The First Mile – Détails, épisodes et analyse

We’re back! In this episode we discuss travel writing ahead of Ash’s debut book, Why We Travel. We discuss motivations for travel - why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can it help us to live more fulfilling lives…

This episode, discover:

• What Pip and Ash have been up to since they last recorded.
• What are motivations for travel - and why it matters, how we can do it better and can it help us to live more fulfilling lives?
• Journeys of curiosity, inspiration, happiness, creativity, serendipity, hardship, service, healing, wonder, empathy, eroticism and hope.
• Why you should absolutely read Ash’s debut book…

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj 
• Life Lessons from the Amazon by Pip Stewart 
• Support your local bookshops:
• Stanfords 
• Waterstones 

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s episode and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or X @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you!

We’re coming back! The podcast is all about travel, why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can help us live more fulfilling lives.

We really value your input so do let us know what you’d like to see in season two. If you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or X @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

Levison Wood on Planning Expeditions and Making a Career in Travel.

Levison Wood is an explorer, author and photographer, yet his journey to success has not been straightforward. In this interview episode, he shares what he’s learnt along the way - tips you can hopefully use on your own life path.

In this conversation, find out how Lev went from sleeping on park benches to becoming a bestselling travel writer, why breaking his leg before Special Forces selection changed his life - for the better - and what Walking the Nile was really like.

In this episode, discover:

• Lev’s philosophy on travel, and how he got started in adventure-travel.
• Why hard graft is important, how to get published and why up-skilling is so important.
• How to set up an adventure-travel company - and why making mistakes is important.
• How to fund expeditions, and why Lev would often sleep on a bench in Clapham Common.
• Why failure may shape your life - for the better.
• Why goal setting, planning and studying your role models is so powerful.
• How to land a TV gig.
• How to overcome self-doubt and failure.
• How to balance commercial success and your own values.
• The realities of walking across Africa.
• How to start your first book.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Lev’s website
• Lev’s Instagram
• Lev’s Twitter
• Lev’s books
• The Army’s Seven Questions
• Explorers Against Extinction 

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @ashbhardwaj and @pipstewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @Stewart_Pip.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

Monisha Rajesh on Getting Published, Travelling with Kids, and Why Diversity Matters.

Is being a travel writer all it’s cracked up to be? In this interview episode, award-winning author Monisha Rajesh shares tales of her train journeys across the world and the details of how she made (and funds) her career. She also highlights some of the pitfalls along the way.

This episode is packed with tips on everything from "travelling with kids", to "how to break into journalism". Monisha also explains just why we need more diverse voices in travel writing.

In this episode, discover:

• How Monisha became a travel journalist and wrote a book, despite having never considered it as a career.
• How to make ends meet with writing and how Monisha travelled for 4 months on less than £1,500.
• Why you should strategise in order to succeed.
• The future of travel writing in the age of social media.
• Why we need greater diversity in travel writing and how we create change.
• How to travel with kids.

Links/people mentioned in this episode:

• Monisha website http://www.80trains.com 
• Monisha Instagram https://www.instagram.com/monisha_rajesh/ 
• Monisha Twitter https://twitter.com/monisha_rajesh 
• David Godwin http://www.davidgodwinassociates.com/blog/2015/2/27/around-the-world-in-80-trains-monisha-rajesh-to-be-published-by-bloomsbury 
• Civilian Global http://civilianglobal.com/author/monisha-rajesh/ 
• William Dalrymple http://www.williamdalrymple.uk.com 
• Noo Saro-Wiwa: “Looking for Transwonderland” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Transwonderland-Travels-Noo-Saro-Wiwa/dp/1847083315 
• Vikram Seth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikram_Seth 
• Paul Theroux: “The Great Railway Bazaar” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Railway-Bazaar-Through-Classics/dp/0141189142  
• Dervla Murphy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervla_Murphy 
• Sara Wheeler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Wheeler 
• Kiran Desai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiran_Desai 

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @ashbhardwaj and @pipstewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @Stewart_Pip.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

This is an introductory episode to The First Mile: a travel podcast from Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart.

Every episode is either a travel narrative dispatch from one of our adventures, or an interview with a great traveller.

In season 1, we interview author Monisha Rajesh about how she won her first book commission, and speak to explorer Levison Wood about how he plans expeditions. We also interview film-maker Reza Pakravan, and author Leon McCarron. Pip and Ash also interview each other.

Our dispatches are from Nepal and New Zealand, exploring how indigenous cultures can thrive in a modern world, and looking at the ethics of eco-tourism and photography.

We hope you enjoy The First Mile. Please let us know what you think of it in the comments, and give us a rating, too.

Now, let's go on an adventure!

Rhiane Fatinikun on Getting Started in the Outdoors, and the Importance of Diversity.

In the final episode of Season 1, we meet Rhiane Fatinikun, the founder of Black Girls Hike.

Rhiane founded Black Girls Hike in 2019, to provide a safe space for Black women to explore the outdoors. It is now a thriving community, with groups based in the North West, the Midlands and London.

In this episode, Rhiane tells us about how she went from having no hiking experience or equipment (and being unable to read a map) to leading a national hiking movement. She also shares her hints and tips on how to create communities and take that first step towards trying something new.  

This episode, discover:

• Why Rhiane’s first London meet up didn’t go entirely to plan.
• How she built and expanded a community.
• How to take that first step towards trying something new.
• How to overcome self doubt.
• The power of social media to connect people in real life.
• Why it’s important to take up and created spaces for people to feel like they belong.
• About racism in the UK and the outdoors community.
• Why we need to share both negative and positive experiences.
• How she went from being a beginner hiker to leading a group up Snowdon. 
• Why you should trust that you will come into your own season.
• How to deal with negativity.
• Why to plan to have no plan when you travel.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Rhiane’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itsnotrhiane/?hl=en 
• Black Girls Hike Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bgh_uk/?hl=en 
• Black Girls Hike Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bghmcr/
• Black Girls Hike Twitter https://twitter.com/ukbgh?lang=en 
• Tales of a Hiker https://www.talesofahiker.com 
• Tales of a Hiker Instagram
• Humans of New York https://www.humansofnewyork.com 
• Kendal Mountain Festival https://www.kendalmountainfestival.com
• We Flock Together https://www.instagram.com/flocktogether.world/?utm_source=ig_embed 
• Mountain Leader Training https://www.mountain-training.org/qualifications/walking/mountain-leader 
• Moses Gate Park https://www.lancswt.org.uk/our-work/projects/kingfisher-trail/moses-gate-country-park
• Epping Forest http://www.visiteppingforest.org 

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

Leon McCarron on Slow Travel and Misunderstood Places.

In this episode, Ash meets Leon McCarron: writer, broadcaster, and North Face explorer.

Leon has walked a 1000-mile loop of the Holy Land, crossed China from north to south, and travelled on foot in Kosovo, Armenia and on the Yemeni island of Socotra. He has also cycled 14,000 miles across three continents, walked through the Empty Quarter desert, and ridden across Patagonia on horseback. Leon’s work seeks out stories of humanity and nuance in parts of the world that are often demonised or misunderstood by Western media. 

In this episode, discover:

• About Leon’s 1,000 mile walk through the Middle East (including why Leon and Pip found themselves walking along a smugglers route in Jordan!).
• Why Leon’s travels turned from journeys focused on landscapes to those focused on people and what he’s learned as a result.
• How to tell powerful stories - the power and use of journaling, and why less is more.
• How Leon created his career path.
• How Leon enjoys telling stories by travelling on foot.
• Why reading works by local authors not only aids understanding but also excitement about visiting a country.
• Leon’s experience witnessing the Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage that takes place in Iraq.
• How and why Leon has helped establish new walking trails in central China and northern Iraq.
• Why people’s careers are not always what they appear.
• Why you might want to avoid googling popular travel destinations.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Leon website https://www.leonmccarron.com
• Leon Instagram https://www.instagram.com/leonmccarron/
• Leon Twitter https://twitter.com/leonmccarron?lang=en
• Leon’s book: The Land Beyond https://www.leonmccarron.com/writing1.html
• Rob Lillwall https://roblilwall.com
• Alastair Humprehys https://alastairhumphreys.com
• Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbaʽeen_Pilgrimage
• The Long Form Podcast https://longform.org/podcast
• Our Man in the Middle East https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08rmkcd
• Ramblings with Claire Balding https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xrr2/episodes/player
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells

JOIN US ON SOCIAL: We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Hakas, Sacred Rivers, and Jet-boat Evacuations.

In this action-packed Dispatch episode, we join Ash in Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island. Ash tackles rapids, learns about Maori culture (including traditional navigational techniques) - and makes it back to the UK just before lockdown hit.

Ash meets the captain of an ocean-going waka, who left the New Zealand Army to navigate oceans with just the stars, the weather, and the taste of the water. Then he canoes down the Whanganui River in the company of a man who teaches Maori heritage and history through a river journey.

In this episode, discover:

• How the Maori people navigated to Aotearoa New Zealand from near the equator.
• The history wrapped up in Maori myth and legend.
• How the value of nature is communicated through metaphor.
• The historical importance and modern legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi.
• What the haka means.
• What European colonisation meant for indigenous peoples.
• Why the Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person.
• The geological representation of Maori familial connections.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• New Zealand tourism board https://www.newzealand.com/uk/ 
• Treaty of Waitangi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi 
• Waitangi Treaty Grounds https://www.waitangi.org.nz 
• The Bridge to Nowhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_to_Nowhere_(New_Zealand) 
• Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/04/maori-river-in-new-zealand-is-a-legal-person/ 

Pip Stewart on Creating a Lifestyle Career, and Making Social Media Work for You.

Ever wondered how to become a so-called “influencer”? The secret is storytelling.

In this episode, Ash interviews his friend and co-host, Pip Stewart.

Pip has cycled halfway around the world, embarked on a world-first kayak journey through the Amazon and survived a flesh-eating parasite. She talks about how she accidentally fell into a career in travel journalism, how one massive adventure changed her life, and why she sees social media as the route to editorial independence.

In this episode, discover:

• Why you need to embrace being shit.
• If it’s important to get a journalism degree. 
• Why hustle is key.
• Why social media is so powerful (and how to avoid its dark side).
• How Pip got a job as Red Bull’s Adventure Editor.
• How to get noticed in a crowded media world.
• How to create a lifestyle career that works for you.
• Why you should take online relationships offline.
• How to deal with your ego.
• How to become an influencer.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Pip Website https://www.phillippastewart.com 
• Pip Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pipstewart/ 
• Pip Twitter https://twitter.com/Stewart_Pip 
• Jo Cantello, Wolfsong media 
• Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong https://jmsc.hku.hk 
• Elizabeth Gilbert on following your curiosity.
• Reza Pakravan https://www.rezapakravan.com 
• Explorers Connect https://www.explorersconnect.com 
• Ness Knight http://www.nessknight.com 
• Laura Bingham https://www.laurabingham.org 
• RedBull.com https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/ 
• Preview app https://thepreviewapp.com
• Inshot http://www.inshot.com 
• CutStory.

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

Ash Bhardwaj on Adventure With Purpose and Becoming a Travel Journalist.

How can you travel the world and get paid for it? Ash Bhardwaj is a travel writer and storyteller - and also co-host of The First Mile. He’s reported from around the world for global broadcasters such as the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4, has a monthly travel column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, and has made films for Channel 4, Discovery and the BBC.

In this special episode, Pip interviews her co-host about launching and sustaining career in adventure travel. If you want to travel with purpose, or make a living out of travel, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, discover:

• How Ash got into travel journalism.
• Why Ash was a terrible cowboy.
• How a trip to India to take his Dad’s ashes back shaped his curiosity for travel journalism and travel with purpose.
• Ash’s steps to achieving in any industry - skills, network and portfolio.
• How to network.
• Why you should say yes to opportunities.
• Why you should just keep turning up.
• Why travelling with purpose enhances your travel experiences.
• The importance of managing your mental health.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ash website https://www.ashbhardwaj.com/bio 
• Ash Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ashbhardwaj/?hl=en 
• Ash Twitter https://twitter.com/AshBhardwaj 
• Levison Wood http://www.levisonwood.com 
• Secret Compass https://secretcompass.com 
• Walking with The Wounded https://www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk 
• Nick Crane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Crane 
• Rise and Shine Audio Network https://www.riseandshineaudio.com/
• The Army Reserve  https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/the-army-reserve/ 
• Edgelands https://www.telegraph.co.uk/edgelands/
• AA Gill https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/177627.A_A_Gill
• Michael Palin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Palin 

JOIN US ON SOCIAL:

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.

*Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you!