How a King’s master’s took an award-winning travel writer in unexpected directions

Ash Bhardwaj is an acclaimed travel writer, journalist, and keynote speaker, whose creative talents and curiosity have taken him all across the world. In 2022, Ash’s love of learning led him back to education and King’s, where the inspiration behind his best-selling book, ‘Why We Travel: A Journey into Human Motivation’, was born. 

Taking the road less travelled

‘My career has taken me down many paths, from journalism and TV production to the military. Though I’ve worked for several prestigious organisations, I have always wanted to return to study. I wanted to stretch myself intellectually, develop new ways of thinking, and ground my applied and practical skills in some theory.’

A learning curve at King’s

‘I chose the MA in Strategic Communications after chatting to people who had done the course. The International Relations aspect interested me, but I was particularly excited to explore the roles of myth, storytelling and empathy, and how these play a role in influencing people.’

‘From the very first lecture, I was struck by the breadth of experience amongst the staff and my peers. I also found ways to tailor my interests and areas of expertise to the assignments.’

‘Having travelled through Russia and Ukraine three years previously, I chose to apply my study to that region. This became tragically pertinent partway through the course, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.’

From dissertations to documentaries

‘My dissertation was on Ukrainian strategic communications towards the UK. This became the source material for a documentary on BBC Radio 4, which I produced and presented. I interviewed one of my lecturers for the programme, and my links with King's helped me gain access to several other contributors. This included Ukrainian alumni who had taken the same course as me.’

‘The course made me reflect more deeply on human motivations, and how they can be influenced by our encounters and experiences. As a travel journalist, I have often researched the impact of tourism, questioning how we can encourage people to travel in a more ethical and less damaging way, whilst also making the experience of travel fulfilling. Towards the end of my course, I put these ideas into a proposal for a book.’

Bringing the book to life

‘Why We Travel: A Journey into Human Motivation is a blend of travelogue, memoir, smart-thinking and advice, which explores three questions; Why do we travel? How can we do it better? How can travel lead to a more fulfilling life?

Whilst I had plenty of writing experience as a journalist, my master’s helped to refine my approach to research and analysis, and I brought plenty of the concepts from my course into the book.’

Why We Travel is out now, available in hardback for £20 from Bedford Publishers.

Intrigued by Ash’s story? Find out more about King’s Strategic Communications MA course and apply today.