Think of Black Friday, and your mind probably jumps to queues that make the New York breadlines look merely inconvenient, shoppers in fits of trancelike violence scrapping desperately for TV’s, shop windows caving in under the pressure of hundreds of hungry consumers, all in the hypnotic trance only MASSIVE DISCOUNTS can inspire, and loads, and loads of adverts.

We’re not about all that.

We’re doing something a little different. Instead of massively chopping our prices to drive a rush of quick and easy sales, we see Black Friday, and the fervour with which it seems to grip entire nations, as a chance to give back.

Here at Not In The Guidebooks, we’re passionate about supporting local communities, preserving traditions, and helping protect cultures from the issues that mass tourism and many other factors can bring up.

So we considered how we could flip Black Friday on its head. Instead of making it about us, or even you, how can we make it about our partners and the locals we’re trying to support?

This weekend, we’re going to be taking 10% of every booking made with us, and invest it in local communities. That’s 10% of every booking going to our local partners in the area you’re travelling to. Small, family-run businesses, individual entrepreneurs looking to boost the economy of their hometown, others with a heartfelt desire to protect their culture and environment; these are the people who will benefit from your booking with us.

Some may choose to donate that money to a local social enterprise, a charity, a development scheme… what is key here is that we will ensure this money is going to good use, and is legitimately helping a local community.

And the brilliant, tangible part of this? The 10% will go to the community you travel to. You’ll be able to see the community and projects you’re supporting, as well as the people who you’re helping, first hand.

But of course, we don’t forget about you completely. To sweeten the deal, we’re actually offering a 20% discount. The difference is that 10% goes to you, and 10% goes to local communities. We’ll match the 10% discount you receive with a donation, so that you can help communities, feel good about travelling responsibly, and save a little at the same time.

And why stop there? We want to start a Black Friday revolution. In a world where consumerism and perpetual growth is destroying the planet, why can’t Black Friday become Give Back Friday? Why can’t we have a weekend where companies around the world turn their eyes away from profit margins and growth, and look at how they can use their influence to genuinely better the world?

It’s a nice thought, and one we’re hoping is only just beginning.