TRAVEL LIKE IT’S 1999!
Thirty years ago, Ian Wright & Justine Shapiro— the original hosts of Lonely Planet / Globe Trekker— backpacked through more than 100 countries, appearing on camera unscripted, and often unshowered. Their intrepid spirit drew tens of millions of viewers across the globe. Their navigational tools were purely analog: common sense, paper maps, phrase books, cash, and the kindness of strangers. That dynamic wasn't a by-product of the trip. It was the trip.
Our Looney Planet is a project of Matlana Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to revive the human skills that travel once required.
For Ian & Justine, travel was never about boarding a plane— it was about taking a step toward the unfamiliar. Their video podcasts celebrate travel that embraces uncertainty, curiosity, improvisation, where the stranger isn’t incidental to the journey. The stranger is the journey.
OUR LOONEY PLANET - Season 1 ran from October 2025 - March 2026
Ian & Justine are still trekking—only now the bumpy backroads have given way to a couple of comfy chairs. The rules of travel still apply: ask, listen, have a laugh, scratch at the unfamiliar, and follow someone else's train of thought.
OUR LOONEY PLANET Season 2 launches in September!
In Season 2, Ian & Justine sit down with Globe Trekker colleagues and with total strangers—proving that a good conversation can take you anywhere, for free!
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.
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.
