Join Kate Sanders for Travel Talks – a webcast series dedicated to the OSU Alumni Association Group Travel Program. Topics range from travel tips to information on various destinations and more.
Upcoming events - All Travel Talks are online at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Sept. 20, 2023 Join us for a talk on Uganda and the Gorilla Trek. Kate Sanders will share an overview and photos from the August 2023 OSUAA group tour. We will be offering this tour again in August 2024. Register.
Recorded Travel Talk Presentations
- Colorado's Historic Trains tour preview with Sandy Doss of Mayflower Cruises and Tours.
- Botswana, Africa with Robert and Sara Rothschild and Sunil Khanna, professor and Robert and Sara Rothschild Endowed Chair at the College of Health
- 80th Anniversary of D-Day with Paul Wanke, senior instructor in the school of History, Philosophy and Religion.
- Italian Wine and Coffee with Elizabeth Tomasino, associate professor, Department of Food Science and Technology
- Croatia Coast with Selina Heppell, department head of fisheries, wildlife and conservation sciences with her husband, fisheries professor Scott Heppell and their son Dylan, a 2022 graduate from the college of Earth, Oceans, and Atmospheric Sciences.
Additional recordings are linked below.

Travel Talk: Uganda & the Gorilla Trek
Sep 20, 2023

Travel Talks - Costa Rica
Sep 12, 2023
Experience a virtual journey to Costa Rica led by Kate Sanders, Director of Alumni Group Travel.

Travel Talk - Colorado's Historic Trains
Jul 13, 2023
Enjoy a preview on the 2024 Colorado's Historic Trains tour with OSUAA Alumni Group Travel.

Travel Talk - Botswana
Jun 06, 2023
Listen to Sunil Khanna, professor and Robert and Sara Rothschild Endowed Chair at the College of Public Health and Human Sciences.
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Travel Talk | D-DAY
May 10, 2023
Wanke discusses D-Day’s role in liberating Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control and how it turned the tide of the war.

Travel Talk |Italian Wine and Coffee
Mar 21, 2023
Discover the science behind the magic of wine and coffee in Italy with Elizabeth Tomasino, associate professor, Department of Food Science and Technology

Travel Talk | Croatia Coast
Feb 21, 2023
Dive into the culture and marine life of the Croatia Coast with Selina Heppell, department head of fisheries, wildlife and conservation sciences

Travel Talk | Greece and a Journey Through The Mediterranean
Nov 16, 2022
Explore Greece and Turkey's historical and cultural highlights with Gary B. Ferngren, emeritus professor of history.

Travel Talk | The Art and Science of Yellowstone National Park
Jun 01, 2022
Topics include the history and ecological research of Yellowstone, re-introduction of wolves and conservation efforts.

Travel Talk | Mekong River Cruise Tour Preview with Mayflower
Apr 19, 2022
Walk through the cities along the banks of the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam including Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, Tan Chau, My Tho, Ho Chi Minh City and more.

Travel Talk | Alaska and the Inside Passage
Apr 08, 2022
Alaska's Inside Passage is one of nature's most unforgettable sights.

Travel Talk | Gorilla Trek Tour Preview with Mayflower
Mar 23, 2022
Talk with Sandy Doss, business development manager for Mayflower and OSU mom, to learn about this great tour.

Public Health Insider | A guide to navigating the return to travel
Feb 10, 2022
As the world continues to transition from the pandemic to the endemic, what does traveling look like post-vaccines?

Travel Talk | Discover Iceland through geology and mixology with Anita Grunder
Nov 16, 2021
Join the OSU Alumni Association Alumni Group Travel Program and OSU Professor Anita Grunder to learn about the land of fire and ice through the eyes of a geologist.

Tour Preview | Cruise the coastlines: French & Italian Rivieras with Corsica
Aug 04, 2021
Join us for an evening of tasting red wines from Italy and France with Elizabeth Tomasino, associate professor in OSU Department of Food Science and Technology.

Travel Talk | Tulip Time with Mayflower
Feb 24, 2021
Tulip Time on the Jewels of the Rhine Cruising the Rhine River is considered by many a must-do and 2022 may be your year.

Travel Talk | India and the Galapagos Islands with Holbrook Travel and OSU professor Sunil Khanna
Feb 10, 2021
Join us online Feb. 10 as we hear from Kevin Van Dien with Holbrook Travel about OSU alumni group tours to these areas in 2021, featuring close-up wildlife encounters, magnificent palaces and rich cultural traditions.

Travel Talk | Channel Islands with Lindblad Expeditions
Jan 20, 2021
The five Channel Islands off the southern coast of California have the designations of a national park, national monument and a national biosphere reserve.

Travel Talk | 2021 Travel Previews
Nov 18, 2020
Ready to start planning your next tour?

Travel Talk | The New Way to Travel with Kate Sanders
Aug 13, 2020
So much has changed in the world of travel. As new information comes out about COVID-19 safety and prevention, our friends in the travel industry are working hard to develop new precautions and travel experiences that keep everyone healthy.

Travel Talk | Cuba and its People
Feb 19, 2020
Join the OSU Alumni Association Alumni Group Travel program and OSU Professor David Bernell to learn about Cuba and what it is like to travel to this wonderful country.

Travel Talk | Spain and Portugal - a look into the Iberian Peninsula's culture and cooking
Dec 10, 2019
Join the OSU Alumni Association Alumni Group Travel Program and OSU Professor Anuncia Escala to learn about Spain and Portugal’s history and culture, and an introduction to the April 2020 Paradores and Pousadas tour.

Travel Talk | Travel 101: Travel tips and the important items you don't want to forget
Sep 20, 2019
Join the OSUAA Alumni Group Travel Director Kate Sanders and Associate Executive Director Julie Schwartz for a conversation on traveling 101 – the important items you don’t want to forget.
About Kate Sanders
Kate Sanders is the director for alumni programs and Alumni Group Travel at Oregon State University, where she is responsible for the association’s signature events and the travel program. Kate manages over 40 tours a year in addition to planning and operations for signature events and various alumni relations programs.
Kate joined the alumni association in 2013 after planning presidential and university-level events at Oregon State University. Kate has a background in project management, event planning writing and environmental education. Travel and tourism have always been part of her life, from family trips when young, to living abroad in Australia, to work and personal travel today.
Kate has been to almost every state in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico. She has hosted alumni group tours to destination such as Costa Rica, Scotland, Alaska, French Polynesia, the Channel Islands, the Grand Canyon and the Kentucky Derby. She has also visited Norway, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Caribbean Islands, among others.