These online maps are more commonly known as ‘mashups’ as they combine maps with photos, videos and other content.

Travel mashups are one of the most popular types of mashups as users can use them for virtual sightseeing or gathering information to plan a trip.

To give you an idea of what can be done with interactive maps, take a look at these 22 sites which have used Google Maps to create travel mashups:

1. The New 7 Wonders of the World: Maps of the New 7 Wonders of the World
2. Flight Status Tracker: Track Flight Status
3. Travel News and Updates: Travel Updates – Flight Status, Airport Delays and Travel News
4. Flight Status & Conditions: Real Time Flight Conditions
5. Taxi Fare Calculator: Calculate Taxi Fares in 21 Cities
6. Accommodation for Student & Backpackers: Youth Hostels & Chea
7. UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Google Map of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
8. Local Dining and Restaurant Locations: Find Restaurants Near You
9. Airport Parking Maps: Find Airport Parking Lots on Google Maps
10. Virtual Tourism: Virtual Tourism on Google Earth
11. Ski Resorts Map with Live Weather: Find Ski Resorts on a Google Map
12. Flight Tracker: Gmaps Flight Tracker
13. World Airport Codes: Find World Airport Codes and Information
14. Seven Wonders of the World: Cool Maps of the Seven Wonders of the World
15. Golf Course Directory: Interactive Golf Cource Directory on a Google Map Mashup
16. European Travel Information: Get Travel Info in Europe
17. Scubadiving Maps and Locations: Dive Site Maps and GPS Locations of Scubadiving sites
18. London Tube Route Planner and Map: London Tube Map and Journey Planner
19. Taxi Fares in NYC: New York City Taxi Fare Finder
20. UK Bed and Breakfast Hotels: Find hotels by town name, postcode or clickable maps
21. Location-based Trip Planner: Plan your trip around your location and personalized travel tastes
22. Road Trip Planner and Online Travel Guide: Explore Attractions and Plan Trips

You may or may not have heard of ‘mashups’ yet but this new software development model has already sprouted tons of sites which have emerged by combining content and services from different sources to create uniquely useful product and services.

So what are Mashups?

Wikipedia explains that: “In web development, a mashup is a Web application that combines data or functionality from two or more sources into a single integrated application. The term mashup implies easy, fast integration, frequently done by access to open APIs and data sources to produce results that were not the original reason for producing the raw source data. An example of a mashup is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct Web service that was not originally provided by either source.”

Wiktionary shares a more concise explaination: “A derivative work consisting of two pieces of (generally digital) media conjoined together, such as a video clip with a different soundtrack applied for humorous effect, or a digital map overlaid with user-supplied data.”

Here’s a video that explains all about mashups:

( Note- It’s a bit technical at the start but after the core concepts of APIs are discussed, you’ll get a good idea of the amazing things that can be done with mashups)