When I heard about this book, my first thought about ‘why we travel’ was a handful of single, rather presumptuous and judgemental words to summarise the obvious reasons – meeting and experiencing different cultures etc. All the usual ones. But as the book in front of me was a reasonably hefty tome, I was intrigued to see where it would take me and discover more .
Rather than chapters per se, the book is divided into 12 different ‘motivations’. Ash Bhardwaj walks the reader through these, as he takes us from the first moment when travel touched his life to today, journeying around the world in the process.
Motivations not reasons
Rather than reasons, Why We Travel is more about our motivations for travel. Not simply another travelogue, here travel is used more as a vehicle to illustrate ‘why’ we travel on a more considered and cerebral level.
The travel bug first bit Ash thanks to the enthusiasm of his mother. This sparked the book’s first motivation – Curiosity. Moving through his fascinating life, as he charts the journey from school boy to travel writer and further. The author discusses the other travel motivations – Inspiration, Happiness, Mentorship, Serendipity, Hardship, Service, Empathy, Healing, Wonder, Eroticism and Hope.
It’s a collection of the unexpected; twists and turns in a natural storyteller’s life connected with his travels. Woven together with experiences in different destinations, it’s a refreshingly personal story, at times deeply personal, but also highly thought-provoking.
I found myself wondering and keenly anticipating where the next chapter, the next motivation, would take me. As someone well-travelled, I could identify with many of these, but Ash’s thought process takes them to a different, sometimes higher, level. Even if you are new to travel, there is plenty here to make you think.
A travelogue of life
The travels take us to New Zealand, India, Estonia, Egypt and Sudan, Uganda, Japan and further; walking, hiking, skiing, flying. Even into space, metaphorically. But the book uses these destinations as a framework to discuss why we travel on a deeper level.
Thought provoking and insightful
The last chapter sealed this as a must read for me. And I think for anyone who loves travel and loves life. The motivation for this one is Hope. I confess it had me both in tears and lifted. In it, Ash takes us through marrying his partner, losing his mother and a return to where the travel all began with his daughter. Having lost my mother in recent years this chapter really moved me, hence the tears. But also being a father, it was simply a beautiful way to end such an unusual, thought-provoking read.
Intrigued? You should be so take the time to read this. You won’t be disappointed.
Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj, published by Bedford Square, is out in paperback on 8th May 2025 for £12.99.
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