Custom travel guides designed for sharing

Personalized travel guides figured prominently on our virtual pages back in late 2008, what with our coverage of Offbeat Guides, Tripwolf and Traveldk.com. Now, borrowing a page — so to speak — from these other offerings, Norwegian Stay.com is a social platform where users can create and share their own, custom guides. Users of Stay.com begin by entering their destination city, prompting the site to draw from more than 150,000 attractions, restaurants and hotels in more than 50 cities to suggest a variety of venues and activities. Content reportedly comes from a range of online sources, including TripAdvisor and OpenTable. From there, users can zero in on just the spots they care about in their custom guides. For additional input, they can share their guides with others via Facebook and Twitter; they can also ask for advice, give recommendations and discuss travel experiences. An assortment of personal guides created by other users, meanwhile, can provide inspiration. In the end, users get a free, personal and compact guide that includes maps and meaningful details about the selected attractions, such as prices, operating hours, contacts, descriptions and pictures. Guides can be saved on the site and accessed online from any device with an Internet connection; alternatively, they can be downloaded as a PDF and printed on paper. Stay.com lets users book hotels as well. Now in beta, Stay.com is surely working on expanding its reach to more cities around the globe. It also might consider offering a professional printing option for travellers who want their guide to serve as a keepsake as well. It’s clearly a crowded arena — one more to watch or partner with! Spotted by: Bjorn Verbrugghe