Where pros’ advice is just a click away

Triporati.com is loaded with travel inspiration and trip recommendations from expert travel writers willing to share the best of their favorite global playgrounds.

What’s hot: The site is a comfortable blend of old-school guidebook-type advice and Web 2.0 features, such as Facebook apps and custom-made Google maps. Not sure where you want to go on your next global adventure? Plug in up to 10 of your favorite travel interests, say kids’ museums and safaris, your home airport, time of year for travel and average hotel budget and watch a Google map pop up with trip recommendations. If that’s too much work, just browse the 20 most popular trips, or click on the suggestions for eco-tourism, family travel, adventure trips or just plain hanging out on the world’s best beaches.

What’s not: Many of the links lead off the site. Some users may like this because those links add depth, but those who are looking for one-stop shopping might be turned off. For example, once you’ve selected a destination such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the tab “What to Do” has a section called “Great Barrier Reef Events, Tours & Attractions.” Beneath it, the content “Great Barrier Reef’s Calendar of Events” is actually a link to a Google search page for that topic, and “Great Barrier Reef’s Local Maps” leads to an Ask.com search page instead of to an actual map. This works in the section for “Guides & Blogs,” which you expect to link to outside info, but not so much for “What to Do” content.

-- Jen Leo