By Tariq El Kashef, Posted Aug 25, 2006
Sections: Guide to Tour Leading Adventure Travel Job Description Companies and Contracts The Million Dollar Question Life Afterwards
Meet countless beautiful young men and women to whom you are the ultimate oracle of knowledge, wisdom, and guidance. That is of course the glamorous life of an adventure tour leader.
Ahem, well not quite…
Travel the globe and earn money. Live a life that’s just “one big holiday“ and have an all year tan. Acquire a lover in every port, and wow your friends back home with endless stories of adventure. Finally, meet countless beautiful young men and women to whom you are the ultimate oracle of knowledge, wisdom, and guidance. That is of course the glamorous life of an adventure tour leader.
Ahem, well not quite…
In reality you’ll work incredibly hard. When you do have a moments peace to fart or breath in between running around after your clients, you’ll probably spend it with your head buried in paperwork, updating accounts or writing a report on a client who had to visit a doctor and the current state of their bowels. Something that probably would have been described to you in graphic detail over breakfast.
The healthy tan you once knew as a backpacker will fade with sleep deprivation, and you’ll adopt an off-white, ever so slightly jaundiced colour and heavy bags under your eyes. Usually you’ll spend a single night or two in each port of call, so acquiring a lover in any one of them requires fast work, and of course the time and energy to go chatting up the locals after a hard days graft.
You’ll lose touch with many people back home, and those you do stay in touch with will definitely stop reading those extended essays you keep sending them documenting your latest adventures.
And your clients, oh yes those beautiful young men and women, will probably be a little bit older than yourself. Retired, or on their way to retirement, and whilst you can wow them with your local knowledge, ultimately they will be an oracle of knowledge for you. From hip replacements to pensions (something you won’t have by the way), you’ll hear it all.
But there is some truth in my opening statement. You will travel the whole world and earn money. Still interested??? Read on.
