Travelers Contribute to Online Guides

Joe Voboril poses for a picture in his apartment in New York, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. The vase above his head was bought on a recent trip to Greece, which he researched on-line using traditional sources as well as travel blogs. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig - AP)

But Tim Jarrell, publisher of the Fodor's division of Random House Inc., said such sites have largely been "long on dreams and short on execution."

Many of the community sites started in recent months, meaning the entries are varied and far from complete. Bill Kaufmann, founder of World Wikia, said the site has spent the past three months "laying the groundwork for what I think would be a complete set of guides."

The sites have largely been making money through ads, with a few exploring ways to sell travel services. IgoUgo has links to travel agency Travelocity; both are owned by Sabre Holdings Corp.

Ultimately, travelers may use both in their planning.

"How they are going to get there, where they are going to stay, that's really the stage at which we engage people," said Ken Leeder, RealTravel's chief executive. "Once they go on their trips, absolutely they take their printed travel guides with them."

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On the Net:

Guide to Sihanoukville: http://wikitravel.org/en/Sihanoukville

Voboril's profile: http://www.tripmates.com/profile/16