It is the 40th birthdayanniversary for Lonely Planet. And to celebrate the occasion, Lonely Planet has set forth two of its travel writers, in a MINI Cooper D Clubman to cover an epic journey of 10.000 miles across Asia, Europe and Australasia. The first leg of the epic covers London to Istanbul. Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the co-founderspublishedtheir first guidebook in 1973 and it was titled – Across Asia on the Cheap and also began theirtripin a classic Minivan that they rode in 1972from London to Kabul with a maximum speed of 70mph. And they had paid just £60.

 After four decades

The Lonely Planet team will be riding in a 2013 MINI Cooper D Clubman. The model runs on a 1.6 liter engine and carries an optimum speed of 122mph and a fuel consumption of 72mpg. This is really an exciting moment for the Lonely Planet. After four decades, they are still seeking some of the most original and exciting experiences on the road. The topography of the world has changed a lot over the past 40 years. New technology has come, the transport links have improved and new borders are opening up.

The 21st century journey reflectstrail blazing spirit of the first trip made by Tony and Maureen, almost forty years ago. The trip will of course make use of innovative technologies and will be documented in videos and magazines, photos, blog entries and social media sites etc. The team sure is very excited to see how the trip turns out and finds it a true way to rejoice the legacy of Lonely Planet.