Nation

9.12.08

Organizing a killer trip with friends can be a serious pain -- open up the planning to everyone and prepare for a parliamentary stalemate, but leave one person in charge and risk visiting MimeFest, again. Make group trip planning frighteningly easy, with TravelMuse.

Combining travel mag glossiness with online booking functionality, TM not only helps you generate destination ideas that meet divergent agendas, it also lets you invite friends to view and edit the trip page you've put together (so choose your friends wisely). Drop in deets like departure airport, # of travelers, time of year, duration, and (very general) budget, then pick from 'ttloads of attributes (Beaches, Rock Climbing, Pubs & Bars...), and select a max flight time -- helping winnow down whether you'll be hiking Machu Pichu, or hiking up your slut skirt in Cancun. Each result is like a mini-guidebook, complete with high res pics and articles (from one of 40 contributing writers) on topics including local history, attractions, dining, and hotels; once you've selected a destination, build your trip by funneling info from external websites/dragging-&-dropping highlighted attractions directly into your TM trip planner -- giving you a comprehensive look at all the glorious experiences you'll drunkenly sleep through.

Even if you've only gotten as far as selecting a destination, you can email your friends an invitation, and they can help in the planning, propelling you towards the chilling realization that the only thing worse than planning a trip with friends is taking one.

Stop endless email debates and get your next trip in gear at TravelMuse.com