Say hello to a stranger.
Travel like it’s 1999!
Our Looney Planet is here to revive the magic of “analog travel” and the human skills that come with it.
30 years ago, Ian Wright & Justine Shapiro, the original hosts of the travel series Lonely Planet / Globe Trekker backpacked through more than 100 countries before the smartphone. No way to phone home. No GPS. No Google Translate. They appeared on-camera unscripted and often unshowered, their curiosity and intrepid spirits attracted 10s of millions of viewers across the globe.
They navigated with 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.
So buckle up as the Mulder and Scully of pre-digital travel reacquaint us with the joy, challenges and rewards that come with making friends with the unknown.
Taa Daaaaa !! Season 2 launches in late September!
Six video podcast episodes and one new video series.
Analog travel skills are in play in Season 2 where we talk to strangers, navigate without a script, listen to people whose lives are different from ours, and allow curiosity and respect to lead the way.
Our Looney Planet presents: Hello Stranger (3 episodes)
Ian & Justine chat with a stranger. No briefing, no bio — Ian & Justine know one thing about their guest: the city they live in. The conversation starts from zero, the way it does when you find yourself sitting next to a stranger on a bus, or a train, in the bleachers, or on a plane.
Our Looney Planet presents: Hello Globe Trekker (3 episodes)
Ian & Justine reunite with members of the intrepid team behind the iconic 90s travel series Globe Trekker, made back in the stone age, before GPS, drones, memory cards, weather apps or smartphones. This was travel television production before it got easy, when getting the shot depended on teamwork, ingenuity, and the kindness of strangers.
Personal Geographies:
We hand the camera to a local who takes us through their city in their own voice — chatting with strangers, meeting up with friends, steering us to favorite spots no guide book knows about. One city, seen from the inside.
Participate
We want your stories. We really really do. Click that PARTICIPATE button above. We're all a little Loonie around here, and honestly… your stories are as good as ours.
Our Current 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.
Ian, never one to stay still for long, went on to host a string of raucous, irreverent travel shows that felt tailor-made for his infectious energy. Between adventures he retreated to his studio in Norfolk, England, where a lifelong devotion to drawing, painting, sewing, and making has remained his quiet constant — a creative anchor through decades of wandering.
Justine embraced motherhood, raising her son while channeling her curiosity about the world into documentary filmmaking. Her films include Promises — an intimate portrait of Palestinian and Jewish children navigating life in Israel and the West Bank — earned an Academy Award nomination and won two Emmy Awards and continues to be the most widely used documentary film in classrooms and think tanks on the subject of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
And then, as life tends to do, the years filled up with everything in between — the extraordinary and the mundane, adventures and misadventures, setbacks, joy and the quieter weight of loss and change. In 2025 Ian and Justine reunited to launch Our Looney Planet. Yes, there is life after Globe Trekker . A lot of it.
