Become a TRiP Leader

Who are Trip Leaders?

TRiP Leaders lead outdoor adventure trips for the University of Florida, managing groups of up to 10 people while doing activities such as surfing, backpacking, and canoeing. To become a Trip Leader, you must take the spring Outdoor Leadership Course (OLC). In the OLC, you will -

Learn to become a wilderness guide
Develop transferable leadership skills
Become a member of an incredible community of people

Applications for the Outdoor Leadership Course will open for the Spring 2026 course in June 2025 and close October 2025.

Fill out this interest form to be notified when applications open.

Frequently Asked Questions <---Read before you apply!

Outdoor Leadership Course

The Outdoor Leadership Course (OLC) is a semester-long experiential learning course created to train future outdoor leaders for the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Education (CORE) in the Department of RecSports. This course trains students in the basics of interpersonal skills, judgment skills, and technical skills necessary to lead groups of beginners in the wilderness. This course is a mixture of lecture, discussion, peer teaching, and field application.

Experiential Training Trips Included in Training

Backpacking Training
Mountain Bike Training
Stand Up Paddleboard and Canoe Training
Sea Kayak Training (Self-Rescue Clinic and Cedar Key Training)
Surf Training
Week-long Backpacking Training (iMMERSiON) (Date TBD)
Epi Pen Certification

All trainings trips include transportation from CORE to activity location, group and personal gear, and all food on overnight trips.

Price

TBD, usually between $575-$630

Notes:

You are required to attend monthly TRiP meetings.
You are required to attend all trainings and certifications listed above in order to enroll in the course.
You must have a United States driver's license, three years of driving history by Fall 2026, and no major moving violations.

Wilderness First Response (WFR)

This is an eight-day emergency medical response training for backcountry situations. Typically held over Spring Break. This training is required to become a Trip Leader.

Price

$575

OLC CORE Grant

The OLC CORE Grant provides up to $550 to use for the OLC. Students with financial need may apply in Fall 2024. You must be accepted into the OLC to receive the grant.

College Scholarships

Bright Futures AND Florida Prepaid: If you have both scholarships and take the class for credit, then you will get reimbursed like you would for other classes. You can then use the reimbursement money to pay for either the Course Cost or the cost of WFR.
Bright Futures OR Florida Prepaid: If you have one or the other and take the class for credit, the scholarships will just cover the cost of the credit hours, not the Course Cost or the cost of WFR.
CLAS Students: Can apply for the Beyond120 experiential scholarship using this link. This can be used to defray or cover the cost of WFR.
CALS Students: Can apply for the VP Promise Financial Assistance next Spring after being accepted into the OLC using this link. This can be used to defray or cover the cost of WFR.
Honors Program Students: Can apply for the Wentworth Travel Scholarship next Spring after being accepted into the OLC if they are in good standing. This can be used to cover the cost of WFR.
Current RecSports Employees: Can apply for the Jim Bryan Grant after being accepted into the OLC. This can be used to defray or cover the cost of WFR. You will not be hired on as a TRiP Leader until you successfully complete the OLC, so you must already have a job within RecSports to apply for this grant.