Lonely Planet and Intrepid Travel form partnership

Lonely Planet has teamed up with Intrepid Travel to launch Lonely Planet Experiences, a series of tours designed to positively impact local communities.

The experiences, which Lonely Planet says will bring its guidebooks to life for the first time, include 200 day-tours operated by Intrepid’s day-tour company, Urban Adventures, and more than 130 multi-day tours focused on walking, cycling, food, festivals, family and more.

Lonely Planet said the experiences are designed to have “a low environmental footprint while having a positive impact on local communities.”

All tours will have a maximum of 16 travelers and be led by a local leader, use local transportation, support locally owned-businesses and like all Intrepid Travel trips, be 100% carbon-neutral.

The collaboration marks the first time since in its four decades ago that Lonely Planet has worked with a tour operator. The company said that the launch is part of a strategy to maximize adjacent business opportunities under the recently appointed CEO, Luis Cabrera, who stated, “This is an exciting innovation and evolution for the Lonely Planet brand.”

The tours will run on six continents and in 65 countries, ranging from 2 hours to 22 days. Day tours include an insider's trip through the most famous fish market in Tokyo and an evening stroll through Sydney’s emerging small bar scene, while multiday destinations feature a Vietnam tour that will “uncover the best in backstreets, canals, the countryside and island beaches,” and a Mexico tour offering “enthralling adventure from Mexico City to Playa Del Carmen.”

Participants will get discounts on Lonely Planet guidebooks and free access to Lonely Planet’s Guides app, plus Lonely Planet insight throughout the tours. (By Johanna Jainchill)