gtrekker

The BBC Profiles provide an economic, historical, and political overview, with a section on current leaders. The Profiles also list the media outlets, which include television and radio stations and the press.

Destination India
Got a motorcycle licence and two weeks to spare? Get to India and take part in a colourful ride from Goa to Kerala on a Royal Enfield

Published November/December 2006
In "Passages Through India" in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler, we commissioned renowned photographers to capture the real India, the essence of this richly exotic country. ...click to view photos

National Geographic's People and Places feature provides a short overview of the destination and include a Features section with related articles, photos, and videos, depending on the destination.

Travel + Leisure Magazine's guide to the greatest hotels worldwide as selected by its team of reporters and editors.

Weatherbase provides historical weather information such as "average number of day above 90," "average number of days with thunderstorms," and other similar types of data.

Up-to-date information provided by the State Department on matters such as passport and visa requirements, safety and security, crime, health and medical issues, any areas of instability, and the location of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. It also links to Travel Warnings for that country, if there is one.

Frommer's Forums are divided into countries, and all the messages relating to a country are presented in a list that makes it easy to browse through the topics.

Review site with hotel reviews and candid photos posted by users.

Asiarooms.com Travel Guides provide information on topics such as Culture, Tourist Attractions, Festivals, Things to do, How to get in, and Where to Eat.

Concierge.com destinations guides include information on getting there, getting around, lodging, places to eat, see and do, ... etc. Although Concierge.com may not have as many hotel recommendations as some guide books, they provide hotel photos along with the recommendations. The destinations guides also have links to articles about the destination published by Concierge.com or Conde Nast Traveler.

Frommer's has put a substantial amount of content online, making Frommers.com a good resource for travel planning. The site is easy to navigate since all the destinations are organized by similar topics such as "Getting There," "Restaurants," and "Suggested Itineraries."

USA Today's Country Guides have information on topics such as Money, Health, Accommodations, Entertainment, Top Things To Do and See, Getting There, Getting Around, Climate, and Map. You can also select the topics you are interested in and create a mini guide that puts all the information on one page for easy reading.

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published July 2007
Three urban islands that will engage you day and night

Under $200 a day
Where
Hong Kong, China
Why
On Hong Kong Island, Central is the gilded financial district and Soho the expat hangout. But to see the soul of the city, head to Causeway Bay, a bustling shopping and dining area that embodies Hong Kong's consumer spirit. (There are terrific sales during the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, in July.) When Causeway Bay gets too crowded, go to Wanchai's Star Street neighborhood; in recent years, this warren has sprouted tea and coffee bars, hip noodle shops, and furniture boutiques. ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published May 2007
India has always reveled in the glamour of her trains, and The Deccan Odyssey is the jewel in her crown. Turbaned valet on hand, Lawrence Osborne rides the gilded rails from Mumbai to the beaches of Goa, with a side trip to the fabled treasures of the Ajanta Caves ... click for full article

From Lonely Planet
Hawkers sell everything from plastic remote control covers to leather goods while cycle-rickshaw-wallahs pedal past furiously, horns screeching....click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published December 2005
You can delve deeper into an unfamiliar culture when you are able to gain access to places, events, and people that are normally off-limits. Below are 50 examples of such extraordinary opportunities worldwide, ranging in price from $80 to $30,000. This list is not exhaustive: The very act of publicizing some rare opportunities offered by the most well-connected travel firms would burn the bridges that make them possible. Furthermore, many of the options described on these pages include special features that we are forbidden to divulge but that will surely enrich your trip. Because of the nature of such experiences, they are of course subject to change and even cancellations. Most cannot be booked a la carte but only as part of a larger itinerary. (Note that prices quoted are estimates for two people.) ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published June 2007
Created in partnership with Portfolio, Conde Nast's new business magazine, our city business guides offer guidance for business travelers hoping to maximize their productivity (and enjoyment) while on the road. Stay tuned for more guides in the months to come. ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published October 2006
Bangalore may be India's Silicon Valley, but it ain't all business. Outside the city lie wildlife parks reminiscent of Africa and lush coffee plantations where the country's newly minted millionaires unplug. Shoba Narayan quits the urban jungle for the real deal ... click for full article

Virtual Tourist has user reviews on topics such as Hotels, Things To Do, Restaurants, Local Customs, Nightlife, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Transportation, ... etc.

IGoUGo is a travel review site. The reviews are organized into "journals," which are a collection of reviews by an author about a trip, such as reviews on hotels, restaurants, nightlife, experiences, photos, ... etc.

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published October 2004
In stylish new hotels across India, a generation of young entrepreneurs and hoteliers show off their own modern design vernacular. Andy McCord takes their measure

Set back only slightly from a busy street, the latest Park hotel is a cement block with angular buttresses. It looks out on a cityscape where Art Deco and the Raj survive in abundance and the mix-and-match of the contemporary has only lately come into view. The city, Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu, the large state on the southeastern tip of the Indian peninsula, where British power first took root in India. It is a megacity on the Bay of Bengal, but lately it has localized its name. It's now Chennai, as if a proper Tamil village name would characterize it better for the twenty-first century. Chennai/Madras is an inward-looking hometown. At its celebrated winter music festival, the "fusion" programs mix North Indian and South Indian musicians, not saxophones and sitars or anything so outlandish. And yet, the hotel where I have come to stay is bringing something new to the old-fashioned city. ... click for full article

From Lonely Planet
My sister and I arrived in Mumbai on Boxing Day, stepping out from a 45-hour train ride during which we'd experienced a dismal and depressing Christmas Day sipping on over-stewed chai tea and trying to remember childhood Christmas carols....click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published August 2003
I am on the open-air set of Yeh Hain Mumbai Meri Jaan, a movie about a middle-class immigrant to Bombay, a.k.a. Mumbai, who makes good while retaining his small-town values. It's around nine in the evening, and there are about 150 people all around me-light boys, sound technicians, actors, assorted assistants, and a sizable group of people who are doing absolutely nothing. "I'm running a giant employment agency," complains the director, who has invited me to watch as he attempts to create fantasy out of this chaos. ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published September 2003
A primer on the Bollywood oeuvre gives a taste of why South Asian films are increasingly influential

Curious about the pleasures produced by the world's largest film industry? Here, to get you started, is a list of ten great Bollywood flicks. All except one are available on DVD through nehaflix.com ($5-$22); Bandit Queen and some of the others can be rented from desicompany.com ($3 each). Bollywood Dreams, a coffee-table book by photographer Jonathan Torgovnik, shows many aspects of the industry, from the actors to the film crews to the moviegoers (Phaidon, $40). ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published October 2005
The low-fare frenzy is taking off in Asia, with expanded routes and cheap tickets promising to make the continent more accessible than ever. But how do its budget carriers really rate? To find out, we traveled east on a two-week odyssey, flying nearly 12,000 miles on 13 new airlines in seven countries. Our verdict: they're just the ticket ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published August 2005
One turned to a pro. One flew solo. Which author fared better in India? Brook "Didn't Lift a Finger" Wilkinson vs. Gabe "Did It Himself" Struck

Over the six-year history of our annual list of top travel specialists, we've noticed something curious: Some readers use a specialist for one trip (a journey through Egypt, for example) and then return to the same person for subsequent trips outside the area of specialization (say, Peru or China). That's because a travel consultant who understands you is sometimes more valuable than one who knows your destination uniquely well. Just as there are benefits to seeing one medical general practitioner and visiting specialists as needed, there are advantages to finding one travel agent who can book many of your trips. ... click for full article