Why Do We Travel?

Brits spend more on travel than any other pastime, but our travel experiences can sometimes feel unfulfilling. After twenty years of exploring the world, the award-winning journalist and broadcaster Ash Bhardwaj wanted to know why. He interviewed anthropologists, geneticists, psychologists, astronauts and tourists to learn that it’s because we focus on what we do during travel, rather than why we leave home in the first place. 

In Why Do We Travel (The Independent Best Travel Book of 2024), Ash ventures from New Zealand to Ukraine, Sudan to Uganda, to reveal the 12 key motivations for travel and how they can lead to more satisfying and sustainable travel experiences. He looks at how stories have shaped the evolution of travel, and shares tips on how to make our travels even more fulfilling.