Ash Bhardwaj

The 4th Sherborne Travel Writing Festival will soon be with us and one of the speakers will be Ash Bhardwaj, talking about his new book, Why We Travel, which really could not be more appropriate for the festival. As a very keen traveller for all of my adult life, I approached this book with considerable interest as I was keen to analyse why I still choose regularly to go on holiday to places that most others would not have on their so-called bucket list of destinations.

The thought of spending two weeks lying on a beach with a pina colada and sun cream to hand is not my idea of how I wish to spend my leisure time, although I fully appreciate that for the vast majority of those passing through our airports to far-flung and often expensive destinations that is all that they desire for their two weeks of relaxation with their families. And although I have reached a stage in my life where basic conveniences and a certain element of home comforts now feature in my selection process (e.g. a decent flushing loo), I am still keen to explore new parts of the world with different cultures, fascinating history and amazing new-to-me geography.

The author has travelled extensively for most of his life since going on a rugby tour of New Zealand while still at school. This first experience of travel gave him the expensive but valuable wanderlust bug that has enthused his years since that time. Having embraced discomfort, danger, adverse climates and aggressive wildlife in pursuit of his wanderlust, he decided to consider the reasons that drove him to do so.

He has identified twelve motivations for travel based on all the various journeys he has undertaken, and in each chapter of his book, he has considered how each motivation has driven him to travel on each adventure. These include: curiosity, inspiration, happiness, mentorship, serendipity, hardship, service, empathy, healing, wonder, eroticism and hope. Some of these, I must admit, I find difficult to relate to from my own travels.

However, I can relate to many of these, but on the whole, I always fall back on curiosity, serendipity and an inquisitive mind. Travel literature has frequently whetted my appetite to visit certain parts of the world (Curiosity), as has the convenient invitation (Serendipity) from friends who have been posted somewhere interesting, particularly if that part of the world is difficult to navigate with safety. An amazing trip on the Pamir Highway down through Tajikistan to the Afghan border was entirely serendipity at its finest, not least waking up in a bedroom 50 metres from the small river which acts as the international border.

Working with a charity that supports projects beneficial to the local population (Service) has taken me to places that most westerners do not get to visit, and witnessing some of the conditions that are alien to our experiences at home (Hardship) has widened my understanding of the world. While working with one animal charity, I found myself in the mountains of Armenia rescuing three African lions that were starving to death after their crooked oligarch owner had fled from prosecution. I think one could file this under any number of his motivations.

He also considers the differences between solo travel, group travel and travel in pursuit of matters of the heart (Eroticism). Most of my travel has been solo or with a group of others pursuing similar aims; I was not alone in the rescue of those lions, not least, I only went into their cages with a fully qualified vet plus dart gun. But I suppose travelling in pursuit of a potential partner who shares similar interests should be a fairly common motivation for many. I do recall a month in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia in the company of a young Australian couple, when it became fairly obvious to me at an early stage that they were incompatible as a couple. He told me on the last night that I was not to worry about their future together, he had only kept the relationship working so as not to jeopardise the trip. His parents went on to thank me profusely at his wedding when he eventually found the right wife who could survive the rigours of farming in the more remote parts of northern New South Wales.

My late farming neighbour and great friend was someone who refused to travel and when we met on his land, which did have some fantastic views of the Blackmore Vale, he frequently asked me why he would want to leave home when he was lucky enough to be living and working daily in such wonderful surroundings. He had a point, and I respected him too much to argue, but my thoughts were, as they would be today: And what should they know of England who only England know? (Kipling) That I suppose is the bottom line for me on why I personally travel to far distant lands.

Anyway, this is a thought-provoking book, for travellers and non-travellers alike, which I very much look forward to discussing with him when he speaks about it at the Travel Writing Festival. It could not be more relevant to all the weekend’s fascinating 12 events. See you there!