'PublicEarth' Travel Guide

Guidebooks often miss local knowledge or juicy insider tips about a destination, leaving travelers to rely on word of mouth for off the beaten path adventures. PublicEarth, a new company out of Boulder, Colo., has built an online community site that marries a guidebook format with contributed insider tips from fellow travelers.

The PublicEarth Web site is touted to contain “little-known information from about five million locations around the world.” It has an online forum where travelers can share experiences and tips as well.

The site is still getting on its feet. But it has potential for travelers to connect and find the non-touristy places — the ones most of us want to find but often can’t. I even found a few places in Boulder, my home town, that I never knew about before the site.

PublicEarth is live and rapidly expanding with the help of locals and other travelers who know specific areas like the back of their hand. Contribute your own local knowledge or glean some off the group before your next trip. www.publicearth.com

—Ryan Dionne