Musing about TravelMuse

Diane Clarkson | June 10, 2008, 02:38 PM

While the online travel agency has expertly translated the transaction element of booking travel online, it has never truly been able to duplicate the brochure rack browsing in a traditional travel agency. Not all travelers begin their research process with definitive dates and destinations in mind.

In fact, in a report we published a few months ago called “Online Destination Planning: Influencing Undecided Travel Researchers”, we found that 39 percent of online travel researchers had not decided on exact dates when they begin researching travel online, and 15 percent have not decided on a specific destination.

Reshaping the booking process from its predominantly destination- or date-based navigation is one of the great challenges facing the online travel agency. Yesterday, a new Web site called TravelMuse launched its public beta promising to be the travel industry’s first “inspiration finder”.

While there are other travel Web sites that offer destination guidance and inspiration, I’ve not yet seen one that considers the multiple dimensions that TravelMuse looks at, including budget, travelers’ ages, maximum hours in flying time, and preferred vacation activities. The site blends this personalization with collaboration tools, travel guides, photos and original editorial content. Definitely worth checking out.