{"id":18484,"date":"2011-07-20T16:21:40","date_gmt":"2011-07-20T21:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artofmanliness.com\/?p=18484"},"modified":"2021-05-30T19:05:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T00:05:48","slug":"so-you-want-my-job-motorcycle-expedition-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/money-wealth\/career\/so-you-want-my-job-motorcycle-expedition-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"So You Want My Job: Motorcycle Expedition Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/a>\"Andrew<\/a>
\nOnce again we return to our So You Want My Job series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable jobs and ask them about the reality of their work and for advice on how men can live their dream.<\/em><\/p>\n

Warning: The reading of this post may cause extreme pangs of restlessness to all cubicle dwellers. Side effects may include the quitting of one’s job and the booking of flights to Australia.<\/p>\n

Seriously though, this interview is a fun one–and offers a nice bit of inspiration about hustling and going after your dreams to any man.<\/p>\n

The provider of that inspiration is Andrew Collins, who guides motorcycle expeditions across the vast expanses of Australia.<\/p>\n

1. Tell us a little about yourself (Where are you from? How old are you? Describe your job and how long you’ve been at it, etc).<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m Andrew Collins, 23-year-old American raised in the Boston suburbs and educated at the University of Vermont.  I\u2019ve also lived in Stockholm briefly, and have traveled all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia.  I\u2019m currently employed as an Expedition Guide for a motorcycle tour company called Outback Adventure Treks based in Australia.<\/p>\n

Since April of this year I\u2019ve been spinning wrenches, driving trucks, and riding motorcycles in some of the wildest places you can do such things.  Our company sets up off-road endurance challenges for clients in the form of multi-day tours.  We bring bikers across deserts, jungles, and mountains for one to four consecutive weeks of extreme riding.  As a guide, I\u2019m either riding ahead of the group scouting the route and making sure our clients are okay on the trail, or bringing up the rear in our massive 4×4 support vehicle.  This truck serves as our \u201clife support system\u201d carrying food, fuel, tools, and a satellite connection to civilization.  It\u2019s primarily a two-man operation; the boss and I swap riding and driving as he sees fit.  I also prepare food, help make and break camp, and assist in any medical or mechanical situations that invariably arise while on tour.<\/p>\n

In addition to touring, we compete in desert races all over Australia including the massive \u201cAustralian Safari\u201d–a seven day navigation rally in which racers and support teams don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going until they\u2019re on the course, reading directions from a real-time turn by turn \u201croad book\u201d just like the (in)famous Dakar Rally.<\/p>\n

2. Why did you want to become a motorcycle expedition guide? When did you know it was what you wanted to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had a passion for adventure, a passion for vehicles, and a determination to combine both into a job.  You\u2019ve seen those black-and-white pictures of scholarly types leaning out of Land Rovers in pith helmets?  That\u2019s what I wanted to be: a gentleman on a quest for something important, in a cool outfit and an even cooler vehicle.<\/p>\n

Of course, that kind of thing doesn\u2019t really exist the way it did in Rudyard Kipling novels.  Not now, maybe not ever.  But I just couldn\u2019t see myself sitting in a cubicle and writing Excel formulas eight hours a day for the rest of my life.  So instead of finishing school with a degree in business like I had originally planned, I started branding myself as something of a \u201cmodern adventure scholar\u201d about halfway through college.  I studied anthropology, archaeology, became certified in CPR and wilderness medicine.  I also did some off-road driver training days with Land Rover and various 4×4 clubs.  In winters I worked as a ski instructor at a nearby resort, that being my first foray into the tourism industry.<\/p>\n

But New England didn\u2019t really have the backdrops I had in mind for my adventures; I had to get somewhere exotic.  So I looked to Australia–far away, conveniently English speaking, and of course the off-roading capital of the world.  Nowhere else can you travel the distances you can in Australia without seeing another person and still enjoy political stability.  Besides that, the whole country is crazy for adventure driving and even the \u201cshelias\u201d have upgraded suspension on their SUVs.<\/p>\n

So I tried to get in touch with as many people as I could who had anything to do with adventure tourism in Australia, who I found through the magic of the internet.  I hadn\u2019t heard many (any) encouraging responses but decided to take a stab anyway.  After liquidating most of my property, and begging Grandma for some post-collegiate financial aid, I bought a temporary working visa plus a one-way ticket to Sydney.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later I was sweating bollocks in the Australian summer with a gym bag holding all my worldly possessions and a massive hangover from sucking down about twelve of those mini scotch bottles over the Pacific.<\/p>\n

I traveled up the east coast for a few weeks until finally, I got the attention of the right person.  After striking up a conversation about motorcycles with a guy I saw leaning on a Honda Dominator, he mentioned a company that led \u201ccrazy tours\u201d on motorbikes through the outback.  I went straight to an internet caf\u00e9, found the website, emailed the owner and sure enough he was interested in meeting and vetting me out for a job.<\/p>\n

I hopped the next bus to his location and met the guy at a bar.  I had to use every scrap of energy I had to contain my excitement as he described his operation; phrases like “most extreme motorcycle tours in existence,” “helicopter rescues,” and “desert racing” were casually coming out of his mouth between sips of ale.<\/p>\n

I was deep in my imagination picturing myself blasting over a sand dune in body armor and aviator sunglasses when I heard him say; \u201cThat sound alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Later I figured out that last question was referring to the paltry salary, but it mattered not–I was shaking his hand and signing up for a season of riding motorcycles, driving off-roaders, and traversing the desert for a living.  Needless to stay, I couldn\u2019t wait to get my hands dirty.<\/p>\n

\"Motorcyclist<\/a>3. This is a pretty unique job that involves several unique skills sets. How does a man become a motorcycle expedition guide, learn the requisite skills, and find his way into this line of work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, it was my willingness to go to the end of the Earth (literally) that got me where I am.  My now-boss took a chance on a guy with lots of theoretical training but not much actual experience (hell, I had never been to Australia) and for that I\u2019m still extremely grateful.  I think the fact that I had just come 10,000 miles for a chance to do what he did helped make the point that I was serious.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re looking to score a job in extreme off-roading or adventure tourism:<\/em><\/p>\n