From their first local field trip as Daisies to exploration
of another country as Seniors or Ambassadors, girls will find
that Girl Scouts is the best way to travel. They’ll challenge
themselves in a safe environment that sparks their
curiosity, and they’ll create lifelong memories with their Girl Scout
sisters. And the Girl Scout Cookie Program can help to make travel
dreams a reality!
Traveling with Girl Scouts is very different from traveling with
family, school, or other groups because girls take the lead. As they make the decisions
about where to go and what to do and take increasing responsibility
for the planning and management of their trips, girls build important
organizational and management skills that will benefit them in college
and beyond.
Girl Scout travel is built on a progression of activities, so girls are set up
for success. Daisies and Brownies start with field trips and progress
to day trips, overnights, and weekend trips. Juniors can take
adventures farther with a longer regional trip. And Cadettes, Seniors,
and Ambassadors can travel the United States and then the world. There
are even opportunities for older girls to travel independently by
joining trips their councils organize or participating in Destinations. There’s a whole world of
possibilities for your girls!
Planning Ahead for Adventure
Get in touch with your council as you start thinking about
planning a trip. They likely have training programs that will raise
your confidence as a chaperone as well as an approval process for
overnight and extended travel.
Review GSMISTS Activity and Trip Planning Guide
Not sure where to begin? Check out the Girl Scout Guide
to U.S. Travel. This
resource is designed for Juniors and older Girl Scouts who want to
take extended trips—that is, longer than a weekend—but also features
tips and tools for budding explorers who are just getting started
with field trips and overnights.
Once girls have mastered planning trips in the United States, they
might be ready for a global travel adventure! Global trips usually
take a few years to plan, and the Girl Scout Global Travel Toolkit can walk you through the
entire process.
Safety First
If you’re planning any kind of trip—from a short field trip to
an overseas expedition—the “Trips and Travel” section of Safety Activity
Checkpoints is your go-to resource for safety. Your council may
have additional resources and an approval process. Review GSMISTS Activity and Trip Planning Guide. Be
sure to follow all the basic safety guidelines, like the buddy system
and first-aid requirements, in addition to the specific guidelines for travel.
Note that extended travel (more than two* nights) is not
covered under the basic Girl Scout insurance plan and will require
additional coverage. (*On Federal holiday weekends only (e.g. Labor,
Memorial Day) basic insurance is extended to three nights. All other
trips three nights or more require additional coverage).
Girl Scout Connections
It’s easy to tie eye-opening travel opportunities into the
leadership training and skill building your girls are doing in Girl
Scouts! Your girls can use their creativity to connect any
leadership Journey theme into an idea for travel, like
a Sow What? trip focusing on sustainable agriculture and,
naturally, sampling tasty food!
There are abundant opportunities to build real skills through
earning badges too. The most obvious example is the Senior
Traveler badge, but there are plenty more, such as Eco Camper, New
Cuisines, Photography, and, of course, all the financial badges that
help girls budget and earn money for their trips.
Looking to incorporate Girl Scout traditions into your trip? Look no
farther than the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah,
Georgia! Your girls also have the chance to deepen their connections
to Girl Scouts around the world by visiting one of the WAGGGS (World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) World Centers, which offer low-cost
accommodations and special programs in five locations around the world.
Are your girls looking to stay closer to home this year? GSMISTS has
facilities and properties that can be rented. Find out more
information at www.gsmists.org/properties.
Lift up the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at every opportunity in
your planning, but limit your role to facilitating the
girls’ brainstorming and planning, never doing the work for them.
Share your ideas and insight, ask tough questions when you have to,
and support all their decisions with enthusiasm and encouragement!