A new generation of travel Web sites is using creative features to help travelers customize their vacation, whether it be a kayaking adventure or a lazy stay at the beach.

Tips, ratings and itineraries - often supplied by everyday travelers rather than professionals - are a cornerstone for many of the new companies, which are competing against giants like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity and Yahoo Travel.

“They’re doing things differently and more creatively,” said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst for Forrester Research, who likened the new sites to travel agents, whose services stretch beyond selling tickets.

For instance, TripWiser is a bulletin board of vacation ideas where users post itineraries to help others get started on plans for a mountain retreat, big city shopping jaunt or idyllic tropical getaway. TVTrip features video tours of hotels. Dopplr allows frequent business travelers to privately post their travel schedules and learn if any friends will be in the same city at the same time.

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