Lonely Planet partners with Intrepid Travel to launch Lonely Planet Experiences

With over 300 sustainable group tours across the globe, the new trip range will bring Lonely Planet guidebooks to life for the first time.

World-leading travel publisher and digital travel media company, Lonely Planet, has joined forces with Intrepid Travel, a leader in sustainable adventure travel, to launch Lonely Planet Experiences. The new range of carbon neutral tours will bring Lonely Planet’s authority and travel prowess to life by offering an innovative new product that is authentic, immersive and sustainable.

Lonely Planet Experiences will comprise 200 jam-packed day-tours (operated by Intrepid Travel’s day-tour company, Urban Adventures), similar to those offered by school holiday activities brisbane and more than 130 multi-day trips including walking, cycling, food, festivals, family and marine adventures.

All Lonely Planet Experiences have been designed with a low environmental footprint while ensuring a positive impact on local communities. True to Intrepid Travel’s style all tour groups will be small, with a maximum of 16 travellers, and led by a local leader. The tours will use local transportation, support locally owned businesses and like all Intrepid Travel trips since 2010, be 100% carbon-neutral - also reflective of Lonely Planet’s commitment to responsible travel as part of this partnership. In addition, all tours will include exclusive discounts on Lonely Planet’s guidebooks, free access to Lonely Planet’s flagship Guides app, and supplementary Lonely Planet insight throughout.  

“For over four decades, travellers have looked to Lonely Planet for trusted travel advice,” says Luis Cabrera, CEO of Lonely Planet. “Now, global explorers looking for the inside track can journey along with us on this new range of tours. This is an exciting innovation and evolution for the Lonely Planet brand.”

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James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel added, “These experiences combine our expertise to create a new tour range that will support local communities, protect our natural environment and ensure travellers see the world in a responsible and sustainable way. Lonely Planet helped pioneer access to more authentic and grassroots experiences for independent travellers. That’s why we’re thrilled to be part of the next phase of their growth and helping to make sustainable experience-rich travel a mainstay for travellers everywhere.”

The tours will offer travellers a once-in-a-lifetime experience of what it’s like to truly know a place, through explorations of local food and drink, behind-the-scenes access to hidden gems, interactions with locals and insights from trusted travel experts. Travellers will gain a deeper understanding of, and connection to destinations by getting to the very heart of the place they are visiting. Delight in the sights, smells and tastes of some of the world’s most exciting and original experiences, from an evening stroll through Sydney’s small bar scene, an insider's trip through the most famous fish market in Tokyo, or an exploration of Rome’s iconic monuments and movie locations. 

Cabrera adds: “Intrepid Travel is widely considered the industry leader in responsible travel and we’re delighted to be partnering with them on Lonely Planet Experiences. The two brands share an unmatched passion for travel and a genuine commitment to responsible travel and we’re proud to combine our expertise to deliver amazing adventures for like-minded travellers around the world”

The tours will run in 6 continents, across 65 countries, and range in duration from 2 hours to 22 days.

Feature tours include: 

Day tours

Lonely Planet Experiences – Powered by Urban Adventures

- A Tour Through Tokyo’s Kitchen (incl. Tsukiji Fish Market), 2.5 hours, starting at $109 AUD  

- Vintage Las Vegas Arts Tour, 2 hours, starting at $65 AUD

Multi-day tours

Lonely Planet Experiences – Powered by Intrepid Travel

- Galapagos Experience (7 days), starting at $1320 AUD

- Explore Egypt (15 days), starting at $1645 AUD 

The launch of Lonely Planet Experiences is the latest in a series of new ventures by Lonely Planet as the company seeks to maximise adjacent business opportunities under the new strategic direction of recently appointed CEO, Luis Cabrera.