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.

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

Help Us Turn to Each Other

MATLANA MEDIA, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit behind Our Looney Planet, creates and distributes entertainment that inspires us to turn to each other—and to ourselves—before turning to technology. Our aim is to revive the human skills that travel once required: common sense, improvisation, adaptability, curiosity, creativity, courage—and the willingness to turn to a stranger and ask for help.

Ian and Justine recording a podcast

Listen To Our Latest Episode