Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet is one of the world's most popular publishers of travel guidebooks. Based in melbourne, Australia, Lonely Planet is the brainchild of Tony and Maureen Wheeler, a couple who decided to write about their experiences while traveling in Europe and Asia. Today the company has over 500 office employees and over 300 on-the-road authors. Tony continues to write guidebooks while Maureen works with the Lonely Planet Foundation.

The Lonely Planet guidebooks are primarily meant for the low-budget traveler. The tips and hints provided by these books are seen as essential to avoid problems and danger in foreign countries. Over time, The Lonely Planet clientele has developed and positive reader feedback has meant that a Lonely Planet guide is an almost essential requirement, especially when traveling abroad. In recent times, The Lonely Planet guidebooks have changed to cater to the needs of different markets, such as Western Europe. The series now caters as much to middle-class travelers as backpackers.

Lonely Planet has also developed a nice online universe dedicated entirely to travel and travelers. The Thorn Tree bulletin board is a forum for exchanging travel advice with other travelers. The company also provides Haystack, a service for online accommodation booking. In the Travel Services section, users can also get flight information and purchase travel insurance.