Greetings,
After much thought and deliberation, we have decided it's time for us to retire Thorn Tree's Travel Companion branch. While this has traditionally been one of the most popular individual branches in the forum, it hasn't provided the type of lasting engagement and inspiration that can be found elsewhere on Thorn Tree or on Lonely Planet as a whole. For those of you who have created a recent post, the branch will be set to read-only for the immediate future. I've created a new topic in the All About Thorn Tree branch for any feedback that you'd like to provide.
Since we introduced this branch, we've seen the launch of many other apps and technological options for travelers who are interested in meeting up with likeminded travelers or locals. One example of this idea taking shape organically, among others, is the growth of the Lonely Planet travel community on Facebook.
Despite the countless connections and travel stories which can trace their origins back to the Travel Companion branch, we've made the difficult decision to dedicate our future developer and moderating resources to the things we do best as a travel company - to inspire, to encourage, and to educate travelers who are seeking an escape while discovering numerous global cultures and partaking in all of the activities our planet has to offer. We hope that travelers continue to rely on Lonely Planet and Thorn Tree as a trusted resource for discovering new content, exchanging travel stories, itineraries, and your knowledge and expertise related to different destinations, points of interest, travel interests!
Farewell Travel Companion branch and safe travels, everyone!