The First Mile
By thefirstmile
The First Mile is an immersive travel podcast, bringing you untold stories from the world of adventure.
It is presented by Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart — two travel journalists, who are adventurers in their own right — and explores everything from the ethics of cultural tourism, to documenting your journeys and making a living from travel.
Ash and Pip navigate this territory with some of the world’s greatest travellers, who reveal how they got their first break in travel writing, planned remote expeditions, or made the switch from a corporate career to a life of adventure.
Alongside these in-depth interviews are travel-narrative dispatches: evocative field recordings from Ash and Pip’s adventures, which take the listener along for the ride.
New episodes are released weekly, in 10-episode seasons.
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Season one’s interview guests include: author Monisha Rajesh, explorer Levison Wood, film-maker Reza Pakravan, and travel-writer Leon McCarron.
Our dispatches come from Annapurna, Nepal, and Whanganui, New Zealand, where our hosts report back on rites of passage, celestial navigation, the joys of moonshine liquor, and a whole lot more.
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Ash Bhardwaj is an award-winning broadcaster, film-maker and Telegraph Travel columnist. He regularly reports for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, and his films have appeared on BBC, Channel 4, Discovery and National Geographic.
Pip Stewart has cycled halfway around the world and completed a world-first kayak descent of Guyana’s Essequibo River (where she picked up a flesh-eating parasite). She is the former Red Bull adventure editor, and her presenting work has appeared on BBC, Al Jazeera and The Telegraph.
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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.
It is presented by Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart — two travel journalists, who are adventurers in their own right — and explores everything from the ethics of cultural tourism, to documenting your journeys and making a living from travel.
Ash and Pip navigate this territory with some of the world’s greatest travellers, who reveal how they got their first break in travel writing, planned remote expeditions, or made the switch from a corporate career to a life of adventure.
Alongside these in-depth interviews are travel-narrative dispatches: evocative field recordings from Ash and Pip’s adventures, which take the listener along for the ride.
New episodes are released weekly, in 10-episode seasons.
******
Season one’s interview guests include: author Monisha Rajesh, explorer Levison Wood, film-maker Reza Pakravan, and travel-writer Leon McCarron.
Our dispatches come from Annapurna, Nepal, and Whanganui, New Zealand, where our hosts report back on rites of passage, celestial navigation, the joys of moonshine liquor, and a whole lot more.
******
Ash Bhardwaj is an award-winning broadcaster, film-maker and Telegraph Travel columnist. He regularly reports for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, and his films have appeared on BBC, Channel 4, Discovery and National Geographic.
Pip Stewart has cycled halfway around the world and completed a world-first kayak descent of Guyana’s Essequibo River (where she picked up a flesh-eating parasite). She is the former Red Bull adventure editor, and her presenting work has appeared on BBC, Al Jazeera and The Telegraph.
******
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.
Latest episode
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Why We Travel - with Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart
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… -
We're coming back!
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 suggest… -
Ep10: 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… -
Ep9: 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… -
Ep8: Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Culture, Traditional Navigational Techniques, and Teaching Heritage.
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 meet… -
Ep7: 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… -
Ep6: 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 m… -
Ep5: Reza Pakravan on Funding Your Journeys, and Switching From a Corporate Career to a Life of Adventure.
Have you ever wondered how to completely change your life? Reza Pakravan did just that, packing in his corporate life in London for a life of adventure. Reza has cycled the length of the planet, made (and presented) TV shows highlighting important gl… -
S1 Ep4: Second Dispatch from Nepal: The Gurkhas and the British Army.
The relationship between the British Army and Nepal’s Gurkhas has been a long standing one, and in our second immersive Dispatch episode, Ash Bhardwaj travels to Nepal to join a photographic journey led by two ex-Gurkha officers. From digging into th… -
S1 Ep3: First Dispatch from Nepal: Trekking, Sustainable Travel, and the Ethics of Photography.
Season 1 Episode 3: First Dispatch from Nepal: TrekkingAn episode that's perfect for armchair travellers, as we join Ash Bhardwaj on a photographic trip to Nepal for our first narrative travel dispatch episode. Join Ash as he treks high into the Anna…
