From Daydreams to Jungle Dreams: A Journey to Becoming an Expedition Leader

Jade's childhood dreams of adventure, fuelled by a yearning to escape her small town, blossomed into a life dedicated to exploring the wild. After a transformative seven-month journey through East Africa, she traded a comfortable teaching position for a demanding expedition leader training program in Belize. Despite initial self-doubt and challenges, Jade persevered, ultimately becoming a successful expedition leader, leading groups through jungles and deserts.

Can you tell us a little about your upbringing? Where did you grow up, and what were some of the formative experiences that shaped you?

I was raised in a small town on the south coast, living with my mum and sister. We were a low-income family, so we definitely didn't have the opportunity for any holidays or travel when I was a kid. There's no doubt that a driving factor for me wanting to travel and seeking to make it my job was that I didn't find any adventure or excitement where I lived and just had this deep feeling there was much more to be seen, more to be experienced than that. I wanted to see amazing wildlife, meet interesting people, and just see what the rest of the world looked like. There was a lot of daydreaming as a child about the possibilities that I thought - and hoped - were out there!

When I was 19 after a lot of hours at various jobs I went on my first big trip. 7 months volunteering and travelling in Tanzania, Kenya and Malawi. It was unbelievable and gave me the travel bug, big time! The thing I had always dreamt of was seeing elephants and going on safari and I was lucky enough to be able to do that while I was there. I also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for the first time on that trip. I had never done anything remotely like that before. Never even been up Snowdon! I've been up a few times as a leader since and it will always be special to me. The first time I took on a real physical challenge, the first mountain I ever went up, the first time I had that real sensation of “wow! Life is going to be so exciting if it's all like this!”. The whole experience in East Africa made me. It was a huge step - from a very sheltered upbringing to living with a couple of boys I didn't know in a remote village in Tanzania with no running water. I was able to just be who I wanted to be, which I think is something I always emphasise to groups of travellers. When you are on a trip like that you aren't constrained by the expectations of people who know you, who you were brought up with. There are no patterns or norms to follow, you can explore other sides of yourself and find out who else you are. I think that's so important for everyone to experience at some point in their lives.

What was your initial interest in becoming an expedition leader?

I spent a few years working totally random minimum wage jobs to fund more travel and my degree. Then I took a “proper job” working as a lecturer in a college teaching animal science. I loved the students and fell in love with teaching, but I felt constrained by the college system and office life. Escape was needed! I just didn't know how to do it, I guess in the days before social media it was harder to find role models and inspiration.

I had always wanted to go to the jungle, and I came across the Gapforce Expedition Leader Training programme. At the time this was a 6-month course in Belize. It promised the opportunity of a job as an expedition leader if I succeeded. I didn't really know that was even a job at this point, but it sounded like everything I had been looking for; outdoors, adventure, travel and a lot of challenging work.

How did you become an expedition leader? And what challenges, if any, did you face along the way?

I left my teaching job and took the course in Belize, and after six of the most transformative months of my life, I succeeded in passing the course with a job offer. It was an insanely steep learning curve. I discovered fears I didn't even know I had, and I honestly thought I was failing the whole time, I was very out of my depth. But I was also having a great time and had a very competitive streak so just tried to learn as much as I could with my eye on the goal of a job at the end. Ultimately, I passed and was offered the role of expedition leader for their programme in Belize, taking various groups into the jungle for jungle skills training, treks and project work. Unbelievable fun!

Over the years the job has evolved, and I now work as a senior instructor on the expedition leader training programme, I lead expeditions for different companies, and I am a survival instructor. I work a lot in the jungle and more recently have been lucky enough to work on some stunning desert islands too. I have also just set up my own expedition company which I hope will mean I can take more people to some spectacular remote places.

The biggest challenge initially was my total lack of self-confidence and belief. I had my own voice in my head constantly telling me I didn't know what I was doing. But eventually, with some excellent mentoring and a lot of work on changing my self-talk, I found my stride. I think that sensation is quite normal, especially if you've taken quite a big step away from what you are used to, but I would really encourage anyone who has the same unpleasant little voice in their head to take action as it is very draining and gets in the way of you doing a great job and more importantly enjoying it. Find your cheerleaders, the people who will lift and encourage you, and take responsibility to do the work on yourself, there are lots of great techniques out there that will make a big difference.

The other biggest challenge took me a little by surprise. It never occurred to me that as a female I had any less right to be in that role than a male. However, I started to see that certain male participants would treat me very differently than my male colleagues. They struggled with me teaching them skills that presumably they thought were “men's” skills - fire lighting, machete use, survival skills. I saw male participants walk past me to ask a male colleague a question I could have easily answered.

Sadly, to this day I still see this issue arising. I hope with more female representation in the media showing women on expeditions, doing physical challenges, and in positions of authority that this will change. I think I have learned how to handle it well now, but some days it still makes me so mad! I have come to realise that while there are many positive things that we as women can do in response to these situations, it can also be incredibly powerful and effective if other men, such as male colleagues, address the behaviour, so I would encourage that of any men that see their female teammates facing these issues.
 

What are the most important skills and qualities for someone who wants to become an expedition leader or survival instructor?

Essential Skills and Qualities

• Organisation: You have to have yourself, your kit and the plan sorted so you can help other people who will likely be totally out of their element and need some support.

• A great sense of humour, calm and positivity when things are tough, or the plan is not going to plan. The team will be led by your mood and energy so find the silly side as much as you can.

• Stamina: The days can be long and unpredictable so you need enough in the tank to be able to face whatever might happen. It's vital to find ways to recharge yourself (mentally and physically) so you can keep going as long as needed.

Can you describe a specific expedition that you led that was particularly memorable? What made it so special?

I recently set up my own expedition company, Wild Globe Expeditions. Our first trip took a group of 9 people into some of the most beautiful jungles I've seen in Costa Rica. We created the route just for this trip, so we were well off the beaten track. Everything ran so perfectly, it felt like the jungle was putting on a show - enough rain to make it challenging, enough sun to enjoy magical moments by the river, sloths, toucans, snakes, and fresh cacao. It felt fantastic seeing the itinerary we had spent weeks and weeks preparing and obsessing over coming to life. I loved that we could run it with exactly the tone and style that we wanted, which is very much focused on the appreciation of and connection to wild spaces and indigenous cultures that live in them and minimal impact on the environment we travel to.

Did you have any close calls or dangerous situations on that expedition? How did you handle them?

Thankfully nothing close on this trip! Though my partner did accidentally sit on a large (non-venomous) snake, and I got stung by a bullet ant, but that's all in a day’s work in the jungle!

What are some of the most interesting or unusual things you have encountered while leading expeditions?

For me, the most interesting things will always be found in wildlife and nature. Everything has a purpose and is interconnected, there is no good or bad in nature, and I love finding out how it all links together. This is one of the reasons I find the jungle so fascinating. Each tree, plant, animal, or fungus has a connection to another and often they depend on each other. It's an endless puzzle trying to learn how they all interact.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about expedition leading or survival instruction?

I think a lot of people think you need to be a certain kind of hardcore, invincible individual. Of course, it is important to be resilient and have good technical skills, but I think even more importantly you need to be empathetic, tolerant and kind. Interpersonal skills really matter when you are trying to help people overcome a fear or push themselves; they need to feel that you understand them and that they can trust and rely on you.

What are some of the most common mistakes people make when trying to survive in the wilderness?

I think the biggest mistake is that people try to control the whole situation and lose a lot of energy because that is not possible. We are so used to being able to eat when and what we want, change the temperature, and avoid the rain and elements. We live a life where we can generally push a button to change things. But when you are in the middle of a tropical storm on a desert island, the camp has been washed into the sea and your hammock is soaked you realise you are quite powerless to change the situation! It's a thrilling sensation, but it does require an element of surrender to nature which many people struggle with, but I think it is a really healthy experience to have.

What are the most important survival skills that everyone should know?

I think the most important survival skill is learning to tune into and use all your senses fully. We are equipped with some incredibly powerful senses but there is no doubt that urban life has dulled our ancestral skill in using them. Our senses are the thing that enable us to stay safe, a rapid detection system for things that may harm or help us. By being tuned into your senses you will spot the snake, hear the water source, smell the wild animal that is nearby. These are the things that make a difference in the wild.

Can you tell us what you love about being an expedition leader?

For me, it's all about seeing amazing wild places and the wildlife that lives there. These truly wild places are decreasing rapidly, and it's harder and harder to get away from human impact. We sent a drone up above the jungle canopy on our recent Wild Globe trip. All we could see was a huge expanse of trees and the winding river, a totally wild and primal landscape, and how so much of the planet would have once looked. I feel lucky to get to spend time in these places, yet at the same time, I feel acutely aware that we are losing the wilderness in so many areas. For me, there is nothing that humans have created that is more beautiful than all that nature has given us.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future of expedition leading and survival instruction?

I hope that the travel industry as a whole starts to resolve the issue of over-tourism/mass tourism, and part of that solution I think is a smaller scale, slower and more conscious travel. Things like survival experiences and expedition holidays can play a big part in that. Some survival experiences are still sold with a “you versus nature” approach which means people often arrive feeling like they are entering a battle with nature and their first question is “what can I kill?”. My view is that a better approach is to explore what we can learn from nature, learn from our ancestors, and learn from indigenous people. There's no battle required, to survive in the wild you need to understand how you fit into it and learn to work with it.

I also hope that the industry becomes more inclusive and diverse. I'd like to see more women and people from underrepresented backgrounds leading expeditions and teaching survival skills. I believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute, and we can all learn from each other.

Words of Wisdom

If you are considering trying to work in the industry, believe that it is possible! Equip yourself with some skills, speak to people already in the job start to create your network, and be prepared to work very hard (despite the fact that your friends and family will always say you look like you're on holiday in photos!).

If you are considering going on a wild adventure, then of course I would say just do it! Two weeks spent in the jungle will give you more of a perspective shift, more deeper understanding of yourself and your capabilities and more awesome stories than any beach holiday ever could.

To continue following our explorer Jade’s journey or simply want to reach out and say Hi, you can connect with Jade on the following accounts:

Instagram (personal account): @jade_bielski

Wild Globe Expeditions: @wild_globe_expeditions

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