Alternatives to Thorn Tree?

Haven't found any which is why I keep returning here even though one must only use 'clean' Queen's language. lol

There is couch surfing for older travellers but even this site is struggling to recruit more members. It has also been sold to a commercial enterprise. The almighty $$ rules again. Still mustn't complain because if it is not for commercialism, we probably won't see web sites such as this.

Another site, which I recently came to know of is greypath but it is not a traveller's site, more a site for retirees.

Good luck with the search.

Hi,

In the main the faults that now are within the TT are solely within the domain of Lonely Planet itself. Constant changes to the site (all for the worse), changes of ownership, unavailability of the site for so long, no real reasons being given for action or lack of being given etc etc etc. Is it no wonder that being treated with such distain that regular, experienced contributors are deserting in droves? Time was when many knowledgeable posters, who had been contributing for years, could be relied upon to come up with the goods. I would hate to even begin to start a list of those that we now longer hear from. Well done LP, go to the top of the class, I don't think.

Isn't it ironic? When the internet was new, there was such a self-congratulatory orgy about the Colossal Increase in Free Speech. In fact, the opposite has happened. The armies of easily-offended and dying-to-be-offended, the masses of political correct doctrinal obsessives, the oh-so-sensitive and stridently self-righteous have managed to eradicate every site one-by-one.
Fodor's had some of the most useful information if you could tolerate the obsessions with status, and the requests for recipes. Lonely planet also had a great deal of info and comment that was usually interesting. I personally think that the ghastly temper of our times dooms all such fora. There is no tolerance at all for wry or ironic comments or free thought.
We live in this insufferable period of the daily and relentless celebration of banality. Any modern population which has worn almost entirely black clothing to the exclusion of colours, without so much as a bubonic plague for an excuse, is a cult of banality. Oh, and what's for dinner, Tried the Four Season's at Dopey's cove yet? Anyone have the recipe for Jello? Me and my boyfriend want to go to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Is it safe? Is that Homer Simpson guy real or not. I just saw him on French tv speaking French (I think), and in Spain speaking Spanish. If he is so dumb, how does that work?

I occasionally look at Fodor's, Virtual Tourist and TravBuddy, they aren't as good as TT.

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but there's a poster on the Central American branch who has had maybe a dozen user names/profiles so far this year. On this thread, he's posting as MrEd and StripeG1. On some threads, he'll carry on conversations with himself. He frequently uses the same phrases, so you'll always recognise him when he comes up with a new name.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2323343

this one is not too bad. I have been on and off it for a number of years. Lots of articles. i haven't used their forums, because i was happy here. I no longer am. The only branch i bother checking in on is this one; Anyway, check it out. You many want to add it to your list. \

http://boards.bootsnall.com/?sid=2b38e51ec7c9af95d3b3977cda3e2c28

Hi,

Poster No.3 - Spot On.

"I'm old enough to remember when Thorn Tree forums were exciting, informative, useful and ...fun."

Perhaps, we can make it fun again?!

Just a thought.

Poster 3 nailed it in the head but the die hards in us can stand up and keep on chugging and bring fun back into our lives and in this forum. :)

Thanks for all the replies, which unfortunately confirm what everyone seems to know already. I don't see much hope for it getting better anytime soon, not with the internet getting co-opted by mega-corporations and the facebook generation loving it.

The idea of creating multiple TT logins and having conversations with one's self is a clever almost-solution :)