Tony Wheeler is 'the trailblazing patron saint of the world's backpackers and adventure travelers'. New York Times

En route to his next destination, Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler looks at the world's biggest business: travel. An unashamed travel addict, Wheeler writes about the joys of escaping home, satiating wanderlust, and why the bird's-eye view from the window seat is best. Confronting travel's great tensions-employment, income and connection versus overcrowding and cultural damage-he comes down on the side of 'pack and go'.

A trek along Asia's 'hippie trail' in 1972 led to Tony and Maureen Wheeler creating travel publisher Lonely Planet, and to the New York Times describing him as 'the trailblazing patron saint of the world's backpackers and adventure travelers'. Wheeler has been involved with the Planet Wheeler Foundation's work on more than fifty projects in the developing world and the establishment of Melbourne's Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas.