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Once While Travelling: The Lonely Planet Story Paperback – 26 Sep 2005

by Maureen Wheeler (Author),
Tony Wheeler (Author)
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Tony Wheeler (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews
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  1. Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story
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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Australia (26 Sept. 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0670028479
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670028474
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.2 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,093,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product description

Synopsis

Tony and Maureen Wheeler established Lonely Planet Publications in the basement of a terrace house in Sydney in 1973, to self-publish a modest travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Going boldly where no other travel publisher had ventured, their aim was to cater for a new generation of independent, budget-conscious travellers long before the advent of mass tourism. From these humble beginnings the company has grown into an international publisher with more than 400 employees, 250 writers, offices on three continents, more than 600 titles in print and annual sales of over six million books. A unique mix of autobiography, corporate history and travel book, The Lonely Planet Story traces the Wheelers' personal story as well as the development of their extraordinary successful business. It offers fascinating insights into some of the beautiful and bizarre places they have visited - with a spirit of adventure that has made them, according to New York Daily News, 'the specialists in guiding weird folks to weird places'.

Customer Reviews

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Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting material, but very laboured writing style by T Wheeler
By Ulsterman on 6 Sept. 2010
Format: Paperback
I've used LP books (i like them) and travelled quite extensively, and to be honest, this was the only reason i laboured the entire way through the book. Certainly TW is no Thoreau or Bryson, as he himself admits in this book. The style is very "lite" - "Then I did this" and "Then I did that" kind of stuff. Several times i wanted to quit this book but an interest in travel kept me turning the pages despite the dreary prose.

Borrow from the library - don't spend your own money.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA very enjoyable read
By Amazon Customer on 10 July 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
A very enjoyable read full of useful information.
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1.0 out of 5 starsPerfect for Backpackers, but ...
By Drive Easy on 1 Oct. 2007
Format: Paperback
yet again Wheeler, who started the truly awful series of Lonely Planet guidebooks, succeeds solely in blowing his own trumpet. Another Lonely Planet "book" to avoid at all costs.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) (May include reviews from Early Reviewer Rewards Program)

Amazon.com: 3.7 out of 5 stars 19 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A book about passionate travellers and old-fashioned entrepreneurship 1 Dec. 2007
By Amit Jain - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Tony and Maureen Wheeler talk about all the places they have visited so far, how they built Lonely Planet as a publishing house, and share their personal views on several topics.

The Wheelers' have travelled so widely that even the names of all the places they have been to can be tough to follow! They understandably have to rush through them. The most interesting part of the travel memoir section is the comparison between how the places were in the 70s/80s and how they are now, something the Wheelers' always point out.

Besides being a travel memoir, this is book about building a boot-strapped busines. The Wheeler's show that building a business is more than just pursuing your dreams, it is about keeping a tight leash on finances, building a good team, competing with similar and larger competitors, staying ahead on the technology curve and reacting to external changes. The chapter "All about guidebooks" is an interesting introduction to how guidebooks are produced - from writing them to getting them printed. As a business book, it is similar to the Starbucks story (Howard Schultz, "How Starbucks built a company..").

The book does not come together as a captivating story. In the first few chapters, the authors describe a chronological order, but that breas down in the later part of the book. Chapters like "All about guidebooks", though very interesting on their own, do break the flow of the story. In addition, there are topics that the authors pick up but do not do justice to (e.g. comparison with competitors is incomplete).

An interesting book overall about travel, how travel is changed over the last three decades, and the challenges of building a business even if it is your dream business.
2.0 out of 5 stars A painful read 3 Jan. 2011
By Nina N. - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
It is hard to believe that writers actually produced this text. It is so poorly written, you'd think this was a long essay written by a high schooler. I'd hate to see the earlier versions of LP books when only Tony and Maureen were doing all the writing.

And then there are pointless sentences giving us background on people who are not major actors in the book. Here is an example from the first chapter:
"We were looked upon as unwanted guests...I guess we were not the only ones she didn't like because she and Paul were eventually divorced." What's the point of telling us this exactly?

After reading this painfully bad writing, I'd have to agree with the post that picks on Tony's personality. He does not seem particularly likable. He doesn't even sound that nice to his wife--she gave up a career in social work because she feared for her marriage.

I give this 2 stars rather than 1 because some the travel stories are fun. It's nice to revisit or dream of new places when you're stuck at home.
3.0 out of 5 stars a bit boring 25 Mar. 2014
By Cherri - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
This is the story of Wheller's exciting life but it got a little boring! I expected to read more about the unusual moments behind this family's world travels, which were at a time in history, when we did not hear much about western couples doing this sort of alternative lifestyle while making a livlihood out of it.
4.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Lonely Planet Aficionados 5 Nov. 2013
By Etienne Jackson - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
When I first took a travel guide to Africa, it was a Rough Guide, as they appeared to be the market leader. All my subsequent travels through the Americas, Europe and Asia were Lonely Planet guides, as they had matured somewhat and the formatting was much more preferable. On the dust jackets of those books it always hinted as to the origins of Lonely Planet and the two backpackers who started it all with South East Asia on a Shoestring. It was thus very satisfying to have Tony and Maureen Wheeler pen this autobiography and read their remarkable story, not only of all of their travels, but of how Lonely Planet got started. It will also ring true with a lot of readers who have also done a lot of independent travelling, and you'll catch yourself laughing at the occasional comment - even the ones that may be regarded as politically incorrect. Some readers may not like the flow of the book, as rather than a concensus autobiography, where the Wheelers cojoin their comments, it sways between Maureen's perspective and Tony's. Overall though, it's a very entertaining read and if you've ever been a backpacker or relied on Lonely Planet to guide you to that guesthouse in Arequipa, then I'd recommend you read it.
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting look into an inspiring success story 21 Oct. 2012
By Paul Lawrence - Published on Amazon.com
Those looking for hilarious travel anecdotes should probably look elsewhere for this book by Tony and Maureen Wheeler is far more the nuts and bolts story of two young people scraping by year after year in order to try and make something of their dream. It could so easily have gone horribly wrong. And in fact at times it seems strange that it didn't. The book doesn't shy away from the ins and outs of business and the pair certainly learned a range of lessons the hard way. But they stuck to their guns and decades later they are multi-millionaires with a globally famous brand.

This work is mostly written by Tony who seems to be the real driving force of things past a certain point though Maureen does get a chance to chime in throughout the book. The trials and tribulations of some of the early travel will probably appeal to those who love to discover a new destination or who love to travel to out of the way places. Those with an interest in being travel writers themselves will probably get a kick out of hearing how two of the most famous travel writers of the 20th century `made it' and those who are just fans of the books and travel in general should be able to glean some enjoyment out of the work as a look behind the scenes. Like watching a `making of' feature on your a favourite movie.

Downsides are that given the subject matter some people may find this a little dry. It is not a travelogue. It is the story of the business of Lonely Planet and the trials a couple of people who for years had little cash, children and business pressures. A perusal of some of the lower star rating reviews will expand on this theme.

I enjoyed it and have noted its positives. Others have taken a more negative view but if you are interested in LP then this is a good read even if you don't like it - if that makes sense.
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