Alumni Guide Overview
Bringing Destinations to Life Through Connection & Experience
Alumni Guides play a unique role in the USU Alumni Travel Program. They don’t need to be lecturers or professional storytellers! As an Aggie alum, you already check the most important box that fellow Aggie travelers want, which is to travel with other Aggies and friends. As tour leaders, Alumni Guides help create the atmosphere, connection, and shared experience that make alumni travel meaningful and memorable.
Alumni Guides are Aggies who have unique stories to tell, captivating skills, or compelling backgrounds. The connection with the travelers will come naturally, just by sharing these with the group. Most have no formal travel guiding experience before participating in the program. And that’s okay. A professional tour director takes care of all the logistics and will coordinate closely with you before and during the tour.
What Makes a Great Alumni Guide?
Great Alumni Guides are not expected to be historians, professional speakers, or travel experts.
The most successful guides are:
- Proud Aggies and proud to represent Utah State University and the Aggie community
- Friendly and approachable
- Flexible and positive while traveling
- Curious and enthusiastic
- Have unique experiences, captivating skills, or compelling backgrounds
- Desire to create meaningful experiences for others
At its heart, this role is about helping people feel welcomed, connected, and engaged throughout the journey.
Alumni Guide
Journey Co-Host & Group Connector
An Alumni Guide helps lead the overall group experience from beginning to end. Always with side-by-side support from the Tour Director (Sheldon Browning).
What it looks like:
- Partner with the Tour Director throughout the tour experience
- Help create a welcoming, engaging group atmosphere
- Share personal insight, stories, and enthusiasm throughout the journey
- Consult with the Tour Director to facilitate group communication and traveler engagement
- Participate in pre-trip planning and traveler orientation sessions
- Help foster connections among travelers throughout the tour
Support
- Travel expenses are covered in most cases
- The Alumni Travel Program Manager/Tour Director and travel partners provide full logistical and operational support
- The Tour Director manages itinerary execution and operational coordination
Featured Host or Specialty Contributor
In some cases, there may be opportunities to participate as a guide for a segment of a tour.
Examples
- Hosting a regional segment of a tour
- Joining for a themed experience or event
- Sharing specialized knowledge, experiences, or personal connections
- Serving as a featured guest host for part of the journey
Responsibilities
- Help engage travelers during the assigned portion of the trip
- Coordinate with the Tour Director as needed
- Bring personality, connection, and energy to the experience
Support levels vary depending on the scope of involvement.
How the Program Works
Successful tours are built through teamwork between:
- Alumni Guides → Group connection, personality, and shared experience
- Tour Director → Trip coordination, traveler support, and overall flow
- Operating Partners → Hotels, transportation, reservations, and logistics
The Alumni Travel Program works with professional travel operators, including Alumni-led Blue Planet Vacations and Morris Columbus Travel, to manage the logistical details of each journey.
Why It Matters
The USU Alumni Travel Program is about more than visiting destinations. It is about building community, strengthening Aggie connections, and creating experiences people remember for years to come.
Alumni Guides help provide that experience.
Through connection and shared curiosity, Alumni Guides help turn a trip into a meaningful shared Aggie experience.
Recommendation Form
If you would like to recommend an Aggie alum (including yourself), please click the button below and fill out the Alumni Travel Guide Recommendation Form.
