TRAVEL LIKE IT’S 1999!
Reviving the magic of analog travel and the human skills that come with it.
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 around the world.
They navigated with paper maps, phrase books, cash, their wits, and the kindness of strangers. That dynamic wasn't a by-product of the trip. It was the trip.
Now they’re back with a new video podcast series called Our Looney Planet. Season 1 is streaming now on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Season 2 launches September 26, 2026.
MATLANA MEDIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reviving the human skills that travel once required—skills that a generation raised on smartphones has had fewer opportunities to build: common sense, improvisation, adaptability, curiosity, creativity, courage, and the willingness to turn to a stranger and ask for help. MATLANA MEDIA creates and distributes entertainment that demonstrates and inspires those skills.
