Expedition Type Jobs?

[Andy351]

So I'm young and bored without too many commitments and I was thinking I wouldn't mind getting paid to do expedition type work. Obviously it takes a slightly different kind of person to want to do this stuff, but I'm that kind of guy. Exploration has always seemed like a pretty noble cause to me.

Who out there has a job where you get paid to trek out into the middle of nowhere? How did you get into it? What do you do once you are "out there"? What are the pros and cons you find? What other fields can you think of that would lead to work like this?

[89breaker]

Join the military.

My job runs world-wide, I get their by air or ground, destroy what needs to be destroyed and save what needs to be saved.

Anything I need is either flown or trucked in or I get it locally.

Head back to base and wait for the next job.

[roastbeef]

maybe a geographical land surveyor? i don't even know if thats a job, but it sounds like something.

[Seabass]

Border patrol

[roastbeef]

ooohh.. i got one. california state parks ranger. you have to go throught a post academy though... you are basicly a cop. but in anza borrego, they roll around in rubicons. they all just cruise around. its awesome.

[Rock-Wear]

photographer

[89breaker]

Originally Posted by Rock-Wear

photographer

He said he wanted to travel, not be broke.

[imwiththebann'd]

Originally Posted by 89breaker

He said he wanted to travel, not be broke.

hahahaha. I've got friends who are photographers. Marry a smart girl, or a rich one and you can pull it off. Either that or get a second job

[roastbeef]

sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too... get a good job that pays well, so you can afford your offroading habit.

[1LegLance]

There are very very few people who get paid to overland...
writers
GPS/land survey folks
wildlife biologist
and a few others...
otherwise you might have a job in the outdoors like forest service, border patrol, military or such but that isn't the same.
There are 2 ways to go about it....just get out there and write/photograph/travel and see if enough people care about what you do that companies will care....
or like someone else said, get the education to get a good job that covers the cash/time off to travel and enjoy the outdoors or that employes you in the outdoors.

[151fab]

Originally Posted by 89breaker

Join the military.

My job runs world-wide, I get their by air or ground, destroy what needs to be destroyed and save what needs to be saved.

Anything I need is either flown or trucked in or I get it locally.

Head back to base and wait for the next job.

Can't beat that answer!!!

Here's a few others that don't include the camo uniform.
The petroleum industry and mining industry has probably the highest concentration of field personnel. Geologists, cartologists, surveyors, mechanics, environmental specialists and biologists are all employed by mining and petro. companies and are sent into the wilderness/desolation. There is a lot of land and species conservation going on in developing countries that require personnel to travel large distances while self-contained.

[Keith Armstrong]

There are a couple of guys who post from time to time in the "general conversation" or whatever it's called section....and a guy who puts some photos up from time to time over at the ih8mud forums.

It seems that one of these fellas is indeed an architect / surveyor and the other is a maintenance / repair guy who works on what appear to be microwave communications installations.

Great pics from both of them...as I sit here in my office full of paper

[bluejeep1]

checkout the latest issue of Overland Journal. There was a blurb about needing someone to document gps coordinates of a section of Africa

[tb]

that sounds like trouble

[TurboNerd]

I've seen guys with fleets of vehicles that take people through trails & camping & feed them & teach them to wheel. Doubt many of those guys are getting paid in this ecomomy though.

[Clay]

Does it have to be overland expeditions?

I work on an expedition cruise ship and it's pretty bad ass. Travel is paid for, and you get to go places that no 4x4 could dream of.

Other than that, the only people I've seen be successful at making money have been tour guides. There's a few down here in Baja (where I am now). If you like I could get some names and numbers for you, but I don't know if they would help.

[broncdawg]

Back in the day, Got paid (very little) as a rafting guide on the Colorado, Arkansas and Green rivers, and the next day I'd find myself taking tourists wheeling in the mountains around Steamboat Springs, CO. The rafting company had an early bronco and a 70s F250 with bench seats in the back, HaHa.

Following winter in Vail, got paid to ski all winter shooting ski videos!

Three summers in the Sierra as a backcountry horsepacker.
Volunteer fireman,...on and on.

If you want adventure in life, you'll find a way to make it happen.
Grab the Brass ring and don't let go, but you gotta get up off the couch.

[Stowe]

In college me and a buddy of mine got hired on as farm hands (Chadron, NE). We were gone for a good three weeks repairing fences for a cattle rancher. Sweet deal... he would fly to us every other day and drop food, water, fuel, nails etc... and we would just follow the fence line in 4 wheelers. Best job I have ever had! He gave us a rough map of the property - pointed out good watering holes that we could swim in and gave us enough rounds to start our own little war. Gave us an extra $2 per praire dog $5. for analopes and $10 for every coyote we shot. We could have stayed out longer and other ranchers wanted the help too, but he couldnt stand being away from his girlfriend for such a long time.

One part of the property we came across a section that was marked off with florecent strips. It was the actual imprints of wagons from when people were migrating west for the gold rush. It was hard to believe, but when we asked about it, that is what he told us. A group of archologist were tracking the old wagon trails.

So that is a great profession - archelogist.

[97XEB]

If you can, get some kind of adventure or travel related job for a few years before you "get serious" about life. Seems like the common problem is not having the time when you have the money, and not having the money when you have the time. It only gets harder when you get married, get a house and start having kids... so do it while you can.

[Clay]

Originally Posted by 97XEB

If you can, get some kind of adventure or travel related job for a few years before you "get serious" about life. Seems like the common problem is not having the time when you have the money, and not having the money when you have the time. It only gets harder when you get married, get a house and start having kids... so do it while you can.

Good advice.

Try www.coolworks.com

There's some 4x4 jobs in Alaska during the summer on there at times.

[MossMan]

Originally Posted by Stowe

In college me and a buddy of mine got hired on as farm hands (Chadron, NE). We were gone for a good three weeks repairing fences for a cattle rancher. Sweet deal... he would fly to us every other day and drop food, water, fuel, nails etc... and we would just follow the fence line in 4 wheelers. Best job I have ever had! He gave us a rough map of the property - pointed out good watering holes that we could swim in and gave us enough rounds to start our own little war. Gave us an extra $2 per praire dog $5. for analopes and $10 for every coyote we shot. We could have stayed out longer and other ranchers wanted the help too, but he couldnt stand being away from his girlfriend for such a long time.

That would be fawkin' cool.

[uglyscout]

Originally Posted by Stowe

In college me and a buddy of mine got hired on as farm hands (Chadron, NE). We were gone for a good three weeks repairing fences for a cattle rancher. Sweet deal... he would fly to us every other day and drop food, water, fuel, nails etc... and we would just follow the fence line in 4 wheelers. Best job I have ever had!

I think I saw that movie -- What was it called? Brokeleg River or soemthing


I'm a land surveyor and one of the sales reps that used to come around a lot (i.e. when times were good and the company could afford to have him driving around just for PR...) used to be a land surveyor for an oil company - His stories are freakin' amazing! Flying all over, deserts, middle of the ocean, jungles, etc - staying in countries where he was provided an armed escort from the airport to his guarded villa on his 'day' off. Made a ton of money - saw almost the entire world... Sounded like an awesome job for a single guy. But he gave it up for his family...

[tb]

have a buddy who works in the oil biz he sets up survey sites, platforms, ect all over the world some times out at sea but mostly on land in gnarly locations, not always the safest conditions, but well worth it if you so inclined , great for a single guy, lots of wheeling spends most of his time here in cambodia, laos, thailand ect.

[Rat70FJ]

Originally Posted by Stowe

So that is a great profession - archelogist.

There you go, Indiana Jones!

[Jeff Knoll]

A guy I know used to contract with SCE to inspect power poles in remote locations. He has some great stories about wheeling many miles from anything and getting stuck or broken.