More travel planning tools now available online

There are now more tools available online to make everything from trip planning to getting around a new city easier for travellers.

Local website Qiito (www.qiito.com) helps you plan your itinerary to Asian destinations based on recommendations from people who have already been there. The Qiito team provides general write-ups of attractions while users are encouraged to share photos, addresses, reviews and tips. Users can share their itineraries with travel companions through e-mail or Facebook.

For those who do not want the hassle of renting a car the traditional way, why not car-share instead via websites such as www.autolib.eu or www.zipcar.com.

In Paris, Autolib is an electric car-sharing service, where you can rent a car by the day or week. Tourists can pay 10 euros per day plus 7 euros per half hour. With Zipcar in North America, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria, users reserve a car online or via their mobile phone. They are issued a Zipcard, which unlocks the car they have reserved. Rates differ in cities but in Los Angeles, for example, users pay a US$60 annual fee, and hourly rates start from US$8 while daily rates are from US$72 a day.