From an early age, Archie Stout knew he wanted to travel, and so he sought work that catered to this desires. He worked in hotel management in Japan and Honolulu, and in 1909, he was chosen to be "secretary to the commission in charge of the Hawaiian exhibit at the American Yukon Expedition". Archie then moved on to Los Angeles to try his hand at working in real estate, but this venture did not last long, and instead he began to work as a forest ranger.