Resources for tour guides
How to become a guide, where the jobs are, what the work pays, the licenses and permits you need, and how to fill a multi-day trip. Written for hiking, paddling, fishing and off-road guides, from a team that guides.
Become a tour guide →Free to join, no exclusivity, 15% plus card processing only on a booking we bring you.
How to Become a Tour Guide: Steps From Zero to Paid TripsHow to become a tour guide, step by step: choosing a niche, WFA and WFR training, state licenses, NPS Commercial Use Authorizations, insurance, and outfitter vs independent.
Tour Guide Jobs: Where the Openings Are and How to Get HiredWhere tour guide jobs actually are: outfitters, park concessioners, adventure travel companies, city and shore tours, the seasonal hiring calendar, and how to get hired.
Hiking, Kayak and ATV Guide Jobs: Where Outdoor Guides Get HiredHourly ATV tour guide jobs, hiking and kayak guide jobs, trip leader and tour director roles: real 2026 listings with pay, requirements and when companies hire.
Tour Guide Job Description: Duties, Qualifications and a Copy-Ready TemplateWhat a tour guide does, the duties and qualifications BLS lists, what changes for multi-day outdoor guides, and a job description template you can copy.
How Much Does a Tour Guide Make? Wages, Tips and the Math of Running Your Own TripsTour guide pay from the latest BLS data, how much tips add, why seasonal work changes the annual number, and how to work out what your own multi-day trips earn.
How Much to Tip a Tour Guide: Rafting, Kayak, Backpacking, Europe and JapanHow much to tip a tour guide, sourced from outfitters and travel writers: 10 to 20% on U.S. outdoor trips, euros per person in Europe, and why Japan is different. Plus how guides should handle tips.
Tour Guide License and Certification: What You Actually NeedTour guide license and certification explained: NYC and New York State licenses, Maine Guide, NPS CUAs, Forest Service and BLM permits, WFA and WFR, and insurance.
How to Be a Good Tour Guide: Skills and Tools for Multi-Day TripsHow to be a good tour guide on multi-day outdoor trips: group management, risk and weather calls, pacing, storytelling, the tools to carry, and getting reviews.
Tour Guide Resume: Template and Examples for Outdoor GuidesA copy-ready tour guide resume template for outdoor and multi-day guides, what to list (certifications, trip days, group sizes, permits) and example bullet points.
How to Market Multi-Day Guided Trips and Fill Every DateHow to market multi-day guided trips: per-person pricing, your own site and booking software, Google Business Profile, reviews, OTAs and their fees, SEO, email and partners.Was this helpful?
One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
Half Dome CablesYosemite NP · CaliforniaPermitOpens Mar 1fair odds
Mt. WhitneyInyo NF · CaliforniaPermitOpens Feb 1tough odds
Angels LandingZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
The SubwayZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
Mount St. Helens Summit ClimbGifford Pinchot NF · WashingtonPermitReservationtough odds
How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.