Tony Wheeler - Lonely Planet
Founder of Lonely Planet
Back in 1972
Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen bought an old car in London and
drove it to Afghanistan. Continuing through Pakistan, India and
South-East Asia they hitched a ride on a yacht from Bali in
Indonesia and eventually arrived in Sydney, Australia with less
than 20p to their name. The book he wrote about their travels
across Asia kicked off Lonely Planet Publications which went on to
become the world’s biggest independent travel publisher.
In 2010 Lonely Planet published its 100 millionth book and the
company also includes a TV production division, a photo library and
an award winning website. Tony still travels, writes and blogs for
several months each year.