12 reasons we travel and what they reveal about Happiness, Curiosity, Healing, and the Human Spirit

Selected as the Independent's Best Travel book, Why We Travel asks why humans yearn to travel, what motivates us and what we can gain from venturing out into the world.

INDEPENDENT BEST TRAVEL BOOK OF 2024

Good Housekeeping Travel Book of the Month

A LoveReading Best Book of 2024

Smithsonian Magazine Top Ten Best Travel Books 2024

‘Travel at its best - life enhancing’ Bear Grylls

'Ash is a great storyteller, whose book weaves together adventure, big ideas and inspirational tales from around the world.' Levison Wood

'A beautiful, insightful and thought-provoking book with the power to change how you see travel - and life'. Pip Stewart

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.

It threads together reflective memoir, evocative travelogue, research, conversation, advice and big ideas. Some of the travels are epic adventures; others are closer to home; and some are journeys of internal exploration.

Each journey is a window into one of 12 motivations for travel: Curiosity, Inspiration, Happiness, Creativity, Serendipity, Hardship, Service, Healing, Wonder, Empathy, Eroticism, and Hope. By unpacking these motivations, and digging into the science of where they come from, this book asks how travel intersects with the rest of our lives, answering key questions such as:

Why do we travel? How do we do it better? Can it help us to live more fulfilling lives?

Why We Travel will give you a fascinating insight into where your motivations come from and inspire you to think about travel from a new and exciting perspective.