Ash Bhardwaj – Stanfords Blog

Travis Elborough Writers’ Journeys// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Some truly remarkable works of literature have been inspired by writers spending time travelling. From epic road trips and arduous treks into remote territories, to cultural tours and sojourns in the finest hotels, author Travis Elborough explores 35 influential journeys taken by literary greats and reveals the repercussions of those travels on the authors’ personal lives and the broader literary landscape. Travis talks to Ash Bhardwaj, exploring some of the great minds and great books that have been inspired by some of remarkable travels.

Why We Travel with Phoebe Smith & Ash Bhardwaj// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

What are the benefits of travelling, and why do so many of us feel compelled to do it? Ash Bhardwaj, author of Why We Travel, is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, whose work explores the intersection of travel, current affairs and human behaviour. Phoebe Smith is an award-winning adventurer, presenter, broadcaster, author and photographer. She hosts the Wander Woman Podcast and is Sleep Storyteller-in-Residence at Calm.com.

Together they talk to Ann Morgan about the transformative power of travel.

This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Olympia, London on 31 January 2025.

Author Event: The Fun in Life and Travel with Ben Aitken and Ash Bhardwaj

Last night we hosted a wonderful conversation with travel writers Ben Aitken and Ash Bhardwaj where they talked about their latest books Here Comes the Fun and Why We Travel. They spoke about discovering the connections between our need for fun and our desire for travel, and exploring how a bit more of each can enrich our lives and boost our wellbeing – without breaking the bank or the planet.

Book Launch: Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj

Last week we hosted the launch of Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj.

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.

Can we travel better?

We spend more on travel than on any other leisure activity. But Ash Bhardwaj believes that we can make travel more fulfilling by thinking about our motivations for doing it. He explores this in his book, Why We Travel, through a blend of travelogue, memoir, research, and advice.

Because of my work, people often ask me for travel recommendations. But as I wrote and researched Why We Travel, I realised that destinations are the wrong place to start our travel-plans, because different places suit different motivations at different times.