site includes user-created `Travel Guides’ which can be viewed to give browsers an idea of not only what to expect in a city but also to find recommendations that may be off the beaten track.

“We want to fundamentally transform the way people plan and research their trips,” reportedly said Yahoo Travel Director Jasper Malcolmson. “By tapping into the collective intelligence of other like-minded travelers, there is a greater ability to plan and take truly memorable trips.”

The site also will offer hotel and flight options based on the nearest airport to the traveler and the most popular prices chosen by Yahoo users. In addition, Yahoo is offering Yahoo Messenger Flight Planner, an instant messenger plug-in that people can use to plan trips together in real time. The site also features new mapping technology that allows other, more detailed maps to be layered over a Yahoo map.