Tour guide vs river rafting guide

The differences between tour guides and river rafting 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 a river rafting guide. Additionally, a river rafting guide has an average salary of $42,002, 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 a river rafting guide are safety procedures, first-aid, and responder.

Tour guide vs river rafting guide overview

	Tour Guide	River Rafting Guide
Yearly salary	$32,323	$42,002
Hourly rate	$15.54	$20.19
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,043	950
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	2	2

Tour guide vs river rafting guide salary

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

	Tour Guide	River Rafting Guide
Average salary	$32,323	$42,002
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $55,000	Between $12,000 And $140,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Charlemont, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Harley-Davidson	Whitewater Express, Inc.
Best paying industry	Education	Retail

Differences between tour guide and river rafting guide education

There are a few differences between a tour guide and a river rafting guide in terms of educational background:

	Tour Guide	River Rafting Guide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Tour guide vs river rafting guide demographics

Here are the differences between tour guides' and river rafting guides' demographics:

	Tour Guide	River Rafting Guide
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%
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, 6.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between tour guide and river rafting 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.

River rafting guide example responsibilities.

Manage payroll - specifically manage overtime.
paddle rafts and stern-mount oar frames, shredders, duckies and kayaks.
Operate non-motorize craft (e.g., canoes, inflatable craft, rafts, kayaks, etc . )
Utilize TSQL when needing information from the SQL database.
Spot VIP guest immediately and provide special treatment including prefer tables.
Guide and teach youth outdoor rock climbing skills and first aid survival.

Tour guide vs river rafting guide skills

Common tour guide skills

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

Common river rafting guide skills

Safety Procedures, 39%
First-Aid, 19%
Responder, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
III-IV, 4%
Emergency Situations, 2%