Search engine SideStep has announced the acquisition of social networking site TripUp.com, reports BrandWeek.

SideStep, a vertical search engine covering travel topics, bought the similarly-themed social network for an undisclosed amount. The purchase adds a wealth of data to SideStep's offerings and gives users to more research and planning options. TripUp serves to share people's travel experiences and tips with others, allowing them to create photo journals and more about their travels.

This is the second major purchase for SideStep in the recent past. They bought citizen review aggregation site TravelPost earlier. All three sites will continue to operate independently for the time being until their functions are absorbed into SideStep proper.