Tour Leading
If you’ve ever done any backpacking in Asia, Africa, the Middle East or anywhere else for that matter you may have come across those usually brightly coloured overland trucks containing a dozen or so smelly travellers. This is an adventure tour.
But it’s not all about trucks and camping. While still exploring the same ‘off the beaten track’ destinations, today adventure tours are just as likely to stay in comfortable accommodation and eat in decent restaurants. Adventure Tour operators run tours the world over, from Syria to Saigon. And every tour needs a leader.
The Job Description
A cross between a guide and a babysitter, a tour leader is completely responsible for his clients for the duration of the tour. From stimulating their minds with local knowledge on the coach, to entertaining them over dinner. The job is a varied one. And with your boss back home at HQ, there’s more autonomy than you could shake a hiking stick at.
Qualification
You don’t need to speak a dozen languages to become an adventure tour leader, but what you do need are people skills, patience, and the ability to look composed and confident when things are falling to pieces around you. A little bit of travel experience helps too ofcourse. And obviously you've got to want to work abroad.
Who to Work for?
The adventure travel industry is expanding constantly, and there are a number of adventure tour companies out there, each with their own specialisation, or niche. Some operate physically demanding tours, some only stay at campsites, some do cycling or hiking, some specialise in an area or region, and some do the whole lot. Just find you way to your favourite search engine and type in ‘Adventure tours’ and see what you get.
The Money
Tour leading won't make you rich, but there is an opportunity to save like never before. Although wages are low, tour leaders rarely pay for food, accommodation, travel or indeed drinks, meaning that you can put away pretty much every penny. At the end of a contract you’re likely to come home with a tidy some in the bank.
Lifestyle
Make no mistake, tour leading is a lifestyle, and a profoundly fulfilling at one at that. But like any job there are ups and downs, and more often than not people retire to some sort of normality, usually after two or three years. It’s incredibly hard work, the hours are infinite, and spending months away from home at a time will put strain on even the strongest of relationships. But for individuals of the right age, marital status and temperament, it really can be ‘the best job in the world’.
For information on work abroad websites and resources click here
Or find out how you can be paid to travel as a PADI diving instructor, Tefl teacher, or travel writer.
