Lonely Planet Launches Country Guide Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch

 

Lonely Planet has introduced a series of new country guide apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. Initially launching with Italy, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia and Costa Rica, Lonely Planet’s country guide apps are the first of their kind from an expert travel guide publisher.

The ultimate guides for on-the-go travelers, Lonely Planet’s country guide apps contain expert content and recommendations and detailed maps for the entire country – all of which works entirely offline so there are no roaming or data fees. The apps combine background information on a country, practicalities, suggested itineraries, and thousands of author recommended places to eat, drink, sleep, shop, visit and see. The apps include information on every region that’s covered in Lonely Planet print guidebooks.

The offline maps allow users to view the entire country, and then zoom in to a particular region, city, neighborhood or street. Travelers can quickly pinpoint their location on the map through the GPS capabilities of their iPhone or iPod touch—all without internet connection or expensive roaming charges.

Intuitive navigation makes the apps incredibly simple to use with easy-to-browse tabs so that users are never more than a few taps away from the information they seek. In addition, users can easily flip between the maps and text.

“Lonely Planet has established itself as an industry leader in the travel app space with almost 10m downloads of our city guide apps,” says Jeremy Kreitler, VP Wireless Services for Lonely Planet. “Responding to user feedback and given the popularity of country guidebooks, we are excited to be the first travel guide publisher to extend our product range to include country guide apps”.

The Lonely Planet country guide apps are available for $9.99 each from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore. They are also available as in-app purchases within the Lonely Planet Travel Guides App.

Lonely Planet country guide apps are the latest addition to Lonely Planet’s portfolio of mobile products for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The country guide apps complements the company’s other travel apps including 70 city guide apps, various audio walking guides, audio phrasebook apps, and offline translator apps.

Lonely Planet is one of the world’s leading travel content providers. Launched in 1973, Lonely Planet enables curious travelers to experience the world and get to the heart of a place via guidebooks to most destinations on the planet, an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products and a dedicated traveler community. Visit www.lonelyplanet.com.

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Win a Trip of a Lifetime with Lonely Planet and Bing– December 29th only!

Beginning December 29th at midnight PT/3am ET, Lonely Planet is the prize sponsor of a 24-hour sweepstakes hosted by Bing that will give away the grand prize of a trip of a lifetime. This around-the-world trip will be custom created by the winner, with help from Lonely Planet staff and authors, in order to build a dream trip of their own.

All day long, visitors to Bing’s Magical Holiday Calendar (www.bing.com/holiday) can enter to win the trip of a lifetime from Bing and Lonely Planet. The Grand Prize winner will win a 14 consecutive night/15 consecutive day trip for him/her and one guest to up to four travel destinations around the world, up to a value of $30,000.

The Lonely Planet team will work with the Grand Prize winner to devise a custom itinerary, based on his/her interests. To help give participants an idea of what the winner’s dream journey could look like, Lonely Planet’s U.S. Travel Editor Robert Reid created five dream itineraries based on the following interests: music, movies, food, art and the outdoors.

You can check out those itineraries here:

*MUSIC: Plug in the earphones, fire up the iPod and get ready for a round-the-world journey like no other. From good old rock’n’roll to the might of the Mersey Beat and naughty German cabaret, this globe-spanning trip will get your toes tapping to a different tune.

*OUTDOORS: A dream trip in the great outdoors! Sounds fantastic but perhaps slightly intimidating, especially if you don’t have three months to boot camp your way to optimum fitness before your vacation. Of course, not all outdoor experiences mean roughing it. Call us cushy, but here are five of our favorite ways to combine natural wonders without denying yourself creature comforts.

*MOVIE: Travel, done right, feels like you’re starring in your own film. Close your eyes in Prague and a stroll along medieval streets becomes a scene from a black-and-white thriller you’ve set yourself in. If you want to put yourself in the picture, all you need to do is visit some of the world’s greatest movie sets. Here are five destinations that will have you calling ‘action!’

*ART: So you want to do the Louvre, the Metropolitan, the Hermitage. Okay. You could trot the globe touring the world’s best museums, but for a real art attack head for the great outdoors. A fleeting glimpse of the Mona Lisa through the throng isn’t half as satisfying as, say, a stroll through the very streets that once inspired Dutch master Vincent van Gogh or an exotic taste of Gaugin’s Tahiti. How about a dream trip for art lovers that gets you out of the museum and turns you on to the places that first inspired those works of genius?

*FOOD: We’ve long considered ‘travel’ – you know, going to see stuff like museums and markets and fancy plazas with mimes – as merely ‘the space between meals.’ Ultimately a trip’s defined by the food you eat. And where you eat it.There’s no end of sensory surprise in store if you travel the globe with an open mind and ready taste buds. From delicate appetizers to belly-busting feasts, why not let a world map be your menu on your next trip? Here are five destinations where food and place combine in an unforgettable concoction.

Participants can enter to win a dream journey until 11:59pm PT December 29 by visiting http://www.Bing.com/holiday.

 

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Aranui III, Marquesas Islands Makes Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011

The Marquesas Islands was recently named one of Lonely Planet's "Top 10 regions" – highlighting the Aranui III as the "umbilical cord between Tahiti and the Marquesas" (photo credit: Alain Marcouli).

Leading travel publication and go-to guide for adventure-driven escapes, Lonely Planet, recently featured the Marquesas Islands as one of its “Top 10 regions” – highlighting the Aranui III as the “umbilical cord between Tahiti and the Marquesas.”

“This distinction is an honor for us, particularly for our hard-working crew, many of whom have been introducing travelers to the Marquesas for over two decades,” said Jules Wong, marketing director for the Aranui III.

“While the cruise itself takes a backseat to the undisturbed beauty and grandeur of the seldomly visited Marquesas Islands, our local crew works diligently to ensure the onboard experience is as unique and memorable as the islands themselves,” added Wong.

The guide goes on to note the lack of swanky resorts in the Marquesas, describing the circuit – which is only accessible to travelers via the Aranui III – as “an ecotourist’s dream.”

In addition to picturesque valleys on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, Lonely Planet extols the Marquesan Arts Festival, which is held only once every four years (the next one is coming up in December 2011) and features indigenous dance performances, local cuisine and arts and crafts displays.

Rates for the 14-day journey on the Aranui III range from $2,079 to $5,445 per person, based on double occupancy, depending on stateroom configuration. There is a 10% surcharge for the Dec. 9 Marquesan Arts Festival departure, which includes festival admission

Rates do not include port, cruise and tourism taxes, which may total up to $350 depending on stateroom category and an $80 fuel surcharge.

The cruise includes three daily meals with complimentary wine, guided excursions outlined in the itinerary, picnic and meals on shore. Optional excursions such as scuba diving, horseback riding, fishing and helicopter tours are additional.

The Aranui 3 is a mixed passenger-cargo vessel operating between Tahiti and the Marquesas, offering comfortable, air-conditioned accommodations for about two hundred passengers. The ship features 63 tastefully designed standard cabins, nine deluxe staterooms and 14 elegantly appointed private balcony suites.

Featuring a crew primarily composed of local inhabitants from French Polynesia and the Marquesas Islands, the Aranui 3 combines world class hospitality with top-notch amenities and mesmerizing scenery for an unforgettable sailing experience.

The cruise departs from the Tahitian island of Papeete, visiting the seldomly explored lush, tropical islands of Tahuata, Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Hiva Oa, Ua Huka and Fatu Hiva, as well as Fakarava and Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Islands, before returning to Papeete.

The on-shore experiences include awe-inspiring hikes past majestic waterfalls and translucent lagoons, jungle ruins and sacred ritual sites with enigmatic petroglyphs, and encounters with local artisans.

For more information, contact Aranui at 800-972-7268 or visit www.aranui.com.

Lonely Planet Helps Stranded North American Travelers with Free iPhone City Guide Apps

With ice and snowstorms continuing to delay flights across the US and Canada, Lonely Planet is offering 14 of its iPhone City Guide apps free to stranded travelers for a limited time.

“We recognize that travelers are stuck all over the country due to these recent storms and will need access to our content”, said John Boris, Lonely Planet’s Managing Director. “Thus, we made all our US and Canadian iPhone City Guide apps free so that regardless of whether they are stuck in a blizzard or on the beach, they can easily download the practical information and recommendations we provide straight onto their phone”.

The 14 guides, normally $5.99,  will be free in the iTunes App Store from 6  pmPST on Tuesday, February 1, to 6 pm PST Friday, February 4, 2011.

The cities available are:

·         San Francisco

·         New York City

·         Boston

·         Washington DC

·         Chicago

·         Seattle

·         New Orleans

·         Vancouver

·         Las Vegas

·         Miami

·         Toronto

·         Los Angeles

·         Montreal

·         Fort Myers and Sanibel

Lonely Planet has a history of helping stranded travelers, having offered their European iPhone City Guide apps free during the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull and again during the Christmas snowstorms. This is the first time they’ve offered their US or Canadian city guides for free.

See also:

‘Trip’ website addresses travelers’ concerns over safety, security, health

Continue reading on Examiner.com: ‘Trip’ website addresses travelers’ concerns over safety, security, health – National Eclectic Travel | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/trip-website-addresses-travelers-concerns-over-safety-security-health#ixzz1CpOXJckv

For more travel features and about travel security and deals, visit www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin