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Extended overnight trips (Juniors and older): Three or four nights camping or a stay in a
hotel, motel, or hostel within the girls’ home region (for example, Philadelphia, Washington, DC,
New York City, Cleveland, Charleston, WV, Virginia Beach, Columbus, Niagara Falls, and so on).
Sample extended overnight trip: an Ambassador troop from Armstrong County travels to
Shenandoah National Park for a Memorial Day weekend camping trip.
National trips (Cadettes and older): Travel anywhere in the country, often lasting a week or
more. Try to steer clear of trips girls might take with their families and consider those that
offer some educational component—this often means no Disney and no cruises, but can
incorporate some incredible cities, historic sites, and museums around the country.
International trips (Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors): Travel around the world, often
requiring two or three years of preparation; when girls show an interest in traveling abroad,
contact GSWPA staff at [email protected] to get permission to plan the trip and
download the Global Travel Toolkit from GSUSA. Visiting one of the four World Centers is a
great place to start, but also consider traveling with worldwide service organizations. For
example, girls can travel to rural Costa Rica to volunteer at an elementary school, to Mexico to
volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and to India to work with girls living in poverty in urban
slums. Additionally, girls may apply for GSUSA Destinations.
Although some girls who are in a group (for example, a troop of Cadettes) may decide to travel
together, opportunities exist for girls who are not otherwise involved in Girl Scouts to get together
specifically for the purpose of traveling locally, regionally, and even internationally. Girls can travel
regardless of how else they are – or aren’t – participating in Girl Scouting.
Travel Progression Checklist
If your group is thinking about travel, consider first whether the girls are mature enough to handle the
trip. Determine a group’s readiness for travel by assessing the girls’:
● Ability to be away from their parents and their homes
● Ability to adapt to unfamiliar surroundings and situations
● Ability to make decisions well and easily
● Previous cross-cultural experiences
● Ability to get along with each other and handle challenges
● Ability to work well as a team
● Skills, interests, and language skills (where applicable)
Letting Girls Lead
Whether the trip is a day hike or a cross-country trek, the basic steps of trip planning are essentially the
same. It’s true that as the locale gets farther away, the itinerary more complex, and the trip of greater
duration, the details become richer and more complex, but planning every trip—from a day-long event to
an international trek—starts by asking the following:
● What do we hope to experience?
● Who will we want to talk to and meet? What will we ask?
● Where are we interested in going?
● When are we all available to go?
● Will everyone in our group be able to go?
● Are there physical barriers that cannot be accommodated?