Recruiter details: Lonely Planet

I hate to know where I am going, but I know why I am going

We, at Lonely Planet, are part of a worldwide community of travellers who share a passion for exploring and contributing to our world. We believe that all journeys begin with a desire to know, to see and to experience more and only end when we stop questioning. Travel takes a certain state of mind. It means taking risks, leaving behind the everyday, experiencing a culture first hand; discovering the people, the history and the land because the journey is always more important than the destination.

Travel is a powerful source of personal enjoyment, enrichment and interest for both traveller and host alike. We also believe that travel is one of the world’s most important activities. Practised responsibly and sustainably, it develops people and communities around the world. Travel celebrates difference, acknowledges a complex and imperfect world, increases understanding and recognises similarity. It promotes tolerance and helps create one planet.

Company history

A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket, and a sense of adventure

That's all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime. They met on a park bench in Regent's Park and married a year later. For their honeymoon, they decided to attempt what few people thought possible - crossing Europe and Asia overland, all the way to Australia. It took them several months and all the money they could earn, beg or borrow, but they made it. And at the end of it all, they were flat broke… and couldn't have been happier.

It was too amazing an experience to keep to themselves. Urged on by their friends, they stayed up nights at their kitchen table writing, typing and stapling together their very first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap.

Within a week they'd sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. Two years later, their second journey led to South-East Asia on a shoestring, which led to books on Nepal, Australia, Africa, and India, which led to… you get the picture.

Fast-forward over 30 years

As Lonely Planet became a globally loved brand, Tony and Maureen received several offers for the company. But it wasn't until 2007 that they found a partner whom they trusted to remain true to Lonely Planet's principles. In October of that year, BBC Worldwide acquired a 75% share in Lonely Planet, pledging to uphold Lonely Planet's commitment to independent travel, trustworthy advice and editorial independence.

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm, and a wholly owned subsidiary of, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with over 400 staff members and 300 authors. Tony and Maureen are still actively involved with Lonely Planet. They're travelling more often than ever, and they're devoting their spare time to charitable projects. And the company is still driven by the philosophy in Across Asia on the Cheap: 'All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!'

Our founders

Maureen was born in Belfast in 1950. She attended Strand School in Sydenham where she passed her 11+ and got a scholarship to Princess Garden's Grammar School in Dunmurry. She went to Rupert Stanley Technical School to learn shorthand and typing skills and from there went to the Scottish Provident Insurance Company in Belfast to work as a secretary. (Maureen says her mother thought being a secretary was 'just about as good as it gets'.)

Tony Wheeler was born in England in 1946 but spent most of his younger years overseas. Those years included a lengthy spell in Pakistan, a shorter period in the West Indies and all of his high school years in the USA. He returned to England to do an engineering degree, worked for a short time as an automotive engineer, then went back to university and completed an MBA.

Our books

Lonely Planet is renowned for its first-hand approach, up-to-date maps and commitment to providing the best information for travellers.

Our authors

Lonely Planet authors are professional writers and journalists who nail down all the practical info about a destination then build on that with insider knowledge, thorough reviews, little-known facts and authoritative recommendations. Their aim is to get you straight to the heart of the place they're in.

Lonely Planet digital

There's a lot of uncharted territory out there in cyberspace, but Lonely Planet have built a nice little universe dedicated entirely to travel and travellers. Our ever-expanding digital team look after this travel cosmos, pooling independent advice and information from our staff and the global travel community.

Lonely Planet Images

What's travel without the photographs to prove you were there? Even if you didn't quite make it to Timbuktu, you can bet Lonely Planet Images has.

Lonely Planet TV

If you thought Lonely Planet was just about guidebooks and websites, think again. We've got travel covered on the box too.

Client Solutions

Lonely Planet Client Solutions helps businesses to build lasting relationships with existing customers and convert prospects into new customers. Lonely Planet can provide compelling and comprehensive travel information for every destination and any audience, via any medium or platform: as gripping digital and online content for your customers, unique corporate gifts for staff, or custom-made guidebooks for your sponsors. Lonely Planet Client Solutions offer quality content that can always be relied upon for its absolute accuracy, because we get it straight from the source.

For further information, see www.lonelyplanet.com/about/