While writing my blog, I want to tell you about things that are related to travel, like travel gadgets, services, sources and books, besides travel destinations, plans and stories.

With the web changing every day and rapidly becoming the main source of, now, quality information and services, it’s time to start using it the way it is imagined. These changes are making a huge impact on the travel industry and very soon that will show as a big difference.

Dopplr is an online service for frequent travellers. When you become a member, you can add your trips which will be shown on a map, and enter details of your itinerary; even your multi-stop trips. Once you’ve done that, you can find what other people suggest. It’s based on coincidence; the people you might meet, and most of the data is generated by your travel destination. Since you can keep your profile private or public, it can be used in many ways. You can share your travel plans only with people you trust. What I like about Dopplr is that it’s serious about member’s privacy which shows that they are a service first and a social network second.

How to use Dopplr? Invite your friends and plan trips together by leaving them your information to see, find out where you can meet your friends and colleges next, read or add tips about different places, share your trips with people who might not be a part of your Dopplr network yet through Groups and stay informed. You can even use something they call “guest passes” to send specific trip information to someone who is not a member yet, and they will receive it in the way you  see it in your profile. But you are not restricted in information by the place you are planning to visit; search through City Profiles to answer questions, give/find tips and search for people who live or are travelling there.

As a social network, everything is pretty much familiar. You can add a Dopplr box on your Facebook profile and upload your Flickr images for every trip on Dopplr.

Check out Dopplr, you might like it. They started in December 2007 and looking at the way they are developing, there is a lot more to come I’m sure. Who knows, you might bump into me, say Hi and I’ll be happy to share my travel plans with you…

Stella – European Travelling Advosor

*all images from Dopplr’s blog