Lonely Planet unveils new app and bookable experiences as it evolves into a Digital First platform | News
Lonely Planet has announced a new app alongside the launch of bookable travel experiences, marking the most significant evolution yet from trusted travel guides to a connected travel platform.
As millennials and Gen Z increasingly shape global travel, many say trip planning has become overwhelming, with nearly 60% reporting information overload. Instead of adding to the noise, Lonely Planet cuts through it, curating trusted travel guidance from more than 450 experts on the ground around the world to help travelers plan with confidence as the brand continues its shift to a digital platform.
“Lonely Planet has always been built around serving the traveler,” said Paul Yanover, CEO of Lonely Planet. “We know that our travelers don’t just travel – they view travel as part of who they are and engage in it in some way every day. That understanding drives how we develop our products and offerings, bringing our trusted expertise into a modern digital ecosystem that gives travelers clarity and confidence in an increasingly overwhelming travel landscape.”
A complete travel ecosystem
The evolution of Lonely Planet brings together inspiration, planning and booking in a growing number of connected products – designed to support travelers at every stage of their journey.
The Lonely Planet App: Now available in the US, Lonely Planet’s new travel app offers expert-curated destination guides, dynamic maps, local recommendations, daily itineraries and one place to save favorite spots. The app will be enhanced with an AI assistant built on decades of Lonely Planet expertise, making it easier for travelers to plan, navigate and get the most out of every trip. For a limited time, travelers who download the app will also receive free membership access for the entire year – including every destination guide, insider recommendations, powerful trip planning tools and exclusive benefits, with membership levels rolling out later in 2026.
Lonely Planet Journeys: Launching in fall 2025, travelers can now book tailor-made trips to more than 70 destinations directly through Lonely Planet, all curated by local planning experts. Lonely Planet Journeys bridges the gap between inspiration and action by transforming Lonely Planet’s on-the-ground research and expert local knowledge into complete, bookable itineraries for the first time.
Travel Guides: Lonely Planet is now the best-selling English-language travel publisher, with a global publishing program of 770 print titles, providing deeply researched, on-the-ground travel insights in 185 countries to help travelers experience the world more meaningfully.
Lonely Planet Correspondents Network: This new global collective of on-the-ground creators and local storytellers captures authentic destination content in real time and informs multimedia storytelling across all digital touchpoints.
Built for modern travelers, rooted in trusted expertise
Through physical products and digital formats, Lonely Planet continues to meet travelers wherever they are on their journey. From classic travel guides, phrasebooks and maps to its app, website, newsletter and editorial franchises – including ‘Best in Travel’, ‘Where to Go When’ and seasonal travel collections – the brand provides trusted guidance tailored to how and when people travel.
Based on the work of hundreds of independent contributors around the world, Lonely Planet’s recommendations are shaped by deep local knowledge and on-the-ground experiences – expertise built through real relationships with the places, communities and moments travelers want to understand when they make plans.
“Our role has always been to help travelers make confident decisions and our network of contributors takes that responsibility seriously,” said Nitya Chambers, editor-in-chief and senior vice president of content at Lonely Planet. “That means showing up at the right time and in the right format with the right guidance, whether someone is dreaming about a future trip, planning the details or on the road.”
To support this strategic evolution, Lonely Planet has introduced a renewed visual identity and a redesigned website. More to come, developed in collaboration with award-winning creative agency GrandArmy. The update creates a consistent, recognizable look across all touchpoints, balancing humanity and inspiration with functionality and usability, while strengthening Lonely Planet’s transition from episodic travel guide sales to a holistic travel platform.
