Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Wheeler, most famed for being the co-founder, along with his wife Maureen, of the Lonely Planet guide book empire. He gave a keynote address at the conference attended for the Australian Society of Travel Writers and I had the chance to chat with him later that day, and asked him if he'd like to be a special guest on The Thoughtful Travel Podcast - and luckily for all of us he said yes!

In this conversation we talk about all kinds of travel-related stories, some fun and some serious. I ask Tony what he's learnt from his travels over the years, whether his children also have the travel bug and all about his keen interest in modes of transport. We also talk about two of his book projects including his most recent one, Islands of Australia.

The wonderful members of the Thoughtful Travellers group on Facebook also chimed in with some questions, which led Tony and I to chat about why he mentioned the Maldives as a place he wouldn't return to, and we also discussed the "Lonely Planet effect" - what happens when a small tourism business gets overrun after being mentioned in a guide book.

All of that, as they say, and more! It was a great pleasure to chat with Tony and I hope you all enjoy listening!

Links:

• Tony Wheeler - https://tonywheeler.com.au
• Tony's Bad Lands book - https://amzn.to/34gpsHC 
• Tony's Islands of Australia book - https://www.booktopia.com.au/tony-wheeler-s-islands-of-australia-tony-wheeler/book/9780642279477.html 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/163