Staff Spotlight: Meet Travis

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we’d like to introduce you to Alaskan Dream Cruises Operations Manager, Capt. Travis John Mingo, as we thank him and all veterans for their brave and loyal service to our country.

A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Travis Mingo has spent most of his life on or near the water.

“I am an avid outdoorsman and enjoy spending time with my family outdoors. I grew up in Anchorage and spent most of my youth experiencing this great state and all it offers,” says Travis.

Before he started high school, Travis’s family moved to Washington’s Camano Island, along the Puget Sound, where he continued to nurture his love of water and the great outdoors. Shortly after graduation, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard.

During his 21 years moving up the ranks, Travis worked on numerous cutters and small boats all over the world. His early experience included search and rescue, law enforcement and aids to navigation. Later, he conducted counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations in the Middle East and off the shores of Colombia, before moving to a cutter in Bellingham, Wash., where he worked in counter-terrorism and force protection, mainly protecting ballistic nuclear submarines entering and departing Puget Sound.

After retiring from the Coast Guard, Travis did a stint as Associate Director of Vessel Operations at Connecticut’s Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, where he managed a Li-Po Hybrid-powered research vessel – the first of its kind.

“It provided numerous rewarding challenges as I was utilizing some of the first approved hybrid systems and managing the day-to-day operations of a multimillion-dollar vessel and its crews.”

Travis brings that wealth of experience, along with his passion for water and wilderness, to the position of Operations Manager, where his responsibilities include crew management, hiring and training, engineering maintenance, and more.

Q: What’s something from your service that you use in your work with Alaskan Dream Cruises?

Travis: I believe that the critical thinking I learned while in the service allows me to make sound decisions for the company.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a veteran?

Travis: I am proud of my service, but I do not really flaunt my veteran status too much. I have worked with some of the highest caliber people throughout my career and have had some of the greatest adventures, as well.

Q: What is your favorite thing about this job?

Travis: I would say that the fast-paced summers working to solve multiple, complex items keeps me on my toes.

Q: What is a surprising thing that others may not know about your job?

Travis: During the season, the position is basically a 24-hour-a-day job. I receive calls seven days a week and at nearly all hours.

Q: What are three words you’d use to describe an Alaskan Dream Cruise?

Travis: Exciting. Serene. Intimate.

Q: If you weren’t working here, you’d…

Travis: I would most likely be running my own business in Maine, where clientele from the New England area would come to experience the wilds of Maine and learn survival techniques.

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Favorite book? Favorite song?

Travis: Movie – Deadpool. Book – The Blue Bear, by Lynn Schooler. Song – I have a love for Jazz and enjoy many songs.