Vivek Saini
Odyssey wasn’t born out of a business plan.
It began as a feeling.
A restlessness.
Knowing that something essential was slipping away.
We had all experienced the outdoors in ways that changed us, Vivek climbing 6000m peaks with just two friends and no backup, Vijeet heading off on treks alone and getting lost, Nithyam going on impromptu hikes with his brother and cousins in the Western Ghats.
We came back from those journeys with cuts, stories, lessons, and the kind of quiet confidence that only real adventure gives you.
As fate would have it, all of us wanted to share those experiences, and we found a common platform where we met.
We stepped into the outdoor world not just for a job, but for meaning.
We wanted to share that same joy. To help others experience the outdoors in a real, fulfilling form.
But over time, the excitement started to fade.
The magic gave way to checklists. Experiences became packaged.
Instead of teaching people to trust themselves, we “delivered” adventure like a product.
We kept asking:
What happened to the joy of figuring it out? Is there more to this ?
The questions stayed with us.
We finally took the leap, deciding to start small.
There was no certainty, and definitely we didn’t have any grand plans.
Just a quiet belief that if we stay true to what we feel, someone would join us.
We didn’t know if anyone would show up.
And they did.
People who thought like us. Who craved something slower, deeper, and a little more real.
That’s when we knew we had a tribe.
And maybe there were many more out there who felt the same but just didn’t know where to begin.
In 2023, we started small, a few treks, some open minds, and an idea that wouldn’t leave us alone.
- What if the outdoors could be fun again?
- What if people didn’t just go on treks, but grew through them?
- What if we built something where learning wasn’t an add-on, but the very heart of the experience?
That’s how Odyssey was born, not as a company, but as a call to return to what the outdoors was always meant to be:
Challenging. Joyful. Honest. Free.
Over time, the vision became clearer.
We didn’t just want to run great treks or introduce backpacking.
We wanted to educate a million people to be safe, skilled, and self-sufficient in the outdoors.
Because this is what we believe:
You don’t need to be the fittest, fastest, or most fearless to belong out here.
You just need to be willing.
Willing to show up fully. To get your hands dirty. To lose your way and laugh about it.
To help pitch a tent, cook a meal, or find your rhythm on the trail.
That’s what Odysseys are.
