
Wikivoyage (wikivoyage.org) is a multilingual, web-based project to create afree, complete, up-to-date, and reliableworldwide travel guide. Wikivoyage is hosted by theWikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other project such asWikipedia.
It was originally a fork ofWikitravel that started in 2006. In 2013, it became a project of Wikimedia Foundation, the same non-profit organisation that owns and operates the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
Wikivoyage is built in collaboration by volunteer authors from around the globe who write without pay, with thespirit of sharing knowledge that makes travel so enjoyable. Whenever travellers meet each other on the road, they swap info about the places they came from and ask questions about places they're going. We want to make it easy to share that knowledge andlet others share it; ourcopyleft license means that the facts you know can spread far and wide. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikivoyage articles and editors can contribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or, if they choose to, with their real identity.
To create Wikivoyage we use a tool (or a process, or a technology) called awiki which letsany Internet readercreate, update,edit, and illustrateany article on the website. We all share our pieces of knowledge, edit them, distill them, and assemble them into a pleasing and cohesive whole. The more people that use theEdit link, thebetter Wikivoyage becomes.
Wikivoyage is a live collaboration, differing from paper-based traditional guide books in important ways. Unlike traditional guide books, Wikivoyage is continually edited and updated; unlike traditional travel guides, which are revised monthly or annually, Wikivoyage's guides are edited and updated continuously, as information changes rapidly. Vandalism is usually reverted within minutes.
We've achieved somemilestones, but we still have a long way to go. If you'renew to Wikivoyage, feel free toplunge forward andhelp us!
At some point you may ask yourself: "Why edit and use Wikivoyage when there are already well-developed travel guides such as Lonely Planet?". Here are some good reasons.
Wikivoyagers are travel writers and members of a world-wide community of contributors toWikivoyage. Wikivoyagers arenot a special secret organization or a limited group. We are people just like you. Some of us are interested in travelling, some are interested in their local communities, and others are interested in wiki-housekeeping and organisation. What all of us have in common is that we want to share what we know with travellers everywhere. You can become a Wikivoyagerright now! We need yourhelp to make this project a success. We have a long way to go– and anything you can do to contribute gets us that much closer.