Nothing seems better than a lucrative salary blended with the punch of the things you love – Adventure. Who doesn’t love a good adventure every now and then to spice up their lives? People who often go on to turn their passion into a lifestyle, which then gets translated into a nice, hefty pay check.
Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? It most definitely is. Besides living a truly adventurous lifestyle, one gets to travel the world, often to exotic destinations. These kinds of jobs do pay well, taking into consideration the demand for people who are willing to go one step further than the rest.
But not everyone manages to grab such dream jobs. Most often, there is a rigorous amount of training involved. There might be times when you don’t exactly feel like your adventurous best. Besides, some of these offbeat careers can be rather dangerous, which is why they are scored by some of the world’s biggest thrill seekers. Then again, all this fails to matter once you’ve set your mind on experiencing high-octane thrills and action-packed days for the rest of your life. Here is our list of the top 5 adventure jobs in the world.
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Paragliding instructor
You get up every morning, look to the sky above, check on the wind conditions, climb up a hill and then take off and fly. Wouldn’t we all love to do this for a living! Sure we would. But do you have what it takes to be a paragliding instructor? Passion that runs high for this adventure sport is the first thing you’ll need so that you can live the dream. Hours of training will ensure that you gain your license to fly, first as a paraglider and then as a trainer. A paragliding instructor takes people on tandem rides, besides acting as a guide to those who have signed up to learn.
Wildlife Photographer
The places that you’ll go and the animals that you’ll see! Indeed, the job of a wildlife photographer is enviable and one that’s highly attainable. Starting off with advanced photography skills and a specialisation in wildlife might land you this much-coveted job. While this job is an exciting one, it isn’t always a glamorous one. You’ll be shooting tigers in their natural surroundings on one day, and on another, waiting for hours on end for that gorgeous bird to show up so that you can photograph it, while you sit amid a swarm of mosquitoes. Patience, here, is truly a virtue.
Deep-sea diver
There is something incredibly beautiful and mysterious associated with exploring the depths of the sea. And we aren’t exactly referring to scuba diving here. The Professional Association of diving Instructors (PADI) defines anything from 18 metres to 30 metres as a ‘recreational’ dive. Deep diving is, simply put, diving to depths at anything below 30 metres reaching as low as 310 metres, which happens to be the record depth for the deepest dive on SCUBA. Or, in another words, going down to depths at which one can explore a shipwreck and the rarely seen beauty of the underwater world. One needs to have an immense love of the ocean as well as a confident approach to swimming. But more importantly, you’ll need to obtain a speciality deep-diving certification. It’s a valuable and high-paying job that ranges from recreational deep dives to the more laborious and dangerous kind, including construction and technical work.
Expedition guide
Leading a group of trekkers up mountains, all the while braving unpredictable weather, harsh terrain and many other unforeseen issues, is no easy task. This is, perhaps, why the post of an expedition guide is a highly paid one. While no two days will be alike in this job, it does require several pre-requisites. One needs training to learn a broad range of skills. From technical know-how, rescue training and risk management, to leadership and theoretical knowledge, specialised expedition courses can be a rigorous drill. Still, there’s nothing that can come in the way of a true adventurer, always seeking to scale new heights.
White water rafting instructor
White water rafting is an enjoyable activity, especially if you have a desire for all things adventurous. Just hearing the rapids rumble is a thrill in itself. At the helm of it all is the rafting guide, the person in charge of pretty much everything—loading rafts with equipment, inspecting the raft ahead of a trip, briefing groups with regards to safety instructions and finally, taking charge of the raft during the trip. Again, while the training is intense, the perks are innumerable. It’s a well-paying job that allows you to meet new people while you live out your dream of enjoying the river rapids all over the world.