Their first questions are about trying to get social media fame, rather than asking what the best way to cycle to China is. The adventure should be the first thing you worry about — the rest comes later. Is the life of a professional adventurer for everyone?
If you just want to do expeditions, perhaps the most sensible thing to do is to get the best, well-paid office job that you can manage. Do it on terms whereby you do six months in the office and then six months off, so you can disappear round the world. Although this plan is very sensible, I would hate it because the six months in the office would break me. It was probably the first big one I did: cycling the world.
Doing your first big adventure is such an exciting, wonderful thing that you never get again. The more you do trips, the more you know what to expect.
Inevitably, the initial magic fades a little bit. It was so special to be fresh and out in the world. It was also really enjoyable because it was before I had any notion that this would become my job. How much training is involved in your job? Try and earn enough to keep yourself afloat. The pay completely varies. When I got to the point where I could sustainably live from my adventures — eat, sleep, pay rent — I just felt so thrilled and thought I had everything I wanted in life.
Of course, being a greedy human, I then had that yearning for more money! It usually takes quite a long time to build up credibility and the skills of writing, speaking, or filmmaking. Since our trips together, Rob and Alastair continue to give motivational talks at the highest level, and Alastair has pioneered the approach of multiple income streams and relentless blogging.
Anna McNuff and Sean Conway have made their names through long-distance cycling and running journeys, and Sarah Outen wowed people with remarkable feats of perseverance on oceans. Dave Cornthwaite started a social enterprise called Say Yes More, and Tom Allen began building a world-class hiking trail across the Caucasus. Some became brand ambassadors or got breaks in television, and others chose perhaps the most sensible of all options; getting a real job to earn hard cash, then going on long adventures in holidays or between employment.
Pip Stewart is one of the best examples of this, working as Adventure Editor for Red Bull, yet still making time for major expeditions like cycling through the Amazon rainforest. These may not be the big household names. Ideally, you should go on a few expeditions before even thinking about turning it into a job.
Get into the wilds and climb those mountains because it makes you feel alive—and not just because you hope someone will notice it on Instagram and pay you to do it again. Like anything, this way of life also requires an exceptional amount of hard work. If you have an actual skill like climbing, sailing or kayaking then even better. Be innovative. Keep your head down and do what you do—then keep doing it, better and better, until you get noticed.
A history of going on exciting adventures will give you the integrity when you begin charging for what you do. Of course, there are caveats. So, had I known all this before, would I still have tried to turn my expeditions into a career? You might even be a part of it. An Adventure. Contributors About Subscribe. What does it take to be a professional adventurer? Did you escape to the woods every chance you got? Maybe you love taking early morning swims in the cool chill of a lake.
If the idea of hiking in the mountains among clear streams fills you with tranquility and not a panicky desire for antihistamine, adventure for you might consist of wildlife conservation, eco-tourism, or scenic recreation.
Count up your scars. Were you a tree-climber and a daredevil? A skinner-of-knees? The first to volunteer in gym and the last to back down? Always on the move, maybe you feel cooped up while sitting in class. Maybe the idea of working at a computer in a drab office fills you with nameless dread. Maybe you have no fear of riding your bicycle fast in heavy traffic and think scuba diving sounds like a relaxing weekend activity. White water? Bring it on. For you, adventure might consist of extreme sports, outdoor endurance activities, or exploration.
Consider cultural exploration. Does discovering new music, trying new food, and being lost in an unfamiliar land seem exciting to you? Maybe the history of a place interests you. Maybe you've always wanted to learn Japanese, see what Siberia looks like from a train, or spend the day sipping red wine and sampling goat cheeses.
For you, adventure might be archaeological research or journalism. It might be culinary, historical, or artistic. Also consider anthropology and sociology, if you've an aptitude for research. Think about helping people. If there was an injured rabbit in your backyard when you were a kid, you took it in a shoebox and cared for it. Do you always keep up with the news abroad? Does poverty fill you will a sense of injustice and a desire to create change?
Do you want to give back to the world and contribute your talents in a way that makes it a better place than you found it? Humanitarian and philanthropic adventures are right up your alley. Consider legal or medical fields. Dig out your bug collection. Are you fascinated by animals--their names, their classifications, their different peculiarities? Have you always kept pets? Maybe you've always had an unexplainable fascination with rocks?
Volcanoes set your mind awhirl. You could name all the dinosaurs when you were a kid. Never afraid to pick up frogs or touch snakes, maybe you always felt at home with other species. Scientific research adventures are for you. Consider biology, zoology, paleontology, or geology as potential fields. Part 2. The life of an archaeologist seems glamorous in Indiana Jones, but that's because there are no scenes of him revising page research articles about tertiary religious ceremonies in ancient Sumeria for an editing review with an academic journal so he can get tenure.
Before you go off digging African velociraptors, you have to lay the ground work for success. There's no way to "major in Adventure," but you can study something that will allow you to travel and give you the foundations for doing what you want. Chemistry will keep you in the lab and on the computer, while marine biology will get you into the field. If you're interested in travel, hospitality and tourism programs would be a smart investment. Study a foreign language as an added bonus in marketing yourself down the road.
If you're interested in outdoor sports or other activities that involve being in nature, ecology programs with all sorts of specialities are available all over the country. Talk to an academic advisor to find out what's right for you.
After graduating, you can apply for Fulbright Fellowship or other grant program to fund a research or teaching experience in another country. They field all manner of different project ideas, from teaching music forms in Russia to poetry in South America.
If college isn't in the cards for you, never fear. Keeping yourself informed about your intended adventurous field doesn't necessarily need to be any more complicated than getting a library card and doing the work yourself. Developing a good set of skills, like videography or photography can likewise be a particularly useful skill.
Someone needs to know how to operate those high-definition video cameras in the arctic. Why not you? Sign up for the Peace Corps. One great way to have a guaranteed and semi-organized experience abroad for up to two years is to sign up for the Peace Corps. It's also an extremely satisfying way to give back, as you'll be participating in humanitarian aid of the most necessary sort.
Combine Peace Corps work with your own side travels over the course of your time there to make the most of it. Take a weekend to jaunt up to the Mediterranean and explore the cuisine, or to check out the scenic Scandinavian hiking trails. It'll leave you rejuvenated and ready to get back to the hard work you'll be doing. Look for an au pair or nanny job abroad.
In Europe, it's common for young and unemployed women to work abroad in the childcare industry. It can be a fairly lucrative short-term opportunity, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in a new culture and make some money.
Staying in close quarters with a family is a great way to learn the culture and language, too, as well as building a long-term relationship with a family that you can follow up on later in your adventuring career. If you work in Germany with a family for a year, that's one friendly group of folks you'll always know when you're passing through with a backpack and need a warm place to sleep. Teach English.
English skills are in demand worldwide. In Southeast Asia, especially, the demand for English teachers is on the rise. Most programs that facilitate your teaching experience, hooking you up with a job and the necessary qualifications, will require a BA in any field, but not all.
You might be able to find a gig teaching private lessons yourself, but an organization that specializes in placing American teachers in positions abroad is the safest and easiest way to go about getting a gig.
Sign up for a mission trip or a study abroad program. If you've got the time and the resources, your church or you school may organize yearly trips abroad that will give you some of the flavor of the kind of adventure you seek. Even if it's only for a couple weeks and even if the work is hard, building houses in Guatemala or Peru, you're earning your way and building the necessary skills.
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