Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Food & Drink
  4. News

Michelob Wants to Pay You $50K to Explore the U.S. National Parks

By

Although low-calorie craft beers have come a long way in the last decade, most beer snobs turn their noses up at these so-called “healthy” options. But, most beer snobs will also agree that getting paid to travel for six months in a tricked-out campervan sounds pretty awesome, no matter what beer they bring for the ride. Enter the new Michelob Ultra Pure Gold CEO contest.

google earth national parks tour yosemite national park
Google Earth

This month, Michelob Ultra put out the call for a new CEO. Unlike most executive head honcho positions, however, this “Chief Exploration Officer” requires only a love of beer, some basic driving skills, and a willingness to spend six months exploring the U.S. National Parks in depth. Tentative stops include Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Big Bend. Michelob will provide the winner of the Pure Gold CEO contest with a full-featured, self-contained campervan, all the gas required for their trip, and plenty of beer to boot. In addition to covering most trip-related expenses, the beermaker will also pay the new CEO a handsome $50,000 salary. They’re welcome to bring a guest, too (including a friend, partner, or even a dog), so the trip is more of a fun, shared journey than a sad, “drinking alone in a campervan in the desert” experience.

Recommended Videos

In return, all Michelob asks is that qualified applicants be willing to hike as deep and as far as possible to score the best nature photos and video along the way. The winner is expected to share their captures on Michelob’s social media accounts. To get to the best spots, the winner will, of course, need to be a strong self-starter with a good sense of direction, in case the GPS stops working along the way.

Michelob
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Michelob Ultra Pure Gold CEO contest is the next in a long line of similar “executive job hunts” from social-media-savvy beer and travel brands. In 2017, World of Beer sought a paid “Drink It Intern” to roam the United States. That year, Cancun also put out the call for a new CEO or “Cancun Experience Officer.” In 2019, travel facilitator Noken sought a CEO (“Cultural Exploration Officer”) as well. All of these required nothing more than a willingness to travel for months on end, take photos and video for social media, and receive a generous stipend along the way.

To enter, head to MichelobUltra.com to fill out some basic personal details, show off your nature photography skills, and pitch yourself in 500 characters or less. Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2020.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He’s kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South… Read Full Bio
Topics
Travel
5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way
Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

Read more
Travel
The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective
Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.

Read more
Travel
Savannah Beyond the Postcard
Architecture, Building, Spire

Savannah is one of those cities that seems almost too easy to like. The live oaks are dramatic. The Spanish moss does exactly what it is supposed to do. The brick sidewalks buckle in all the right places. The houses look like they were designed by people who understood proportion, shade, and the value of a proper front step. Even the light seems to arrive with better manners than it does in most places.

I have a built-in advantage when it comes to Savannah. We have family there, so we have been back several times, not just once for the checklist version of the city. I have also done a photography workshop there, which is a terrific way to learn any city. You get up early, stay out late, and pay attention to alleys, doorways, ironwork, reflections, and the way a city changes when the tourists are still asleep.

Read more