In May, Lonely Planet will release Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime, that details 82 journeys that will have a positive impact on the environment, culture, and economy of people’s next holiday destination.
Code Green is a glimpse into the world of responsible travel - a message that has always been close to Lonely Planet’s heart.

The book profiles experiences from across the globe, ranging from independent travel to small group tours; grass-roots community organisations to luxury resorts and safaris, as well as a smattering of the huge and growing number of volunteer opportunities.

Although each of these experiences involves minimal tourist impact on the destination, author Kerry Lorimer points out that responsible travel doesn’t have to involve ‘hardship and hair shirts’: “The examples in Code Green range from basic budget backpacking through to the most sumptuous luxury. But every example adheres to the principles of responsible tourism: they are sensitive to environment and culture and ensure that a proportion of their revenue is directed into the host community,” said Lorimer.

Not a traditional guidebook, Code Green is the newest addition to Lonely Planet’s growing suite of ‘inspirebooks’. Through full-colour images and enlightening text, you’ll get up-close-and-personal with gorillas in Rwanda, lemurs in Madagascar and sea lions in the Galápagos. You can explore some of the world’s most magnificent wilderness, and see it through the eyes of the Dogon people of Mali, the Maasai of Kenya, the Maoris of New Zealand or the Inuit of Greenland. You can help tag turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, count macaws in Peru or learn to be a ranger in an Indian tiger sanctuary.

Each profile features a section outlining the responsible travel ‘credentials’ of the experiences, as well as essential information such as ‘when to go’, ‘getting there’, and where to seek further information to start planning your trip.

In Code Green, Lonely Planet has selected experiences that have some natural ‘limiting force’ - places that can benefit from some increased business but, whether through enforced park entry quotas, potential sustainable expansion, or other means, are in less danger of overexploitation.

Code Green also includes a selection of ideas and directions to inspire you to find your own less travelled path, and tips to help you make responsible travel choices: how to distinguish the good travel operators from the hucksters; true ecotourism from ‘eco-lite’ and how to develop your ‘greenwash’ radar. There are tips on how to cope with conscience-challenging issues such as begging; breaking the ice with local people and how to minimise your personal impact on wilderness.

Printed on 100% recycled paper with non-GMO soy-based inks, Code Green gives readers the tools and the inspiration to try a new way of travelling - one that will challenge your perceptions, shake you out of your comfort zone, enthral you and enrich your soul. You’ll not only make a contribution to other people’s lives, you might just change your own.
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