How to Become an Outdoor Adventure Guide » SVOOD

How to become an outdoor adventure guide is the best online manual you will ever need! Learn how to live adventures and earn from them!

I assume you are an outdoor adventure guide enthusiast who likes to spend time outdoors. If you are not one, well, after reading this article, you will become one!

Welcome to the fun and exciting world of outdoor adventure guides who ditched their 9 to 5 jobs and embarked on a journey! Most people do outdoor activities for fun, as a hobby, or as a way to bond with their family, partner, and friends. Other people do the same to pay their bills, food, accommodation, and so on.

Imagine someone asking you – What do you do for a living? Imagine now how awesome it would be to answer – I do outdoor adventure activities for a living! Did you know that an outdoor guide gets to climb, paddle, hike, bike, etc? All that to earn a living!? Keep on reading, and discover how to become an outdoor guide and grab this unique job opportunity! Do you want to have a digital nomad life or become an outdoor adventure guide – the choice is yours!

It can be a bit tricky to define an outdoor adventure guide. Let me first clarify and know where we are getting ourselves into. This particular job opportunity is quite versatile. There are many forms of it. However, the main point is the same: an outdoor adventure guide is related to some outdoor experience.

For instance: biking, paddling, kayaking, hiking, canoeing, etc. It also includes a certain number of people who have the experience. In other words, an outdoor adventure guide connects the outdoor experience to the people.

An outdoor adventure guide could be a woman leading a three-day backpacking trip to Stara Planina mountain or Fruška Gora National park. It can also be a man leading you on an afternoon rafting trip in Cetina, Croatia. An outdoor adventure guide could be a man taking you out on a boat ride to the Kornati National park in Croatia or a woman taking you horseback riding above Lake Bled in Slovenia. Each of the examples listed above is similar, with similar elements, yet they all differ in inactivity, destination, and duration.

Australian Curriculum defines outdoor recreation as this: Physical activity in the outdoors or natural settings, which provides opportunities to connect individually, in small groups, or as a community to the outdoor environment.

In other words, any outdoor adventure outside buildings (outdoors). Here you can join our partner program and Become a Guide for your favorite outdoor activity 

Check out some outdoor activities and adventures that you can participate in:

– Rock climbing

– Ice climbing

– Canoeing

– Kayaking

– Hiking

– Wave skiing

– White-water rafting

– Sailing

– Horse Riding

– Skiing

– Paragliding

– Caving

An outdoor or adventure guide job is not for everyone. As noted in the beginning, you must like spending time outdoors. If you also adore outdoor activities, people, and nature in general, then this is a perfect job for you! Nevertheless, more skills are needed if you are thinking about this job. Hereunder, we will present to you a few of them. Also, do not worry if you doubt you are a perfect match. Many of the skills below can be learned and practiced over time. As long as you desire to become an outdoor guide, you are all set to go further from here!

Required skills include:

– working in a team

– public speaking

– problem-solving

– working with different personalities

– strong communication skills

– handling stressful situations 

– open-minded, engaging, and fun personality

– considerate

– leader ( just like a shepherd with a flock of sheep)

– brave and strong

In addition, an adventure travel guide needs to have the knowledge and mechanical skills. The skills that are necessary to maintain their equipment. Plus, every outdoor adventure guide should know the terrain, local area, and environment. You will need to be capable of many things. To educate your guests (group) about the place you are exploring and details such as geology, history, flora, and fauna. Any additional info, such as interesting stories, facts, and jokes, is a plus as you keep your group engaged and entertained!

Depending on the adventure, you will need to be adaptable to almost any sport. Being strong and brave is an excellent quality every outdoor adventure guide should have, at least to a certain extent. In particular, you will need to be able to hike long distances while carrying a big and heavy backpack in case you want to do hiking guide jobs and backpacking excursions. Each activity requires different licenses and certifications. Here are some certifications that most jobs prefer or require:

– FIRST AID/CPR/AED CERTIFICATION

– WILDERNESS FIRST AID (WFA) CERTIFICATION

– THE WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER (WFR) CERTIFICATION

– SWIFT WATER RESCUE TRAINING

Here are some industry licenses that you will need depending on the industry:

– For alpine climbing, ice climbing, or rock climbing,  The American Mountain Guides Association offers training, exams, courses, and in the end, certifications to become a certified guide.

– For a fishing adventure, first, you must get a fishing license to become a fishing guide.

Get all these above either before applying for a position or upon acceptance.

An outdoor guide means what it sounds like: a person who performs activities outside. So the best place to start is outdoors. It is not a problem if you do not have professional experience yet. The best thing you can do is to start developing your skills outdoors. Write down your outdoor adventures. Keep a list of places you visited, the equipment you used, etc.

One of the best aspects of working as an outdoor adventure guide: you can work pretty much anywhere in the world! The possibilities are endless in this industry. Working hours are also more or less flexible, but once you are on the mission and embarking on an adventure with your group, your working time is 0-24 if we are talking about the whole day excursions.

But the thing is, you are always out in the fresh air doing what you love, surrounded by nature! When it comes to salary – it is hard to say. The wage depends on the number of hours, experience, and qualifications. It is also significant where and who you work for, etc. You can make a decent amount of money and sometimes a lot! But how much money is a lot? As I mentioned earlier, it is hard to say! Just try to be the best you can to create even grester job opportunity!

There are plenty of ways to get a wilderness guide job. You can start by opening your Instagram and Facebook pages and begin to gather a community of people who like adventures. Join numerous Facebook groups in that niche. Networking is the key to every industry! Start networking with relevant guiding companies as well. If you are still working 9 to 5, use your vacation days and develop at least some skills! Also, try to niche down, and instead of an outdoor guide or adventure guide, try setting yourself in an outdoor hiking guide or kayak adventure down. You will have much more luck if you are in a more specific niche. Here is the best place to look for a connection: Svood.co comes with great opportunities for guides, instructors, and pilots. Connect with us and become our partner to inspire an adventure 

Occupation Wild

Nowadays, it is easy to get almost any license! You must pay and apply online, then follow the requirements and tips that will lead you further! For instance, The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority – AALA – allows young people to experience many stimulating outdoor activities without being exposed to risks of death or serious injuries. Beware that different training and examinations last differently. Some may take only a few months, but some may take a few years! For instance, you can get a hiking guide certification in a much shorter period, yet a mountain guide certification can take longer depending on the qualification and mountain height. If you want to become a hiking guide with hiking guide certifications, then IGA – Interpretive Guide Association might be perfect!

Set aside some money and try to find the best companies out there. Getting a license from a company that offers professional competence and compliance with the highest industry standards will reflect your salary. As an illustration, the IFMGA fully certified and trained guides may earn up to 200 to 500 euros daily! Imagine that job opportunity! If that is not the reason to invest in better education, then I have no idea what is. So, be wise! Besides that, try to be humble. Go easy, step by step, and do not bite more than you can chew! Outdoor adventure guide is a terrific option to make money, but plan it well!

All in all, you have to love spending time outdoors to become an outdoor adventure guide. The outdoor adventure guide job is not for everyone, but if it’s the right fit for you, it can become one of the most exciting jobs you’ll get to do in your life and a great job opportunity for an awesome income! Let the adventure begin!