Brandwave

Lonely Planet vs Rick Steves:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Lonely Planet had more branded searches than Rick Steves among travel guide platforms worldwide. Lonely Planet had about 110,000 branded searches, while Rick Steves had 90,500. Lonely Planet made up 2.1% of all travel guide platform searches we track, and Rick Steves accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about travel guide platforms, Lonely Planet appeared in all five answers and Rick Steves in three. Lonely Planet was mentioned before Rick Steves in four out of five answers.

Among travel guide platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Lonely Planet, about 22% more searches than Rick Steves

Lonely Planet 110K searchesRick Steves 90.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Lonely Planet, mentioned in every answer we collected

Lonely Planet in 5 of 5Rick Steves in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Lonely Planet, named ahead of Rick Steves in 4 of 5 answers

Lonely Planet first in 4Rick Steves first in 1

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Top travel guide platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Lonely Planet appeared in all five answers. Rick Steves was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Lonely Planet was listed before Rick Steves in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Lonely Planet1st
  2. Wanderlog2nd
  3. Rick Steves3rd
  4. Tripadvisor4th
  5. Atlas Obscura4th
  6. Culture Trip6th
  7. Rome2Rio7th
  8. Time Out8th
  9. Wikivoyage–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Lonely Planet5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wanderlog3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rick Steves3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tripadvisor2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rome2Rio2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Atlas Obscura2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Time Out1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Culture Trip1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wikivoyage0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about travel guide platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Lonely Planet or Rick Steves more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Lonely Planet and Rick Steves by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine travel guide platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Lonely Planet and Rick Steves among travel guide platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Lonely Planet, Rick Steves. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTripadvisorRome2RioTime OutWanderlogLonely PlanetAtlas ObscuraRick StevesWikivoyageCulture Trip
Oct 202577.5%8.5%3.8%3.1%2.6%2.1%2.1%0.28%0.08%
Nov 202577%8.5%3.8%3.1%3.1%2.1%2.1%0.28%0.07%
Dec 202575.5%8.3%4.5%3.7%3%2%2.5%0.33%0.07%
Jan 202676.5%8.4%4.6%3.8%2.5%1.7%2.1%0.34%0.07%
Feb 202677.5%8.5%3.8%3.8%2.6%1.7%1.7%0.34%0.07%
Mar 202672.4%9.7%3.6%5.3%4.4%1.9%2.4%0.21%0.06%
Apr 202674.8%10.1%3.7%4.5%3%1.7%2%0.22%0.07%
May 202680.1%7.2%3.2%3.9%1.8%1.8%1.8%0.24%0.06%
Jun 202681.2%7.3%3.3%3.3%1.5%1.8%1.5%0.2%0.05%
Jul 202680.6%7.3%3.2%3.2%1.8%1.8%1.8%0.24%0.05%
Aug 202680.4%7.2%3.2%4%1.5%1.8%1.8%0.19%0.05%
Sep 202677.8%7%4.7%4.7%2.1%1.7%1.7%0.28%0.06%

How has the Lonely Planet and Rick Steves comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Rick Steves took it in August 2026, Lonely Planet took it in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lonely Planet’s share of searches among travel guide platforms worldwide moved from 2.6% to 2.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 110K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Rick Steves’ share of searches among travel guide platforms worldwide moved from 2.1% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110K to 90.5K.

How did search popularity change for travel guide platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Lonely Planet overtook Atlas Obscura and Rick Steves to rank 5th among travel guide platforms worldwide, with 2.1% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Rick Steves worldwide fell 17.7% over 12 measured months, from 110K to 90.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Lonely Planet’s and Rick Steves’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Lonely Planet

1 branded search term

  • lonely planet

Rick Steves

1 branded search term

  • rick steves

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among travel guide platforms

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