Why We Travel

(Paperback)

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INDEPENDENT BEST TRAVEL BOOK OF 2024

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING TRAVEL BOOK OF THE MONTH

Travel at its best - life enhancing Bear Grylls

'Ash is a great storyteller, whose book weaves together adventure, big ideas and inspirational tales from around the world.' Levison Wood

'A beautiful, insightful and thought-provoking book with the power to change how you see travel - and life'. Pip Stewart

Why We Travel is a smart-thinking travel book, which uses travel as a window into human motivations. It explores what we can gain from venturing out into the world.

It threads together reflective memoir, evocative travelogue, research, conversation, advice and big ideas. Some of the travels are epic adventures; others are closer to home; and some are journeys of internal exploration.

Each journey is a window into one of 12 motivations for travel: Curiosity, Inspiration, Happiness, Creativity, Serendipity, Hardship, Service, Healing, Wonder, Empathy, Eroticism, and Hope. By unpacking these motivations, and digging into the science of where they come from, this book asks how travel intersects with the rest of our lives, answering key questions such as:

Why do we travel How do we do it better Can it help us to live more fulfilling lives

Why We Travel will give you a fascinating insight into where your motivations come from and inspire you to think about travel from a new and exciting perspective.

Reviews

'Ash is a great storyteller, whose book weaves together adventure, big ideas and inspirational tales from around the world. A must for any smart-thinking traveller.'

-- Levison Wood

What a story! . . . We dont often hear about the long and rocky road that separates a journalists dream from readers and listeners. Why We Travel will inspire and help others who would like to share their passion for discovery. Its personal, adventurous and shines with curiosity

-- Nicholas Crane

'It's a rare but important thing for us to reflect on how our motivations for wanderlust intersect with the rest of our lives'

-- Alastair Humphreys

'If you like travel you must read this! A beautiful, insightful and thought-provoking book with the power to change how you see travel - and life. Ash is a thought-leader in the travel space and its not hard to see why. Simply brilliant.'

-- Pip Stewart

'Why We Travel is an eloquent journey, exploring the very essence of life and the motivations we have for travelling. Navigating and blending real world adventures with the landscapes of our mind. You'll find profound meaning and insights with every step of the journey, that isn't just about the destination. An excellent read.'

-- Aldo Kane

Underpinning the tales of derring-do, high adventure and reportage in this carousel of a book is a deeper tale of how travel became a profound journey of self-discovery for the author, drawing him closer to loved ones and offering a philosophy for life.

-- Jini Reddy * Wanderland *

'Ash Bhardwaj is a superlative companion. He's courageous, informed and eternally curious, but also empathetic and fully engaged with those he encounters. From the baking sands of Sudan to the virgin snows of the Alps , the political faultlines of the old Soviet Union to a soul-retrieval on the banks of the Ganges, Ash immerses us in his adventures, while taking us through the very many different motivations for travel. Why We Travel is a breathtaking tour through time and place, and I loved every second of the ride.'

-- Mike Parker * Map Addict and On the Red Hill *

'In an era when many travellers are simply keen to simply scratch off another section on a foil-backed map, its a call to action to consider the benefits of thinking about what we want to achieve from our travels' Tamara Hinson, Independent

Author Bio

One of the UK's leading travel journalists, Ash Bhardwaj is a travel writer, filmmaker and broadcaster who explores the world with curiosity, excitement and a sense of adventure. He has written for the Daily Telegraph, The Times, Huffington Post and the Evening Standard, and has produced travel programmes for Channel 4 and the BBC. He recently co-presented Expedition Borderlands with Levison Wood for Discovery+, which followed their travels through the diverse border of India and Pakistan. Before travel writing, Bhardwaj was also a cowboy in Australia, a rugby player in New Zealand and a ski instructor in Switzerland. Why We Travel is his debut book.