Lonely Planet

Travel guidebook publisher. The company, founded by former engineer Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen in 1973, has offices in Melbourne, Australia; London, England; and Oakland, California; and publishes some 500 titles. The BBC acquired a controlling interest in the company in 2007.

The Wheelers wrote their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap (1973), after travelling overland across Europe and Asia to Australia. They followed two years later with South-East Asia on a Shoestring. The brand became well known for budget travel in Asia, expanding worldwide in the 1990s. The company also produces television and Internet media, including their flagship television series Lonely Planet Six Degrees.