Travelhiker is a new social network for travel that went under the radar when it launched in August. Based in Harrogate, UK, they're getting by on less than £50K ($95K) in funding so far, and report a few hundred members. Today they'll announce a revenue sharing service that pays users 50% of the advertising earnings when they submit travel guides on cities or areas.
Beyond the new section, Travelhiker offers some pretty interesting features. Users have profile pages with a photo, but no real customization. These round up your blog entries, restaurant reviews, travel photos and posts in the forum; you can also build a network of friends. Another interesting feature: users can post requests and offers for trips: if you're going on vacation and want someone to go with, for instance, you can create an entry here. The most noteworthy part, however, is the design: while the look is very slick and professional, it's actually not that easy to find your way around - the navigation is very original, but its uniqueness means that it takes a little while to figure it all out. It's also another example of the design totally dominating the site: finding the content in between all these rounded corners and massive design elements is a challenge (see also: YouMe.Us).
Travelhiker goes up against a whole host of travel social sites: TripTie, Travelistic, TripHub, TurnHere and Tripmates to name a few. Meanwhile, the makers of Gusto.com got in touch with me this week to say that their site has gotten a much-needed makeover and a bunch of new features since I last reviewed them. These include GustoGrabber, a bookmarking tool. It's too early to tell which sites will be successful here, and for me there's no obvious winner.
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