The old chestnut of the Internet killing the guidebook has probably been done to death by now, so I’m not really going to head down that path. Although I do have a few things to say about the end of an era over at Lonely Planet and how the guidebook has evolved and will continue to evolve in the coming years. In case you didn’t already know, Lonely Planet is now 100% owned by the BBC (although they’ve had full control of the company for the past 4 years), with the Wheelers selling their remaining 25% share a couple of weeks ago, back in mid February.
As a long suffering Dromomaniac, I feel the beloved guidebook (or in days gone by often referred to as just, ‘The Book’) has played a big part in my life.
Our bookshelves at home are literally filled to the brim with old guide and phrasebooks of the Lonely Planet brand. At times I feel Liza and I have a larger travel section than many small bookstores.
Whilst writing this article I though I may as well do a count on just how many Lonely Planet titles we actually posses at this current time. I was staggered to find that Liza and I currently have 54 Lonely Planet guidebooks gathering dust on our bookshelf.
A Personal Library of Lonely Planets Guide Books
The cost of these guidebooks (a few of which photographed above) have cost us a total of $1,324.00, and if you take into account inflation (some are nearing 20 years old), and also add in the books that we have either leant out, or ditched along the way due to weight constraints. We’ve probably donated somewhere in the vicinity of $2,000, to Tony and Maureen’s retirement fund.
Over the years I’ve almost always traveled with the Lonely Planet brand, but on occasions have also used couple of other different publishers. From the 1990 edition of the ‘Lets Go USA’, (the Let’s Go guidebooks were the original travel guide. Yes even before our beloved Lonely Planet), to the ‘India Handbook’ that Liza and I used during our trip through India many years ago.
However it’s always been Lonely Planet that I’ve felt most comfortable with, and is always the first book I’ve picked before heading to a new destination. As the Lonely Planet empire grows, I’ve seen the brand change dramatically over the last couple of decades. What used to be purely for the grungy backpacker or overlander, the books have now inevitably become mainstream and cover all facets of travel.
Some Lonely Planet Editions Will Be Forever Remembered
Over the years there have been many Lonely Planet editions that have their own unique history. From the South East Asian edition that has been blamed by some for the so called ‘Banana Pancake Trail’ throughout region, to the Africa on a Shoestring edition that was banned in the country of Malawi, after writer Geoff Crowther gave a bit of a spray to the incumbent President Banda.
A picture of Tony and Maureen Wheeler taken in 2008. Image credited to Rico Shen
Since the Wheelers sold their initial 75% stake in the company back in 2007, the BBC has taken Lonely Planet down a new road, and has began to bring the company into the digital era.
This change was definitely warranted, with the Internet covering many far reaching places on the globe, with its free flowing and easily accessible information.
Sooner or later the old fashioned paper guidebook will become instantly outdated (to be quite honest we’re nearly at that point now), and therefore less and less relevant to the modern traveler.
I do wonder where the company is now headed with their downloadable PDF versions, and of course their mobile applications. Lonely Planet seemed to come out of the blocks early with these new technologies, but in my view have now somewhat stalled with their development.
Where To From Here For Lonely Planet?
Things are moving so fast, that in the not to distant future Lonely Planet may loose control of the lion’s share of this new technology based guide book market. As the many small start-ups producing very specific online or application style guidebooks begin to gain in popularity.
Some are of the believe that the control Lonely Planet has had over the industry is akin to Microsoft in the early to mid nineties, but as we’ve seen with Microsoft. Monopolies in the world of technology don’t stay on top forever, and if your not moving forward, then you’re going backwards. Microsoft is now seen to be playing catch up with the likes of Google, Apple and Facebook.
My personal view is that over the coming years, Lonely Planet will loose a great deal of its influence and domination over the guide book industry. This will come about due to the vast number of smaller startups, that will fracture this market into specialty publications in the form of applications on smart phones and iPad like devices, that will be tailored to the individual travelers need. Last but not least, we can’t forget about the humble travel blog having a bit to say about the future of guide books. With many people following blogs on destinations they are soon to visit.
Your Thoughts and Comments?
As the Wheelers leave the industry (very wealthy I might add), I say thank you for the service you have provided over the years. To others reading this post, what do you believe will be the outcome of the industry? Do you have a small library of guidebooks gathering dust such as ours? Or do you think I’m wrong, and that Lonely Planet will continue its domination of the market?
