Learn how to plan your Tanzanian Safari, hire an ethical company, tip correctly, and have an amazing experience. Scott Brills starts off talking about the wine sommelier training he is currently doing and how he often structures his travel experiences around wine and other beverages. He then talks about growing up in Michigan, traveling to China at age 13, and then living abroad in Japan and Turkey. Next, Scott shares his experience doing the “Mongol Rally” and driving from the UK to Mongolia in a beater car, hitchhiking in Central Asia with a gangster, and running a marathon in the Gobi Desert with no preparation.  He then talks about co-founding his company “Pamoja Safaris” in Tanzania with a local Maasai business partner. Scott then shares tips on navigating the ethical dynamics of the tourism industry in Tanzania—what you need to know about local compensation, tipping, and the neo-colonial context of safaris in Africa—so you can make responsible decisions as a customer.
321: How to Plan Your Safari in Tanzania and Complete a Marathon in the Gobi Desert on No Training with Scott Brills
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Scott Brills
Scott Brills is an international entrepreneur and world traveler who currently runs businesses focused on adventure tourism in Tanzania and food tourism in Japan. He is the co-founder of the award winning “Pomoja Safaris” in Tanzania, and the founder of “Eat Japan” which runs small group, multi-day guided tours focused on the Japanese culinary world. Scott has earned certifications in the fields of tea, sake, shochu, and wine. Partnering with distilleries around the world he distills his own spirits, and most recently spent some time in Japan developing a new line of sake from scratch. He is also in the process of launching his own tea brand later in 2025. Scott has been a full time digital nomad since 2002, has started companies in 6 countries, he speaks 5 languages, and has now traveled to over 100 countries.
What You'll Learn
- How to plan your Tanzanian safari and have an amazing experience.
- How to hire ethical tour companies, tip correctly, and avoid the pitfalls of voluntourism
- Stories from the Mongol Rally and running a marathon in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert
Links From the Episode
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EVENTS MENTIONED:
BREWERY COMPANY MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
5 LANGUAGES MENTIONED
OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
GAMES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
WINES CONSUMED DURING THE INTERVIEW
PLACES IN RUSSIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN TANZANIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Arusha
- Dar es Salaam
- Mount Kilimanjaro
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Nyerere National Park
- Ruaha
- Serengeti
- Tarangire National Park
- Zanzibar
PLACES/SPOTS IN TURKEY MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TRAIN RIDE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
- Matt: Asheville, North Carolina
- Scott: Dallas, Texas
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Basque Country
- Botswana
- China
- Dushanbe, Tajikistan
- East Africa
- Gobi Desert
- Japan
- Maasai Mara
- Michigan
- Nagano
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- Ohio
- Ontario
- Russia
- Tanzania
- Turkey
- Zambia
CONTACT AND FOLLOW SCOTT
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[1:07] Introducing Scott Brills
[3:37] Scott’s Sommelier Training
[5:37] Traveling for Wine and Other Beverages
[7:44] Growing up in Michigan and Getting Interested in Travel
[13:18] Falling in Love with Japan and Immersing in Japanese Culture
[18:26] Living in Turkey
[22:34] The Mongol Rally: Driving from the UK to Mongolia
[26:34] Running a Marathon in the Gobi Desert with no Preparation
[34:17] Co-Founding a Safari Business in Tanzania
[40:44] Navigating the Ethical Dynamics of the Tourism Industry in Tanzania
[48:36] What to Know about Compensation and Tipping in Tanzania
[53:30] What Pomoja Safaris Offer and How To Get a Special Discount
