LA Times Enters Travel Planning Business

With the ever-increasing popularity of “experiential travel,” it was only a matter of time before the Los Angeles Times utilized its vast network of experts for crafting highly customized travel itineraries.

Instead of loaning its name to a third-party travel operator—think Tauck’s partnership with BBC Earth—the nation’s fourth-largest newspaper has announced it is launching its own branded travel packages, known collectively as Los Angeles Times Expeditions.

“Los Angeles Times journalists have a wealth of experience, traveling the world and telling some of the most compelling stories of our time,” said Times Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Davan Maharaj. “This travel program is another way for us to spread our journalism, connect with readers and share a deeper understanding of the world around us.”

MORE Tour Operator

Don’t Miss this Last-Minute Deal to Ireland and...

New Tour Company Bans Cellphones

Introducing Explorer X

To start, Los Angeles Times Expeditions is introducing about a dozen itineraries, which will be joined by iconic Times contributors such as film critic Kenneth Turan, music journalist Randy Lewis and Pulitzer-prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold.

The excursions include forays into such far-flung destinations as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and South Africa. However, there’s plenty of love for domestic locales as well, including photographic tours of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon along with a musical whirl through New Orleans.

And yes, being the gatekeeper of all things Los Angeles, there’s an Insider’s LA tour, in which City of Angels food, history, entertainment and culture are celebrated in the company of some of the LA Times’ most noted writers, editors and contributors.

Don’t expect these journeys to be run-of-the-mill touristy adventures, either.

The tours are being produced in partnership with Washington D.C.-based Academic Travel Abroad, Inc., which also partners with other noted media/travel hybrids such as New York Times Journeys, Smithsonian Journeys and National Geographic Expeditions.

READ MORE: Cunard, New York Times Partner for Crossword Crossing

In Mexico City, for example, correspondent Kate Linthicum will guide the group through explorations of the history, culture and politics of the region. Guests will be able to witness policy making in action when they visit the Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro, the main seat of Mexico’s legislative power.

Or take a spin through the history of Chicago and witness its growth throughout a century of architectural development, while in the company of Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christoper Hawthorne. From the days of the Great Fire in 1872 to witnessing the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, you’ll explore just why this city has earned its place among the most noted architectural capitals in the world.

Tour lengths vary, but many of them average about seven days. The first tour departs in February 2018.

For more information, visit expeditions.latimes.com.

Follow @MonicaPoling