Travel publisher Lonely Planet are bringing their iconic guidebooks to life by launching Lonely Travel Experiences, a new trip range in partnership with Intrepid Travel.
Lonely Travel Experiences include 200 day tours and more than 130 multi-day tours all designed to have a low environmental footprint while having a positive impact on local tourism.
The tours will use local guides, public transport and local businesses and are 100% carbon-neutral. Lonely Planet spokesperson Chris Zeiher says that moving forward, the tours will evolve to become “carbon positive”.
The tours will run in six continents, across 65 countries and range from two hours to 22 days. Day tours start from around $65 AUD.
Some of the day tour highlights include a Tour Through Toyko’s Kitchen, including the famous Tokyo Fish Markets and a Vintage Las Vegas Arts Tour.
Multi-day tours include a 7-day Galapagos Experience, starting at $1320, a 15-day Explore Egypt tour starting at $1645, and a six-day Northern Lights Escape in Iceland starting at $1560.
The tours reflect a new era in travel, where the focus is on sustainable experiences, connection and making new friendships in an increasingly isolating digital age.
“The decade ahead calls for a green revolution, where renewables will be the norm and debating climate-change will be a thing of the past,” says Brett Mitchell, Chief Commercial Officer at Intrepid Travel.
“This will be reflected heavily in the way we travel from more overland to zero tolerance for using animals for entertainment.”
“As technology develops, and we become more digitally connected than before, individuals will be increasingly prone to feeling lonely and travel will provide the antidote to this,” adds James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel.