About Us
Our Guides. Your Stories.
We believe travel can do more than move people from place to place. It can expand perspectives, build empathy, and spark the kind of understanding that makes the world feel a little closer, a little kinder, and a lot more connected.
Lonely Planet is the world’s #1 guidebook publisher, backed by more than 1,100 independent on-the-ground contributors and a dedicated team of 130 full-time staff, covering destinations across 180+ countries. We go everywhere, so you can go anywhere. Every recommendation we make is based on firsthand experience so you can get the heart of a place with curiosity and confidence.
Our Roots
In 1973, Tony and Maureen Wheeler completed an overland journey from London to Australia and self-published their account as Across Asia on the Cheap — Lonely Planet's first guidebook.
More than 50 years later, that founding spirit of firsthand, independent travel expertise and passion for helping fellow travelers still shapes everything we do.
From that first edition, Lonely Planet has grown to cover destinations across 180+ countries, with content translated into 33 languages and a global community of 1,100+ contributors, each one chosen for their deep local knowledge and a distinct point of view. We celebrate the cultures, communities, and ecosystems that make each place unique, and aim for every journey to have as positive an impact on the destination as possible.
Our People
Lonely Planet is powered by a global community of 1,100+ travel experts — writers, editors, photographers, local insiders, and long-term residents — who provide firsthand reporting from destinations across 180+ countries.
Every contributor is chosen for their on-the-ground expertise, not proximity to a press office. That independence is what makes Lonely Planet recommendations trustworthy, and what has made us one of the world's most recognized travel brands for more than five decades.
Travel with Us
Today, Lonely Planet reaches millions of travelers each month across our website, social, app, newsletter, guidebooks and travel booking service. Whether it's the first spark of planning a new trip or the final detail before a journey begins, Lonely Planet is there for every step, empowering you to travel boldly and understand the world more fully.
Lonely Planet Books
Where it all started. With guidebooks covering 120+ countries, we help travelers get to the heart of a destination — not just the highlights. Whether you’re planning your next adventure with one of our classic guidebooks, fueling your wanderlust with our beautiful gift and inspiration books, or sparking curiosity in the next generation with our entertaining and educational children’s books, there’s a Lonely Planet book for every kind of traveler.
Lonely Planet App
Currently available in the U.S., UK and Australia, our new Lonely Planet app was released in March 2026. The app helps you plan better trips by bringing in-depth destination guides, trip building tools and expert-curated itineraries to one place – all from our 1,100+ Lonely Planet local experts. Turn trusted recs into better trips.
Lonely Planet Journeys
Our travel booking service, Lonely Planet Journeys, pairs travelers directly with award-winning local experts for personalized trip planning for 80+ destinations around the world. With over 500+ 5-star reviews, you just book the flights, and let us handle the rest.
