Our Looney Planet

About Our Looney Planet

Travel Like It’s 1999. Remember when getting somewhere meant unfolding a map, asking for directions, improvising, and relying on the kindness of strangers? Our Looney World celebrates the skills travel once required: curiosity, adaptability, and the desire to step outside our comfort zone. This podcast is hosted by Ian Wright and Justine Shapiro, the original hosts of the landmark travel series Lonely Planet (aka Globe Trekker and Pilot Guides). On this channel: Hello Stranger: Ian or Justine is paired with someone they know nothing about. Fancy being a stranger? Go to ourlooneyworld.com (https://www.ourlooneyworld.com/participate) and Participate. Hello Again Globe Trekker: Behind-the-scenes stories from the team that made the legendary series, with footage from the original archives. A project of MATLANA MEDIA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

With Ian & Justine

Category

society & culture · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Oct 2025

Latest episode

26 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 8 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   26 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Hello Again, Globe Trekker | Risky Business with Angela Gourley

   Host Ian Cross and Justine interview Angela Gourley, former Globe Trekker director, about the risky adventures and evolution of travel television.

2. 

   19 Mar 2026

   Ian & Justine| Life after Globe Trekker

   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 #globetrekker . 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 #westbank — earned an #academyaward nomination and won two #emmyawards 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 #globetrekker . A lot of it. #lonelyplanet #lonelyplanetindia #DiscoveryChannel #TravelChannel #PlanetaSolitario #pilotguides #promises #israel #palestine Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   29 Jan 2026

   Ian and Justine| How we got the best job in the world| Part 1

   Want more Our Looney Planet? Join us on Kickstarter to make Season 2 a reality! http://tinyurl.com/OLPseason2 (http://tinyurl.com/OLPseason2) Thought you knew Ian and Justine? Think again. In this episode, our dynamic duo reveal all - about themselves and the unlikely journeys that led them to hosting one of the most amazing travel shows ever. Their story is full of highs, lows and bizarre sliding door moments. And the best thing about it is, it’s all true. In this episode we take you back to 1994 where Pilot Films in London is launching a ground-breaking new travel series, and thousands of hopefuls are mailing in their audition tapes. Buried in the towering stack of VHS cassettes are Ian and Justine's audition tapes. Learn why Ian and Justine were chosen. Would you have chosen them? Watch their audition tapes and decide for yourself. Want to see the second part of this Season Finale early? Head to our Kickstarter and scroll through the rewards! http://tinyurl.com/OLPseason2 (http://tinyurl.com/OLPseason2) Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   8 Jan 2026

   Ian & Justine | Volcanoes

   In this episode Ian and Justine discuss some of the world’s mightiest and most spectacular forces of nature - Volcanoes! Join them as they ponder the awe inspiring, and often terrifying majesty of these earthly titans, and re-live their own journeys to the greatest sound and light shows our looney planet has to offer. It’s guaranteed to be a blast. Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   18 Dec 2025

   CUBA

   In Episode 4, Ian and Justine travel to Cuba—a country now nearly impossible for U.S. citizens to visit due to strict travel restrictions. Despite the barriers, Our Looney Planet takes you there. Join Ian and Justine for a lively, intimate conversation with Cuban journalist Liz Oliva Fernández, whose stories and documentary footage lead us far off the beaten path and deep into one of the world’s most authentic, resilient, and remarkably preserved cultures. Together, Liz, Ian, and Justine unpack what Cuba is really like today in a conversation that swings effortlessly from the serious to the giggle-inducing, enriched by striking archival footage from Ian’s Globe Trekker Cuba episode, filmed back in 1995. And if Cuba ever needs a British ambassador, Ian Wright is clearly ready for the post. Barely able to stay seated, his enthusiasm for the island is utterly unbridled. Having traveled to Cuba many times for both work and pleasure, Ian joins Liz in transporting us from Cuba’s extraordinary history straight into its vibrant, complicated present. Liz Oliva Fernández is a Cuban producer and journalist, and the host of the award-winning documentary series Belly of the Beast: The War Against Cuba, for which she received a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media in Hollywood. She has also hosted the documentaries Uphill on the Hill and Hardliner on the Hudson. Throughout her career, she has interviewed figures such as Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alice Walker, Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez, U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs, U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, and Elián González. In addition, Liz has appeared on programs including Democracy Now!, CBS Miami, and BBC News. She has also conducted numerous speaking tours across the United States, delivering lectures and screening her documentaries at venues such as MIT, Stanford University, the University of Minnesota, Howard University, UCLA, Trinity Church in Chicago, and La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, among others. News Footage courtesy of Belly of the Beast www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com Join this channel to support Our Looney Planet with Ian and Justine Social media links: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ourlooneyplanet/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@ourlooneyplanet Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581112103160 Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   28 Nov 2025

   Would you eat that?

   In this delicious episode, Bobby Chinn - chef, restauranteur, and global tv food expert joins Ian and Justine to discuss? Food of course, and not just any food, but those unique and protein rich dishes that Globe Trekker loved so much. As our intrepid duo relive their most challenging mouthfuls, Bobby reveals the history and meaning behind some of the world’s most traditional dishes. So, dig in. It’s going to be truly scrumptious! In this delicious episode, Bobby Chinn - chef, restauranteur, and global tv food expert joins Ian and Justine to discuss? Food of course, and not just any food, but those unique and protein rich dishes that Globe Trekker loved so much. As our intrepid duo relive their most challenging mouthfuls, Bobby reveals the history and meaning behind some of the world’s most traditional dishes. So, dig in. It’s going to be truly scrumptious! “I accidentally became a chef, but I was born a traveller.” Bobby Chinn Guest: Chef Bobby Chinn is a true citizen of the world and his nomadic life journey has so far taken him from New Zealand to the Middle East via the UK, the US and South East Asia. With every new country he discovered a new culinary adventure, while at home his Sino-Egyptian heritage provided a deeper foundation for his interest in, and eventual passion for, all things ‘food’. Over the last decade, Bobby has established himself as a mainstay of the global food-channel networks including Discovery TLC, MBC, Globe Trekker, Food Network, CNN, BBC, Channel 4 UK and UKTV, and in addition to World Café he has solo hosted Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia, Detox and Restaurant Bobby Chinn, for which he was nominated for ‘Best Reality Show - Executive Producer’ (Asia Television Awards, 2012). As an expert on Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, he has been regularly featured as a Guest Chef on Globe Trekker Food Hour, Saturday Kitchen, Full on Food, Sunday Brunch, Great Food Live, The Martha Stewart Show, The Big Eat, Bizarre Foods, and No Reservations. Bobby has worked alongside some of the world’s leading TV food personalities including Keith Floyd, Martha Stewart, Anthony Bourdain, Antony Worrall Thompson and Andrew Zimmern, and he is now a tenured expert judge on ‘Top Chef Middle East’, one of MBC’s highest rated programmes and the most popular culinary show across the Middle East and North Africa. Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   6 Nov 2025

   The Hitchhiker's Guide to Globe Trekker

   In episode 2, Globe Trekker veterans Ian and Justine swap stories and weigh up the pros and cons of one of their favourite modes of transport - hitchhiking! Hear why, in spite of some hair-raising tales, our fearless duo are convinced there is no better way to soak up a culture and experience the joys and challenges of spontaneous travel. Get ready to ‘embrace the discomfort’ and enjoy the bumpy ride… and find out why that familiar thumbs up gesture may not get you the lift you’d hoped for. Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   16 Oct 2025

   Globe Trekker fans unite!

   In Episode 1, longtime hosts of the TV travel series Globe Trekker / Lonely Planet reunite. Ian, Justine and Megan meet after 20 years to talk about what it was like to have the most amazing job in the world. Their conversation ranges from how they got the job that changed their lives, to monkey bites, to near-death experiences, to unexpectedly spicy chili, and to the Bollywood star Jackie Shroff. Making Our Looney Planet a little less lonely, one video podcast at a time. (yes, we see the irony.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Inside a recent episode

Hello Again, Globe Trekker | Risky Business with Angela Gourley

Published 26 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So you're constructing a story and the poorer directors didn't think about that. And there was no story. They just shot everything that moved. And then it was really boring. And some producers didn't understand fully, and I had to explain to them, but they thought it was, oh, just do what you want. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

37 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Contact Our Looney Planet

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

• 

  Fresh Air

• 

  Empire

• 

  The Rest Is Entertainment

• 

  The Book Club

• 

  This American Life

Questions about Our Looney Planet