If you feel you’re not cut out for a sedentary 9-to-5 office job, then an outdoor adventure guide may be one of the most satisfying career paths for you.
With the right certifications and training, you can actually make a decent living in adventure tourism and travel the world during the off-season.
However, there are many different options for the adventure tourism activities you can lead as an outdoor adventure guide, so I wanted to put together a roadmap for success that covers 30 tips for getting different certifications and training to make a living doing meaningful work you enjoy.
Get Essential Training
Choose your path and pick your specialty based on your interests and local opportunities.
1. The cornerstone of guiding is wilderness medicine. Start by getting your Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification through NOLS, WildMed or SOLO. This 80-hour course is the industry standard.
2. Add basic life support skills with a CPR/AED certification from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
3. For connecting people to nature through mindful awareness, experiential learning and community building practices, join our Mindful Ecotourism Certification.
4. If you want to guide people through ecotherapy, forest therapy and nature connection practices we have a guide to Forest Therapy Certifications.
5. For outdoor education about flora, fauna and fungi while leading group hikes, there are lots of Hiking Adventure Guide Certifications.
6. For rock climbing, pursue certification through the American Mountain Guides Association.
7. Interested in whitewater rafting guiding? The International Rafting Federation sets global standards for rafting guides.
8. Start developing your ecological pattern recognition skills by learning to identify local flora, fauna and fungi with Seek, iNaturalist and other apps.
9. Download Gaia GPS for professional-grade navigation and route planning so you can start improving your navigation skills.
10. Get started by creating customized insurance waivers through WaiverSign.
11. Looking for scholarships? Origin has a list of scholarships and grants for guides.
Embrace Educational Opportunities
Level up your skills with in-depth education and certifications.
12. While not required, formal education can help. Many Universities offer accredited programs in adventure tourism and outdoor leadership.
13. Community colleges often offer outdoor recreation certificates. Colorado Mountain College is renowned for its outdoor programs.
14. Legal requirements guide licensing requirements through your region’s tourism board. Study the regulations for your area.
15. Get liability insurance through providers like Outdoor Insurance Group or Guide Insurance. Professional coverage is essential.
16. Build physical fitness to consistently lead mountain treks through a program like Mountain Athlete, which offers guide-specific workout programs.
17. Learn proper injury prevention from resources like Climbing Medicine and consider getting disability/injury insurance to protect your livelihood.
18. Stay current with industry news through Adventure Park Insider and Outdoor Industry Association.
19. Attend the annual Outdoor Retailer trade show to network and learn about new gear.
20. Join The American Hiking Society for advocacy and networking opportunities.
21. Join America Outdoors for industry advocacy and support.
Get Work Experience
22. Check job boards and outdoor career portals for outdoor guiding opportunities such as CoolWorks, OutdoorEd, Backdoor Jobs, Outdoor Industry Jobs or Adventure Job.
23. Connect with established guide services in your area. Many hire seasonal assistants for peak periods.
24. Start small with local outdoor organizations. Check REI for trip leading opportunities and basic outdoor skills classes.
25. Join your local Sierra Club chapter to volunteer as a trip assistant. Many chapters offer leadership training.
26. Consider seasonal work at national parks through the National Park Service.
27. Register with the International Adventure Travel Guide for worldwide opportunities.
Start Your Own Tour Business
28. Create profiles on platforms like AirBNB Experiences, 57Hours or TourRadar to connect with clients.
29. Use Google My Business to establish your guiding service online.
30. Join the Professional Tour Guide Association for networking and professional development.
His mission at Mindful Ecotourism is to share mindful awareness, experiential learning and community building practices that can reconnect people with nature.
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