Travel means different things to different people, but when it comes to adventure travel, the motivations run far deeper than sunshine, cocktails, and lying horizontal for a week. In this post, inspired by Ash Bhardwaj’s brilliant research in Why We Travel, we dive into the real psychology of why some of us reach for trekking boots instead of beach towels, and why adventure travel feels so deeply, weirdly necessary.
At WTM London this year, our schedule was packed. Back-to-back meetings, speed-walking between halls, and about seven conversations where we nodded politely while someone explained the “future of AI in tourism” for the hundredth time.
But there was one session we absolutely refused to miss: Ash Bhardwaj’s talk Why We Travel and How To Do It Better.
Because honestly… why do we do this to ourselves?
It’s easy to understand the motivation behind a week on the beach… lying horizontal for seven days, sipping piña coladas, moving only when the sun gets too hot. Sensible. Logical. Relaxing.
And yet… that’s not us.
We’re the ones lacing up boots at 4 AM, marching up mountains in sub-zero temperatures, eating dal bhat for the sixth day in a row (dal bhat power 24 hour!), developing blisters in places we didn’t know had skin, nursing dodgy bellies, and convincing ourselves that a yak-poo heater is “actually quite cosy once it gets going”.
So the question remains:
Why are we like this?
Why does adventure call to us more than comfort? Why are we irresistibly drawn to treks, climbs, jungles, deserts, altitude and everything that comes with them?
Ash has spent years digging into the psychology of travel. After speaking to anthropologists, psychologists, historians, and travellers, he identified 12 core motivations behind why humans roam.
And while all 12 are fascinating, five of them hit home for us at Earth Dog Travel. Five motivations that explain why we prefer muddy boots over spa slippers, and why, despite the suffering, we wouldn’t trade adventure travel for anything.
1. Curiosity – The Nosy Traveller’s Superpower
This one’s simple: we’re curious.
Painfully curious.
The kind of people who wander down alleyways “just to see”, or take a four-hour detour because a local mentioned a waterfall “that might be nice”.
Curiosity is the spark behind almost every adventure travel motivation. It’s why you try fermented yak cheese (regrets were had), why you sit in a Nepali teahouse asking questions, why you let yourself get lost in Marrakech on purpose. Curiosity takes you beyond the brochure and into the heart of a place.
Ash calls Curiosity one of the most foundational motivations in the psychology of travel… and we think he’s spot on!
Some people travel to relax.
We travel to learn, discover, explore, and poke our noses everywhere.
2. Hardship – If It Doesn’t Hurt a Bit, Was It Really an Adventure?
Let’s be honest: the tough bits aren’t accidents. They’re what make the whole thing feel like an adventure rather than a holiday brochure.
There’s something deeply satisfying about doing something uncomfortable on purpose (provided you live to tell the tale!)
Take our Island Peak trek. On one trip alone, we clocked:
- Blisters the size of small countries
- Dodgy stomachs that made us question every life choice
- Altitude headaches that felt like being head-butted by a yak
- Water bottles freezing inside our bags
- Sleeping fully dressed because the cold was disrespectful
- Yak-poo fires for warmth (yes… really)
And would we do it again?
In. A. Heartbeat.
Hardship is the secret ingredient that makes adventure meaningful. It tests you. It humbles you. It gives you the kind of travel inspiration that stays with you forever.
A spa day is lovely.
But a mountain?
A mountain rewires your soul.
3. Wonder – The “Holy Sh*t” Moments
If hardship is the grind, wonder is the payoff.
Wonder is that moment you finally see the Himalayas break through the clouds.
Or when the desert sky explodes with stars.
Or when a glacial lake glows turquoise in the morning light.
It’s your brain short-circuiting because something is too beautiful for words.
As Bettany Hughes put it at WTM London:
“If we wonder, we engage. If we engage, we care.”
Wonder is addictive.
It’s why we get up at 3 AM for a sunrise.
It’s why we’ll happily walk 20km for a view but whinge about walking to the shop back home.
Wonder is the emotion that keeps adventure travellers coming back for more; searching for moments that make us feel small, alive, and absolutely awestruck.
4. Empathy – People Are the Real Adventure
Travel isn’t just about landscapes; it’s about people.
Empathy is the motivation that kicks in when you realise how much you gain from connecting with people who live completely differently from you.
It’s sharing tea with a Sherpa.
Laughing with a Moroccan guide over a campfire.
Talking to a Maasai elder about family, goats, and what happiness looks like.
Adventure travel removes the polished, transactional stuff and throws you into genuine human moments. It shrinks the world in the best way.
Empathy changes how you see others.
And often… how you see yourself.
5. Service – Leaving a Place Better Than You Found It
Service isn’t about grand gestures.
It’s about intention.
It’s choosing to give back in small, meaningful ways:
- Supporting local guides
- Spending money in communities, not corporations
- Cleaning a trail
- Carrying school supplies to a remote village
- Choosing homestays where families genuinely benefit
Adventure travel offers endless opportunities to contribute; not in a saviour-y way, but in a human way.
Ash includes Service in his motivations because travel isn’t just about taking.
It’s about impact, gratitude, and connection.
So… Why Do We Travel? The Real Reasons Behind Adventure Travel
Because some of us aren’t wired for beach loungers.
We’re wired for mountains, mystery, mud, and moments that make us feel alive.
We travel because we’re curious.
Because we love a challenge.
Because we want to be awestruck.
Because people fascinate us.
And because the world is better when we engage with it, not just consume it.
These five motivations explain exactly why adventure travel matters… and why we’ll always choose trekking poles over sun loungers.
Ready to Find Your Why (and Your Next Adventure Travel Experience)?
If you want to dig deeper into the psychology of travel, definitely read Ash Bhardwaj’s book Why We Travel.
It’s thoughtful, inspiring, and explains everything far better than our yak-poo anecdotes ever could.
And if you’re feeling inspired…
👉 Explore our Earth Dog Travel itineraries
From Himalayan treks to East African adventures, we specialise in the kind of travel that scratches all five motivations in all the best ways.
Because life’s too short for mediocre holidays.