Daphné Robichaud is a 32-year-old outdoor travel leader who makes her living guiding hiking and biking trips across the world. (@thewanderingdaph)

Daphné spends her summers leading back-to-back adventures in places like Patagonia, Iceland, and the French Alps: solving problems on the fly, adapting to new groups every week, and spending long days on trail. We talk about what it’s like to build a life around seasonal work, the thrill and exhaustion of constantly resetting with new teams, and how she structures her year to maximize both income and time off.

Daphné breaks down the financial realities of trip leading: why she saves nearly 40% of her earnings despite an unpredictable schedule, how free housing and food change the equation, and why she feels more financially stable now than she did working a salaried government job.

Earlier in her life, Daphné studied criminology and international development, struggled with anxiety throughout her 20s, and deeply questioned whether she was on the right path. Now she doesn’t worry about what comes next—just whether her next winter will be spent in the mountains or by the sea. Despite the constant movement, she’s found ways to maintain deep friendships and a committed relationship, proving that stability doesn’t have to come from staying in one place.

Full transcript: dirtbagrich.com/daphne