Tony Wheeler
Lonely Planet

Episode 36

Lonely Planet | Tony and Maureen Wheeler set off on the Hippy Trail in the 70’s and became one of the world’s largest travel publishers

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Most epic trips used to begin with one of the world’s most iconic travel guidebooks in every adventure seekers hands. Modern day technology has changed things up a bit but the Lonely Planet publisher is still the go-to for travel advice.

We chat to Tony Wheeler, the Founder of Lonely Planet, he began the company with his wife Maureen Wheeler back in 1973 with their first guidebook ‘Across Asia on The Cheap’.

Today, Lonely Planet still offer their trusty printed guidebooks but now sell each one in an alternative ebook format. There’s also a travel app which was launched In 2017 reaching over 1 million downloads and covering over 100 cities. They also have a highly engaged social following, capturing all their amazing travels and sharing shots of their fave destinations with their printed guidebooks.

Tony and Pru explore ‘off the beaten track’ travel, growing a global business and have a chat about the future of travel.

This is a story of true adventure, finding purpose from your work and how to create a very full and well-lived life. So pour yourself a cuppa, and come along for the ride!

“We hadn’t set out from London thinking we were going to do a guidebook. So our first book was written from our diaries, memories, and notes we’d taken rather than real research.“

— Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet

Mentioned in conversation…

The trip in the early 70s that brought Lonely Planet to life
How Tony & Maureen hustled their first few books together while Maureen supported them woking full time
The key events that saw Lonely Planet become one of the largest Travel Publishers in the world with over 500 titles in print