TURNING TO OTHERS: THE MAGIC OF ANALOG TRAVEL

TRAVEL LIKE IT’S 1999!

Our Looney World is a project of Matlana Media, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to revive the human skills that help us turn to ourselves and to one another before we turn to our devices. The skills of analog travel—are the skills of being human: asking strangers for help, listening, improvising, and tolerating uncertainty. Through video podcasts, Ian & Justine model what happens when we unplug, get curious and take a small step into the unfamiliar.

30 years ago, Ian Wright & Justine Shapiro, the original hosts of the travel series Lonely Planet / Globe Trekker, backpacked through more than 100 countries appearing on camera unscripted and often unshowered, their intrepid spirits attracted tens of millions of viewers across the globe.

Their navigational tools were common sense, paper maps, phrase books, cash, and the help of strangers. That dynamic wasn't a by-product of the trip. It was the trip.

Those weren’t just travel skills. Those were human skills. And they’re worth bringing back.

Ian giving his ticket to a train conductor
Justine getting directions from a local holding a map
Ian hitchhiking
Justine using a Mandarin phrasebook

Season 1

Ian & Justine are still traveling. Bumpy backroads have given way to a couple of comfy chairs, but the essential ingredients remain: curiosity, an open mind and another human willing to share their story.

Season 2 launches in September!

In Season 2, Ian & Justine reconnect with Globe Trekker colleagues and meet total strangers. revisiting adventures from their past and discovering unexpected stories from people they’ve never met - proving what they’ve always known: a good conversation can take you just about anywhere.

Participate

We want YOUR stories. We really do! PARTICIPATE! Send us your video. We're all a little Loonie around here, and honestly… your stories are as good as ours.

Ian dressed as a monk

Our Latest Episode

Episode 6: Part 2: Life After Globe Trekker

March 19, 2026
In Episode 6, Part 1, Ian and Justine pulled back the curtain on what it was really like to have "The Best Job in the World." Now, in Part 2, Ian & Justine are back to tell us what they've been up to since hosting Globe Trekker.