| Do you remember the scene in Madagascar 2 when | | | | guides must be physically fit. As the person in charge, |
| tourists were on the tour guide jeep in Africa? The | | | | they must be able to complete the adventures |
| one where the penguins faked dead to steal the | | | | themselves and help clients along the way. If they |
| jeep, and the old lady from New York kung-fu | | | | don't have any assistants, they will also need to carry |
| fought with Alex? Aha! You're smiling...you remember! | | | | heavy equipment around and set up camps |
| Well , being an adventure tour guide can carry you to | | | | themselves . Think about that the next time you |
| exotic and exciting locations, just like Madagascar. | | | | groan when it's gym class! |
| An adventure tour guide is someone whose job it is | | | | Because nature is unpredictable, a tour guide must |
| to carry people on adventures, either on land, in | | | | also know about risk assessment management. This |
| water, or in the air. Land adventures include | | | | means they have to know if a situation looks too |
| mountain-biking, rock-climbing, camping, | | | | risky after considering all the dangers involved. If it |
| horseback-riding and nature trails. Water adventures | | | | seems too dangerous or life-threatening then a guide |
| include scuba-diving, white-water rafting and canoeing. | | | | will turn around. (Examples of assessing a risk include |
| Air adventures include bungee jumping, sky-diving and | | | | the arrival of a hurricane, or coming upon a shaky or |
| hot air ballooning. If you think that doing unusual, | | | | broken bridge while hiking) |
| exciting and sometimes, dangerous stuff is cool, then | | | | Not all challenges are major ones, sometimes a guide |
| adventure tour guide is the job for you. | | | | will have to deal with things like hotels losing dinner |
| So what does it take to do the job, and do it right? | | | | reservations, a passenger with motion sickness and |
| A guide must be well-trained and have a lot of | | | | clients who don't show up on time for a tour. This is |
| first-hand experience. They must know everything | | | | where it's important for a tour guide not to lose their |
| about the equipment that they're handling. This can | | | | cool. In these cases, patience really is a virtue! |
| only be achieved through specific training in their field. | | | | English and foreign languages are the two basic |
| It's also important for guides to know how to handle | | | | educational requirements. An adventure tour guide |
| emergencies. Yes, knowing how to dress minor cuts | | | | must be able to communicate well with their clients, |
| with ointment and band-aid is important. But some | | | | especially if they work in countries where English isn't |
| emergencies can be quite serious. Emergencies like if | | | | the main language. History, geography and geology |
| someone has stopped breathing. | | | | are also very helpful. |
| A major requirement for all adventure tour guides is | | | | The life of an adventure tour guide can be very |
| advanced training in CPR or CardioPulmonary | | | | challenging since a guide is responsible for the safety |
| Resuscitation - this is the procedure to help someone | | | | and well-being of his/her clients in the outdoors. |
| who has stopped breathing. Guides who take clients | | | | However it can also be very rewarding. You get to |
| on extreme adventures will also need to be trained | | | | travel the world and meet new people. It's a great |
| as a Wilderness First Responder (WRF) and a | | | | opportunity to make lots of friends, experience |
| Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT). | | | | beautiful environments and exchange information with |
| This is necessary because most extreme tours | | | | others about the culture of an area. With a job like |
| involve some contact with the wilderness. | | | | this that trip to Madagascar may be closer than you |
| Outdoor adventures can be strenuous and tour | | | | think. |