Choosing an Adventure Travel Guide Service

Choosing a qualified and reliable guide service can be a critical step in planning your adventure travel trip. The depth of research required in choosing a guide will depend on the type of adventure travel and the activity you are engaging in. Traveling to a dude ranch in Colorado, the guide service you choose is less critical than if you are climbing Mount McKinley or SCUBA diving in Belize.

Qualifications

Start by carefully looking at the qualifications of the company and its employees. The professionalism at which business is handled, including everything from the company's website to how your questions are answered on the telephone. The guide service should state on their website or brochure information such as years of experience, guiding credentials and other useful information.

Ask who your guide will be and what his credentials, certifications, or other experience is. A good guide service will have this information readily available. If your trip has you traveling out of your country, it is advantageous to use local guides or guides that are familiar with the area, its culture and the native language.

Equipment

Ask questions about the equipment that is going to be used and what equipment you will be responsible for bringing. For instance, does a river rafting outfitter provide wetsuits? If equipment is not provided, does the service offer a rental service for it?

Ask how meals are going to be provided on multi-day trips. Will you be responsible for your own food or does the guide service prepare meals?

Ask about seasonal considerations. Is there any additional equipment required for the season of travel?

Safety and Success

It should be in your interest to know what your potential guide's success rate is. Ask them what it is. They should be happy to tell you. Carefully determine what insurance or other protection is in place if the trip does not go as planned. Adventure travel has many reasons for delays and cancelations. Reliable guides will have contingency plans or refund policies.

Ask whether it is the guide service company or a sub-contractor in the region that will be providing the adventure tourism services. A third-party or sub-contractor can mean that the guide service company has less experience there. A sub-contractor is not necessarily a negative thing. It also means that it will be local guides providing the adventure guide service. However, ask the company who traveled and designed the trip. This will give you an idea of the confidence behind the trip.

Use Professional Associations

Check with the United States Tour Operators Association and the Adventure Travel Trade Association regarding specific companies' certifications and their business practices. Like the Better Business Bureau, these organizations track complaints, certifications and licenses of adventure travel and guide services.

Adventure travel and traveling away from your own geographic location or out of your country can expose you to dangers you are not normally prepared to defend against. Prior to traveling abroad, check with the U.S. Department of State regarding any condition that may make a country unusually dangerous. The U.S. Department of State issues "Travel Warnings" for long-term conditions that may be hazardous and issues "Travel Alerts" for short-term circumstances including hazards such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or other violence.

Finding a reliable, guide service that has a high success and safety record for your adventure travel experience is critical to your trip's success. Without doing your research, you may end up on a survival trip instead of an adventure of a lifetime.

Resources

Adventure Travel Trade Association
United States Tour Operators Association
National Tour Association
U.S. Department of State: Travel Information
American Mountain Guide Association
National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI)
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)