Lonely Planet
Tony Wheeler
An Asia ‘hippie trail’ trek in 1972 led to the creation of Lonely Planet, the travel publisher which would come to sell over 150 million books. It was a holiday that changed the world as Tony and his wife Maureen rewrote the rules of travel.
Since departing Lonely Planet, Tony and Maureen have not stopped moving; founding the Wheeler Institute at London Business School (concentrating on entrepreneurship in the developing world), the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, the Wheeler History of Travel Writing Programme at Warwick University and the Planet Wheeler Foundation’s education and health projects in the developing world.
In this special event, festival curator Rory MacLean will be in conversation with ‘the trailblazing patron saint of the world’s backpackers and adventure travellers’ (New York Times).
