100 million books and a free trip around the world.

February 2nd, 2010

Tony and Maureen WheelerI had a meeting today at the Lonely Planet office in salubrious Footscray to discuss promotional ideas for the upcoming publication of Lonely Planet’s 100 millionth guidebook. That’s a hell of a lot of guidebooks and that’s a hell of a lot of people getting lost trying to read the Lonely Planet guidebook maps! One of the major promotions for the 100 millionth guidebook is a photography competition where travelers are invited to share photographs of their favorite travel experiences online and be in the running to win a round-the-world trip for two. Entries will be judged on how your story – a combination of an image and a caption – captures the adventurous free spirit of Lonely Planet and getting to the heart of a place. As Tony Wheeler himself explains it: ‘Pictures are a wonderful way to tell a story. They can celebrate memories of travel and capture the essence of our experiences. Over the years, Maureen and I have taken thousands of pictures around the world, and they’re an important part of our travel history. I’m delighted and amazed that we’ve published 100 million books, but the real cause for celebration is the hundreds of millions of shared travel stories experienced by Lonely Planet travelers. Sharing those stories is something we’ve been encouraging for decades.’

You can find Tony Wheeler talking about the 100 millionth guidebook here:

I wouldn’t bother entering, though – I’ve already entered and I’ve got the round the world trip for two in the bag!

4 Responses to “100 million books and a free trip around the world.”

  • On February 3rd, 2010 Epiphanie said:

    Do you work for Lonely Planet?

  • On February 4th, 2010 Brian Thacker said:

    Hi Epiphanie

    No, I don’t work for LP, but because my ‘new’ book is about travelling with the original LP South East Asia on a Shoestring we are planning some cross-promotion stuff together.

    Plus, it’s fun going into their offices – they are so cool!

    cheers
    bt

  • On February 7th, 2010 Ewen said:

    I remember the first time I went into the offices, I was expecting something halfway between Black Books and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The modern feel of the place surprised me, but the people are still very groovy and everyone I know inside the building is committed to keeping the dream alive. I think the world is a better place for Lonely Plant having left its mark :)

  • On February 9th, 2010 Epiphanie said:

    I should have guessed, BT! :) That is a genius idea, and guaranteed to win over a whole new market!

    I have heaps of respect for LP due to their commitment to exploring outside conventional tourist experiences, which is even more admirable considering they are the most commercially successful company of their kind, and while I am not a leftie, I do think that money tends to have a corrupting influence!

    I started reading Where’s Wallis? at my local Borders and couldn’t put it down – I love your quirky and original travel concepts!

    Cheers,
    EB

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