OUR STORY
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 Melbourne, London and Oakland, 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
Brandon Presser
Growing up in a land where bear hugs are taken literally, this wanderlust-y Canadian always craved swaying palms and golden sand. A trek across Southeast Asia as a teenager was the clincher — he was hooked, returning year after year to scuba dive, suntan and savour spoonfuls of spicy sôm-đam (papaya salad). After leaving his job at the Louvre, Brandon joined the glamorous ranks of eternal nomadism and became a full-time freelance travel writer. He’s since co-authored over 35 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, from Iceland to Thailand and many ‘lands’ in between. Visit www.brandonpresser.com for more on Brandon.
Celeste Brash
Celeste first arrived in Thailand as a student of Thai language, history and culture at Chiang Mai University. She’s come back many times since and has done the gamut from wild nights on Ko Phang-Ngan to weeks of silence at Wat Suanmok. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications from Travelers’ Tales books to the LA Times and Islands magazine. She’s contributed to around 30 Lonely Planet guides but her heart is irrevocably stuck on Southeast Asia. When not in exotic places, she and her family live in Portland, Oregon. Find her on the web at www.celestebrash.com.
Austin Bush
Austin Bush came to Thailand
in 1998 on a language scholarship at Chiang Mai University. The
lure of city life and a need for employment and spicy food
eventually led Austin to Bangkok. City life, employment and spicy
food have managed to keep him there since. He’s a native of Oregon
and a writer and photographer who often focuses on food; samples of
Austin’s work can be seen at www.austinbushphotography.com
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
ABN 36 005 607 983
8th edition – Jul 2012
ISBN 9781743213193
© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 2012
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