Travelling the Unbeaten Path
Scott Tay, founder of Beyond Expeditions SG, is crazy about lesser explored destinations, and can’t wait to share them with the world
Written by Raja Khairulanwar | Photographs by Scott Tay
While many people in their 20s would have either settled down or have gained a foothold on a stable career, Scott Tay, 26, founder of Beyond Expeditions SG, walks to a different beat. He’s travelling a literal and metaphorical unbeaten path and wishes to offer a niche travelling experience to the world.
Scott started off on his journey backpacking for six months in Mongolia after university. He said: “I was reflecting on my life, and felt that the things that I did then didn't make sense anymore. The more I travelled, the less of the drive I felt.”
Scott had already seen his fair share of destinations, having backpacked to countries in the Middle East and South Asia.
However, he chanced upon an article online about a British man who trekked across Mongolia to push the human limits. Inspired, Scott planned an 800 km trek to raise funds for the Singapore Cancer Society. From there, he wanted to inspire more people to explore the unbeaten path and formed a community, which naturally evolved into a travel company.
“To be honest, I had no idea that I would have started a travel agency at first!”
Scott celebrated the end of his 800km trek by raising funds for the Singapore Cancer Society.
But why places like Mongolia? He shared: “I’m always attracted to the places off the beaten path because the destinations that most people want to go, I don't really want to go there. You can just live vicariously through them. Everything’s online, so what's the point in going there?”
He joked that he also has a selfish reason, as he wanted to go to a remote place and savour everything by himself.
While Beyond Expeditions focuses on Mongolian trips currently, Scott plans to branch out to Ladakh, India. With its motto, “Off the Beaten Path“ in mind, Scott aims to provide access to places with such inaccessibility to those who are interested.
Through trials and tribulations, Scott still manages to find like minded people to follow him on his quest.
Scott explains his aspirations for the future with the tagline: “Don't just Travel, Go Beyond”.
”I want to open up to more countries, but not more than five. We still want to specialise in the countries we do, because opening up to too many countries will make us lose our identity, which is crucial for us,” shared Scott.
While sticking to a niche, Scott wants Beyond Expeditions to go beyond a travel agency and plans to give back to society.
His advice to readers who want to pursue a path similar to his: “You need to be happy and passionate about what you do and believe in what you do. That is important, how can you do great work when you don't love what you do? Imagine waking up every day and dragging yourself to work instead of pursuing what you truly want to do. That is toxic.”
“Once you've found these three key things, you have to go with everything you've got! Put in the effort, the grind, the discipline and stop making excuses. You will meet many obstacles but you have to keep pushing through as you will be stronger with each obstacle you overcome,” he concluded.
Don't just Travel, Go Beyond!
