Lonely Planet

Scenes from SXSW's travel meetup I hosted last Saturday in Austin, where I gave away advance copies of Lonely Planet's upcoming Women Travel Solo book (which I wrote an essay for!) on International Women's Day ?? A venue volunteer told me it was the most popular meetup that day, and though I have no way of confirming this, I'll take it! The highlight: I asked the crowd our team's favorite intro question — what's been your favorite meal while traveling? — and people took turns coming up to the mic and sharing their recs. Great conversations all around.

Feb/March 2020 Deepa, freshly laid off, could never have imagined that Feb/March 2025 Deepa would be doing a Lonely Planet photo shoot in her apartment to promote a book about solo travel (that she wrote an essay for!), flying to South Africa the next morning to cover the opening of a new zero-waste safari lodge, then coming home for a hot minute before heading out again to host SXSW's travel meetup in Austin (and give her nephew a squeeze while crashing with Pooja Lakshmin, MD). Who is this diva?! Anyway, please swing by if you're going to SXSW, because I'm irrationally nervous no one will show up: https://lnkd.in/eeZ9eE9h

This is someone's dream job, I know it. Please share and help us find that person!

just Slacked Deepa Lakshmin “me rn ??????” and, well, can you blame me? the one, the only Lonely Planet is hiring a SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER. details in the listing. good luck, travel loving smms with an eye for copy and a heart for community management ?? go go go ?? https://lnkd.in/e4CqpMRV

Travel lovers:?Lonely Planet’s annual BEST IN TRAVEL 2025 is here. 30 destinations that inspire, from travel experts who asked themselves: which places do you *have* to see next year??Read on to see all our #BestInTravel picks and start planning your own trip (or trips ?? ): https://lnkd.in/d7VnYYDj

Deepa Lakshmin and her team do amazing work and we’re looking for someone to join that passionate, creative, and talented team. Come join a world-class brand and help us continue to grow our contributer network and social profiles!

oh hey, social media managers. how's the sound of ? building online communities ? scaling a contributor network ? creating social-first video ? hanging with me and Deepa Lakshmin on slack every day ? and, oh yeah, making Webby-winning travel content for over 13 million travelers? sounds soooo good, right? lucky for you, Lonely Planet is hiring. open to remote candidates (hi!), though ideally based in NYC. apply below:

Lonely Planet's social team is growing! I'm hiring a social contributor manager to join Rachel Lewis and I in creating Webby-winning travel content for over 13 million (!!) followers. We're looking for someone who understands social channels inside and out, who's comfortable creating social-first video themselves, who's built and engaged online communities, who can scale our social contributor network, who knows the creator economy, and who's down to do the unsexy (but critical) tasks that come with running an always-on social account. Are there opportunities to travel? Yes, as long as it doesn't get in the way of your work. I've had the privilege of visiting incredible places like Kazakhstan and Botswana on the job! That said, we're on a hybrid schedule and though we're open to remote candidates, we'd prefer someone in New York City, where most of our creative team is based. Interested? Qualified?? Apply through the link. One note after looking through early applications — please submit a portfolio, and if it's password-protected, don't forget to include the password. I want to see what you can make!

True "pinch me" moment — went to Kazakhstan to cover the World Nomad Games for Lonely Planet! Sharing this video I made for our social channels about Central Asia's biggest sporting event, which is as much about preserving culture as it is about winning:

August's highlight? The Olympics! Sure, the sports were thrilling, but for me, the most moving scenes were competitors embracing each other after a game. Moments like boxer Yang Liu from China beaming with pride when her opponent, Algeria's Imane Khelif, won gold, or the men’s javelin competitors grinning in awe as Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record. Sob! Sentimental much? Yes! But these moments felt like the world coming together to celebrate human achievement and connection. It's reassuring in the era of AI to know that we're still fascinated by all the cool things other humans can do. We still crave real experiences and the shared stories that come from them. That's what travel is about, too. Connecting us to the world through the stories we gather and share. Rather than AI-generated lists, we seek tips from locals excited to share their corner of the world with us and travelers who get a kick out of letting us in on their cool finds, itineraries and advice. My teammates are still buzzing from their amazing travel experiences in August. And you know what? Summer ain’t over yet. We still have the Paralympics to look forward to. And so much more. – Sasha Brady, Digital Editor