OUR STORY

A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

OUR WRITERS

Stephen Lioy

Ü, Eastern Tibet, Chengdu

Stephen is a photographer, writer, hiker, and travel blogger based in Central Asia. A ‘once in a lifetime’ Eurotrip and post-university move to China set the stage for what would eventually become a semi-nomadic lifestyle based on sharing his experiences with would-be travellers and helping provide that initial push out of comfort zones and into all that the planet has to offer. Follow Stephen’s travels at www.monkboughtlunch.com or see his photography at www.stephenlioy.com.

Megan Eaves

Tsang, Xining, Qinghai–Tibet Railway

Megan is Lonely Planet’s North Asia Destination Editor and her writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s guidebooks to China and South Korea. Having lived everywhere from her home state of New Mexico to eastern China and Prague, she’s now based in Lonely Planet’s London office, where she’s the resident beer nerd and dumpling addict. If lost, she is likely to be found stargazing in a desert somewhere.

Bradley Mayhew

Lhasa, Ngari, Tibetan Treks, Kathmandu

Bradley has been writing guidebooks for 20 years now. He started travelling while studying Chinese at Oxford University, and has since focused his expertise on China, Tibet, the Himalayas and Central Asia. He is the co-author of Lonely Planet guides to Tibet, Nepal, Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, Bhutan, Central Asia and many others. Bradley has also fronted two TV series for Arte and SWR, one retracing the route of Marco Polo via Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and China, and the other trekking Europe’s ten most scenic long-distance trails. Bradley also wrote the Plan, Understand and Survival Guide chapters.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

ABN 36 005 607 983

10th edition – May 2019

ISBN 978 1 78868 583 2

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Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasonable care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.