The last half decade has seen a flurry of startup trip guide-cum-travel inspiration-cum-social travel sites.

They have all faced the same primary challenge: getting scale. Building up the required critical mass of consistent visitors has proven extremely difficult, given that two thirds of leisure travelers take just one to two trips per year.

Entrepreneurs continue to test the waters in this crowded category – 2011 and 2012 saw the launch of at least a dozen websites that offer variations on travel inspiration and planning tools, itinerary management, sharing, and building community around travel.

Several sites in the category have come and gone quickly. When TripAdvisor announced in early October that it would acquire social travel site Wanderfly, the deal looked like victory for the Brooklyn-based startup, although it is unclear whether Wanderfly will continue to exist independently or if the technology and talent will be folded into its new parent company.

Past TripAdvisor acquisitions Where I've Been and EveryTrail remain stand-alone services more than a year after their buyouts. But the scenario has played out differently for some of Wanderfly's peers.

Groupon retired Uptake a week after the Wanderfly purchase, and TravelMuse and NileGuide are being phased out after their purchase by Travora, the travel ad network that launched its own portal site in early October.

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