You share travel tips with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and other social media sites, but what if your reviews read like a magazine article's list of best places? Nextstop.com is an online travel cafe where visitors can get good advice without amassing hundreds of friends or followers.

What's hot: It's very visual. You have the immediate gratification of photos and short reasons why a particular restaurant, hotel, shop or attraction is worth checking out. If you're the one recommending a travel gem, Nextstop makes it easy to build a guide. Just write a short blurb of why you love it and choose a Flickr photo to illustrate your review. (or upload a pic of your own.) Share your tip with on Facebook, Twitter or by e-mail. I enjoyed the Explore section, especially the interactive map. I also found the wish-list handy for travel planning.

What's not: Are you a foodie? Do you need to find a unique shop? Nextstop has categories, so you can look up guides by theme. But they're not easy to find. Click the Explore page, then "View all guides liked today," and specific categories can be found in the right navigation bar.

- Jen Leo, Special to the Los Angeles Times