Decoding Wanderlust – The Deep Motivation and Meaning of Travel
One Planet Journey’s Valentina Pucciano meets Ash Bhardwaj, a seasoned adventure traveller and journalist, to explore the deeper motivations of wanderlust and the meaning of travel. Delve into a fascinating conversation about how we all can make a positive impact through tourism while living a fulfilling life.
Ash is the sort of guy that you’d like to bump into during one of your trips. I knew I would receive inspiring advice and insightful information from a travel writer who’s explored the world with an open mind; welcoming adventure, curiosity, and serendipity. He personifies deep travel in the way he explores a destination, connects with its people and culture, but also for his approach to personal development.
“Know thyself”, as inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in the Greek precinct of Delfi, summarises what Ash had in mind when he decided to explore the reasons behind wanderlust and the meaning of travel.
This new challenge put him in motion to comprehend what we really search for when we set off on a journey, figuring out 12 types of motivations: ‘curiosity’, ‘inspiration’, ‘happiness’, ‘mentorship’, ‘serendipity’, ‘hardship’, ‘service’, ‘empathy’, ‘healing’, ‘wonder’, ‘eroticism’ (surprise and excitement), and ‘hope’.
Why do we travel?
Most people answer this question of wanderlust with a rundown of reasons: the destination (location, country or city), the type of holiday (ski, safari, press trip), facilities (hotels, transports), and food/drinks. Besides that, they will also identify what sort of traveller they are, for example, solo travellers or backpackers.
But Ash noticed that “none of these things actually tell you anything, not what the travel is about, what they do, or how they embrace the culture.” He wants to understand what drives these choices. You can read more about it in Ash’s new fantastic book, Why We Travel.
Nowadays, companies aim to sell you holiday deals, tours, and the best restaurants to eat in.
“Travel marketing and product development have framed our concept of travel. Whereas, what lies beneath it all is our motivation.”
Understanding the motivations for wanderlust
Ash realised that if you dare to dig deeper into wanderlust and ask people more questions, you’ll see that underneath all the descriptions we assign the meaning of travel, exists a different explanation. Someone may decide to visit Venice because they read a book set in that city, therefore inspiration becomes the real reason. Another wants to see Bologna for the food, curiosity or hedonism is the driver that pushes them to take that trip. Others book holidays to spend it on the beach. Here, it is psychological healing from work-related stress that constitutes the rationale for their travels.
All these reasons can occur during the same trip. Ash shares an example:
“When I went to New Zealand, I was curious about biculturalism and why Maori culture is more predominant there compared to Australia. While visiting, I also tried different food, drank all the varieties of wines, booked activities, and scattered my mum’s ashes. A place of grief turned into a place of hope and healing.”
Understanding your motivation is the trick to a fulfilling journey. You can do many things in the same destination and have a variety of experiences in one city, but rule number 1 in travelling is to know your own reason. We need to match the journey with motivation.
Connecting with a destination
Ash’s meaning of travel depends on the motivation he is travelling with at that time, but one thing he’s sure of:
“The more you scratch beneath the surface of consumerism, the more fulfilling a travel experience you have.”
A well-known spot becomes commodified. An example is Ibiza: the first wave of mass tourism started in the 80s, now it has become a party island, but it can offer much more than that.
What makes Ash’s way of travelling most valuable is the connections he creates with people outside the tourism sector. It’s about understanding the culture, the essence of that country. You can achieve this even in the most crowded tourist spots by asking questions related to the history, the lifestyle, and how locals feel about a particular situation at that moment in time. In principle, deep travel.
“Use travel to learn more about yourself, the world, and people rather than a way to consume something based on hedonism,” as Ash puts it.
All travel marketing draws on hedonism (travel actually started with hedonistic pursuits), but thinking more carefully and connecting deeply with a destination contributes to a more fulfilling experience, without missing out on any of the 12 travel motivations.
Anti-tourism sentiment and how we can help
“We have to be careful when we look at this topic. People complain about tourism, but it has created an economy and wealth that would have been impossible without it,” Ash explains.
Ibiza, for example, depends on tourism and this has impacted the locals’ life from an economical perspective. With increasing demand, it caused competition for land, property prices went up, and the people living there mainly found work in tourism.
“I understand the resentment for middle and working-class people who do not own the property, the land, and the hotels. The only choice the destination has is to make everything more expensive so fewer tourists come, and enact regulations that reduce the number further,” Ash says.
As visitors, choosing a different place to visit can also help; for example, going to Albania, the Baltics, or Morocco as alternatives (even though in summer it is scorching). But for those ever-more crowded places like Ibiza or Venice, setting visitor caps seems to be the only option, unless they have a diversified economy.
“When a country starts to develop its tourism industry, they should look at options to ensure it’s not totally dependent on tourists,” Ash says.
For us travellers, we too have an opportunity. Even though we may not afford expensive hotels or pay high prices for a long-haul flight, we can revise our alternatives and opt for a less costly trip, or let our wanderlust take us off the beaten path.
Travel memories & Misadventures
One of the toughest questions a traveller could ever get asked is: What’s your favourite country? It ultimately sets you on a path to some cherished travel memories. Ash has a different one for each motivation. From going to New Zealand and scattering his mum’s ashes from his favourite viewpoint in the world, to “visiting Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine in 2018, meeting people there and understanding their opinions, and the empathy towards Russians. It doesn’t mean I sympathise with their reasons for invading Ukraine. I think it’s wrong, but I understood more of what’s driving them,” Ash tells us.
Despite the exciting memories a trip generates, even the most well-travelled person can face some challenging situations.
Ash remembers: “When we were in Kashmir, in the Himalayas, I got lost one evening on a hike. We took the wrong route: we tried to climb out, but there were rocks falling down. We stayed there that night – it was pretty dangerous. If a rock had moved differently, it would have hit me and that would have been quite rough.”
The memories keep coming and Ash does not stop surprising us.
“When in Belarus, I briefly got detained by the KGB. I thought, this is not good. I have a video camera in my bag, my recording equipment. If you’re looking at what’s happening today – detaining journalists or anybody for any reason, so they use them for prisoner swaps – it was a silly thing to do, but it wasn’t as dangerous as it is now.”
Inspirations for the next journey
Travellers with intense feelings of wanderlust are always on a hunt for another adventure, and Ash is no different. Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands may be next. Ash is determined to understand the tension between tourism and sustainability.
“I want to go to the Galapagos and explore the impact of tourism on a fragile environment. Can it do good or is it just a cover for making money? Are visitors protecting the Galapagos as a whole or only a tiny piece?”
The Cloud Forests in Ecuador are a perfect example of how finances coming from tourism can protect sensitive areas. The government supports initiatives such as educating local people, turning them into forest guides, as well as advancing economic opportunities for indigenous inhabitants.
If you feel inspired and drawn towards a new deep and meaningful experience, but also intimidated by making that first move, Ash offers good advice and a word of encouragement.
“If you are outside your comfort zone, you are in an area of self-development. Every bit of discomfort can lead to benefit. It doesn’t mean you need to do things that are unsafe or make you feel scared. But discomfort and doing difficult things are usually pretty good,” as Ash explains.
“It effectively gives you training wheels. The first overseas adventure I did was at the age of 17, with a rugby team. It gave me useful practice of being away from home, long distance, and the confidence to speak to people.”
Ash adds: “If you’re new to solo travel, join an organised tour. Or go to a city and sign up for a course you’re interested in. These are all excellent ways to engage with the local culture and build a safety mechanism in a group.”
Travel – a gift and a privilege
If you were to ask me about wanderlust and the meaning of travel, that question is as hard as answering what love is. I’d say it’s a driving force. It feels like a fire inside you that does not stop burning; a call that you cannot miss. Travel helped me to see how resilient I am, how I can overcome challenges, and how I inspired other people through my stories. It has become a life purpose. From the suspense of waiting for the departure date to the memories that you collect, travelling is one of the greatest privileges of all and not something to be taken for granted.
Visiting different places allows the opportunity for expanding our curiosity – and knowledge of geography – exploring hidden parts of ourselves, recognising other cultures, and understanding there is more than the reality we live in. By talking to locals who have a different life than your own, you’ll see that something that is ordinary for them may be extraordinary for you. It might sound intimidating to leave your shore, but soon you realise those experiences will enrich you in ways you wouldn’t expect. Travel is the gift that keeps on giving.
What is the meaning of travel for you? How would you describe your wanderlust? Let us know in the comment section! Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.
