Ash Bhardwaj is a travel writer and filmmaker from Britain, who tells stories of adventure, history and current affairs. He is a Telegraph Travel columnist, and the co-founder and presenter of The First Mile podcast. He has reported for the BBC World Service and Radio 4; written for publications including British GQ, The Sunday Times, and Wanderlust; and his films have appeared on BBC, Channel 4, Discovery, and National Geographic. In his free time, Ash is an officer in the British Army Reserve, and volunteers with young people from non-privileged backgrounds, coaching them the skills that they need to build a career in media.
How did you get started traveling?
When I was 16, my school was planning a two-week rugby tour to Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands. My mum had travelled to New Zealand in the 1970s, and she told me that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which I just had to take. We lived in social housing, and Mum worked an additional job as a cleaner to pay for my ticket. In return, I had to learn how to play rugby, so that I could get on the team.
During the tour, we stayed with the families of the boys that we played against. It was much better than being in hotels, and gave me an insight into cultures that seemed British on the surface, but were actually quite different. That sense of the strange was exhilarating, and addictive: after school, I solo-backpacked around India; I then lived abroad for five years after university.
How did you get started writing?
I wrote sci-fi stories as a kid, then studied Philosophy at university, which reignited my passion for writing. Whilst traveling, I sent emails to my friends back home, and tried to make them as entertaining as possible. My friends asked for more, so I guess I had encouraging critics. Then I slowly built up a portfolio through my blog and writing for websites.
What do you consider your first “break” as a writer?
My first paid commission in print. In 2012, I was working at a travel event, and got chatting to Nicholas Crane, a presenter and travel author whom I admire. I told Nick about my upcoming trip to India (to immerse my father’s ashes in the River Ganges) and he introduced me to Michael Kerr, who was the deputy editor of travel at The Telegraph. Mike read my portfolio of work and asked me to write a piece for the paper.
As a traveler and fact/story gatherer, what is your biggest challenge on the road?
Being in the moment, whilst also documenting my travels. In 2018, I spent six months traveling the Russia-Europe border: filming, recording audio and writing notes; whilst also setting up contacts, research and accommodation for the next stage. It was overwhelming. So, for the second stage, I reduced the filming and social media, and became more flexible with the route.
The balance is tricky, but I think that I’m getting better at it.
What is your biggest challenge in the research and writing process?
There’s an overwhelming amount of digital material out there, so I try to focus on primary research. I’ve found it increasingly important to start my research with books by authors from the place that I am writing about, rather than books by British authors about that place – that helps to avoid groupthink, and also opens my eyes to things that are hard to notice or feel as a visitor.
When writing, I work out the overall theme of a piece before I start, and try to summarize the story in a single sentence. That way the events and activities of the story have meaning, instead of it reading like a travel diary.
What is your biggest challenge from a business standpoint?
Freelancers need multiple commissions from each trip to earn enough to live on, which requires relationships across many publications. That can be tricky if you didn’t go to the same schools or universities as commissioners, but social media and events have democratized editorial access.
Have you ever done other work to make ends meet?
Absolutely, and I still do. I came into travel-writing whilst working as a waiter and ski-instructor, so I have always viewed it as a way to enrich my life, rather than as a way to make money. Income diversity allows me to feel less restricted in my travel projects.
After working in TV, I founded a video production company to make educational and marketing videos; now I create branded content on my travels.
I am also an officer in the British Army Reserve and was mobilized for the government’s Covid-19 response. It was great to have both purpose and income at the height of the pandemic.
What travel authors or books might you recommend and/or have influenced you?
Science fiction and fantasy were my first window into other worlds (I like to think of Lord of the Rings as a travel book about Middle Earth), and I like Bill Bryson’s mixture of curiosity and irritation. William Dalrymple’s work on India is fantastic, and Norman Lewis’s A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush made arduous travel sound exciting.
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta showed me the value of books written by local authors, and Monisha Rajesh’s books shaped my thinking on the importance of diversity in travel writing, by highlighting how women and people of color have different travel experiences to white men.
Kapka Kassabova’s Border opened my eyes to the intersection of place and identity. It gave me a vital frame of reference when I travelled along the Russia-Europe border, and helped me overcome my own prejudices and preconceptions.
What advice and/or warnings would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing?
- Write for free for a long time before trying to earn money from it. Make sure you really love it.
- Don’t depend on it financially. Always have other skills that you can pay your rent with.
- Find a niche or topic that excites you. Work out how you can uniquely contribute, in a way that is different to every other travel writer. This helps you build expertise in a specific area, and develop a USP.
- Do as much in-person as possible. Ask people to go for a coffee. Say hello to people at events. You will enjoy those interactions, and sometimes they open unexpected doors. Maintain relationships with the people that you have worked with.
What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?
The way that people open up when they discover that I am interested in them and their stories. Writing encourages me to explore topics and ask questions that a tourist wouldn’t think of. I get incredible access as a travel journalist, and people share their lives and in a truly humbling way.
It has also taught me gratitude: I’ve visited places with no freedom of expression, where justice is non-existent, where there is no state support, and where violence is ever-present. It is easy to be hyperbolic about the political failings of Britain, but travel helps to put things into context.
On the other hand, travel has also shown me what is possible, and how much work we still have to do in challenging vested interests, inequality, and environmental destruction.
Finally, travel writing developed my sense of curiosity and taught me to notice the wonder of my own country: I spot regional quirks, and have become more aware of the changing seasons; I think about how history has shaped British culture; and I wonder about the different regions and the people that live there.
So, through travel, I have come to cherish and enjoy home much more than if I had never left it.
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