TravelMuse.com provides vacation inspiration

TravelMuse.com, launched in the spring, promises to make the “entire planning process easy for you.” That’s a tall order, but the site has some fun features that are worth checking out.

Best feature: Easily its coolest gadget is the user-friendly “Inspiration Finder,” which helps travelers pinpoint vacation spots based on preferences such as budget, favorite activities, number of people, length of stay and even maximum flight time. I asked for suggestions for a seven-day trip in the fall with a $1,000 budget for two and a maximum of 12 hours of travel time. TravelMuse offered Tokyo ($1,333 per person); London ($1,513-per-person package price without airfare); Cardiff, Wales ($2,129 per person); and Oslo ($1,828 per person).

Try again: OK, I got it. Impossible dream. I found more-doable results when I reduced the travel time to two hours, with seven suggestions in California and Arizona. Trips can be added to an itinerary feature, shared with other users, and guides accompany some destination suggestions. I also liked Trip Plan, which allows you to collect disparate info in one place by bookmarking and labeling websites.