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Lonely Planet acquired travel planning company in 2022. Today, we’re announcing the rebranding and repositioning of this popular travel offering at Lonely Planet Elsewhere.
We’re excited to announce our new travel-planning service, Elsewhere at Lonely Planet. To mark the occasion, Lonely Planet Content Director Breck Fletcher tells the story of Elsewhere, how their values align with Lonely Planet and how this new travel service can benefit travelers like you.
At Lonely Planet, we believe planning is part of the journey. But did you know that it takes about 40 hours to plan a week-long trip?
With that in mind, we know that as much as you’d like, there are times when you don’t have time to plan, when you need expert advice from someone on the ground to work with you and take into account your specific travel goals.
Maybe you’ve had a particularly busy time and don’t have time to plan. Or do you need to plan a multi-generational trip that takes into account the wide range of interests in your group? Or maybe you need to plan a special experience for a big birthday or anniversary.
If this describes you, you’re the one we want to help when we add this new travel-planning service to our Travel Central offerings.
For half a century, Lonely Planet has been providing reliable information to help travelers explore every destination on Earth, providing up-to-date guides and details through our well-researched guidebooks and team of digital editors and writers. About what’s going on in the world today. Now, with Lonely Planet Elsewhere, we’ve taken that guide to the next level with a person-to-person experience.
This is no call center or chatbot, Elsewhere Lonely Planet is staffed by embedded professional human beings (it’s getting hard to tell the difference, we know), people who know the travel landscape and actually live in the destinations you want to visit. Like Iceland, Colombia and Portugal (just to name a few). These local experts have deep knowledge and local contacts and know how to ensure a seamless travel experience.
The origin of another place
You might wonder who started a travel company in the midst of a global pandemic. Alexis Bowen and Craig Zapatka did the same.
Alexis said, “In We had a wild idea to shake up how you travel in 2020, and it changed our lives. “I had been working in the travel industry for ten years, suddenly I was out of a job and wondering what was next. My co-founder, Craig, was in the same boat.
“Neither of us could find a travel company that spoke our language properly. The industry is outdated, and we want to shake things up and create something more youthful, modern, fresh. It didn’t exist—so we decided to create it.” She said to me.
Built on the principles that travelers and the destinations they visit deserve a better, more thoughtful approach, Elsewhere was committed to supporting local communities. 87% of what is spent elsewhere goes directly to the destination, quality suppliers and projects that support local businesses, fight tourism and protect the environment.
In addition, Elsewhere Access professionals undergo a series of rigorous screening and interviews. Their business is proven. Colleagues will be investigated. They offer something unique, – experiences that you can’t find just by looking at Google, that turn an ordinary vacation into an unforgettable, life-changing experience. This process is similar to applying to a prestigious university – only 5% of those who apply commit to becoming an area expert elsewhere.
How does it work?
It won’t mess up anywhere else. Just go to their site, choose a destination, and fill out a short online questionnaire that details everything from the year you want to travel to your desired experiences. It will tell them all your likes, dislikes and who you are traveling with in the details of the flight. From there, you can choose to connect with a local professional to discuss details and pricing.
Melinda Anderson relocates from Stanford City with the complex idea of a week-long trip to Spain with her family, all of whom have different interests, needs, wants, and desires. Dad and son love to golf and surf; Mother and stepdaughter love to cook and visit museums. Some interests will be met. Some don’t. But Laura, a local expert elsewhere, knew exactly how to create the perfect itinerary for Melinda’s trip to Spain when she received the request.
Melinda and Laura reviewed the plan together, hotel choices (in this case all locally owned and operated), museum visits, cooking classes, a day at sea. The entire itinerary is meticulously detailed, built for enough free time that last-minute inspiration can strike.
What are you worth?
For people who love to travel, are curious about the world around them, are compassionate and care for people and the places they encounter, who value unforgettable experiences and human relationships.
Even with all the arrangements in the world, there are always situations you can’t plan for and that’s where you’d love to have another place on call. Traveling with Lonely Planet offers 24/7 support from the moment you arrive. If you miss a train, need last-minute lunch advice, sprain an ankle, there’s always someone else on the line to take care of you. This is not travel insurance, this is travel insurance.
Finally, you get to see and do things somewhere else that you couldn’t do on your own. Local experts like Laura in Spain, Tiago in Portugal, Lucas in Argentina… All these are trusted partners with insider knowledge unmatched anywhere else. They live to showcase the places they call home, thrive on connecting with their customers, and make it their business to make sure you have the time of your life.
This exciting new chapter is the next evolution of how we travel in the 21st century: with purpose, with care, with awareness, with kindness, with passion. Take stress out of the equation. Save some time. Let Lonely Planet take you somewhere else, to places you’ve always wanted to go, with once-in-a-lifetime experiences you can’t imagine. What are you waiting for?
Elsewhere, follow Lonely Planet on TikTok and Instagram.
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