Ash Bhardwaj

In more recent years, his ventures have been focussed on reporting from some of the world’s most challenging locations and shining a light on the human condition through the people he meets and places he visits. Ash’s assignments have included traversing Everest with wounded British soldiers, trekking through the Albanian Alps retracing WWII SOE missions, and meeting the Area Boys of Lagos in Nigeria.

He has also embarked on deeply personal pilgrimages, including carrying his father’s ashes to the source of the River Ganges. Ash’s 3,500-mile journey along the new Iron Curtain was the subject of a six-part Telegraph podcast Edgelands and, most recently, he travelled 2,500 along the border between India and Pakistan for the four-part TV series Expedition Borderlands with Levison Woodand Ash Bhardwaj. The series went on to win Best Documentary Series at the India TV Awards.

Ash’s journalism can regularly be seen gracing the pages of The Telegraph, The Times, HuffingtonPost, Evening Standard, and Sunday Times Travel, amongst others, and he has also made numerous appearances on the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent and fronting Radio 4 documentaries such as How Ukraine Made Us Care. He is also co-host of the popular travel podcast The First Mile alongside Pip Stewart.

Ash has collaborated extensively with a number of high profile brands over recent years. His work with the Japan National Tourist Organization highlights Hokkaido and Iwate’s cultural richness, whilst he also acted as a spokesperson for the likes of Barbour and Bailey of Bristol.

As a sought-after speaker, Ash has captivated audiences with his travel stories at a number of prestigious events, including alongside Adyen, San Miguel, Kendal Mountain Festival, the RGS, and Burberry. Ash’s ability to connect deeply with people, cultures, and traditions lies at the heart of his debut book Why We Travel: A Journey into Human Motivation. Here he explores why humans experience wanderlust, what inspires us, what drives us on, and what we gain from venturing out into the world. It will be published by Bedford Square in April 2024.