Tour guide vs outdoor guide

The differences between tour guides and outdoor guides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a tour guide and an outdoor guide. Additionally, an outdoor guide has an average salary of $49,220, which is higher than the $32,323 average annual salary of a tour guide.

The top three skills for a tour guide include local history, customer service and safety practices. The most important skills for an outdoor guide are responder, GPS, and outdoor education.

Tour guide vs outdoor guide overview

	Tour Guide	Outdoor Guide
Yearly salary	$32,323	$49,220
Hourly rate	$15.54	$23.66
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,043	911
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 84%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	2	2

Tour guide vs outdoor guide salary

Tour guides and outdoor guides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tour Guide	Outdoor Guide
Average salary	$32,323	$49,220
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $55,000	Between $12,000 And $199,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Harley-Davidson	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between tour guide and outdoor guide education

There are a few differences between a tour guide and an outdoor guide in terms of educational background:

	Tour Guide	Outdoor Guide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 84%
Most common major	Business	Recreation Management
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Tour guide vs outdoor guide demographics

Here are the differences between tour guides' and outdoor guides' demographics:

	Tour Guide	Outdoor Guide
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 9.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between tour guide and outdoor guide duties and responsibilities

Tour guide example responsibilities.

Manage the canoe landing including guests, workers, and canoe traffic in a way that all run smoothly and safely.
Aid clients with matters regarding passports and visas.
Receive multiple positive reviews on the company Facebook page.
Complete extensive training as well as first aid, CPR and a certification.
Maintain alertness for any problem solve calls via radio and communication with management.
Spearhead all creative activity for online marketing (Facebook), and other social media sites5.

Outdoor guide example responsibilities.

Manage payroll - specifically manage overtime.
Steer a large voyageur canoe, teach paddling skills, and safety practices.
Guide backpacking, canoe, white-water raft trips with a non-profit outdoor youth development program.
Facilitate a therapeutic outdoor adventure experience for teenagers struggling with a variety of behavioral, mental health and substance abuse challenges.
Manage commercial whitewater rafting outfit.

Tour guide vs outdoor guide skills

Common tour guide skills

Local History, 22%
Customer Service, 19%
Safety Practices, 16%
Public Speaking, 8%
Front Desk, 4%
Facebook, 3%

Common outdoor guide skills

Responder, 25%
GPS, 16%
Outdoor Education, 14%
Natural History, 14%
Adventure Programs, 7%
Customer Service, 6%