Two things separate those who make long careers from adventure from those who fall by the wayside: Money and Patience… Money And if you can do stuff that makes you proud, and earns you enough along the way… well, that’s enough, isn’t it?
Assume that you’ll have to do everything yourself, starting at zero. Just be realistic with your dreams and ambitions.
You are unlikely to have the best address book full of useful contacts who can make great things happen for you.You are unlikely to have the biggest stroke of luck that makes great things happen.You are unlikely to be as rich as Bear Grylls.You are unlikely to be on telly as much as Ben Fogle.You are unlikely to make films as successful as Paul Diffley’s.You are unlikely to take photos as well as Jimmy Chin.
You are unlikely to sell as many books as Bill Bryson.You are unlikely to be as great a climber as Reinhold Messner.By definition you are unlikely to achieve as much as them. When considering trying to make a career out of travel and adventure, do not make the mistake of imagining your career path to emulate those of the outliers in the field. Don’t become a career adventurer solely because you want to go off on fun trips. Notice I don’t mention “going on adventures”, because there are loads of ways to do that in life.
I remain uncomfortable with people praising me more than I deserve, and I continue to get very angry and upset with the inevitable haters that your self-promotion will attract.) (And I have come to accept -though not enjoy- the weird world of relentless self-promotion that being a career adventurer requires.
So, you want to be a professional adventurer? You want to go beyond simply doing great journeys in your spare time, holidays or sabbaticals.