Travel

COVID-19 Update: Troops should assess and consider local state and county health and safety guidance for all of the areas that the trip will include. Consult Girl Scouts Together for the current travel guidelines.

If your troop has questions or needs support, please contact answers@girlscoutsosw.org or 800-338-5248.

Do you have an idea for a new travel program? Share it by filling out the Girl Scout Program Idea Submission Form!

TYPES OF TRAVEL FOR GIRLS

Troop Travel: Girls begin their exploration of travel together by learning how to plan their own trips. They take on increased responsibility and plan trips of increasing complexity and distance.
Council-Sponsored Trips: Council-sponsored trips are trips organized by GSOSW staff and travel team volunteers. These trips are open to all girls in GSOSW. There is an application process for some trips, while others are open to any Girl Scout who wishes to register. Girls will travel in groups but not necessarily with troop members. The locations of these trips vary (local to international); travel costs vary accordingly. Search our Activities tab to find upcoming trips.
Travel Patrol: Travel Patrols are sponsored by GSOSW and are designed for participants to function like a troop for the duration of the trip including the planning stages. Girls who are interested in a particular trip can sign up for a Travel Patrol and start planning portions of the trip with other girls in the patrol. This is a great way for a girl to experience more complex trips by having a chance to get to know her travel buddies before she leaves on the trip. There is an application process for some Travel Patrols and others are open to any Girl Scout who wishes to register. Travel Patrols can take 1-3 years to plan as there is greater girl-planning involved.

Use the GSOSW application to apply for a Travel Patrol opportunity.
GSUSA Destinations: Make friends from all over the country as you travel with Girl Scouts from different states, see and learn new things, and pack your bags full of inspiring, life-changing experiences and memories. With trips of varying lengths, costs and distances, there is sure to be a trip for you! Destinations bring together individual Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts from all over the country for amazing summer and winter adventures filled with nature, culture, service, art, science, and tons more.

DISCOVER TRIPS
Check out the new catalog of Destinations trips at girlscouts.org. Apply online today! Financial assistance may be available. Email travel@girlscoutsosw.org with questions.

HOW TO TRAVEL WITH YOUR TROOP

Are your girls interested in traveling as a troop? Travel is an important part of the Girl Scout experience and can help girls build valuable life skills, learn to work as a team and create lifelong memories. Follow this Travel Progression Chart to see how girls can learn the skills they need to become competent travelers, including how to plan and organize trips. Travel fun can be endless when girls lead!

1. Girls get excited about traveling and begin planning their trip.

As your girls begin discussing travel together, please check out these helpful tools for girls and volunteers to use when planning a trip.

GSOSW Trip Planning Guide – council specific resource to guide volunteers and girls in planning a trip with all the information about council approval and requirements. This guide includes a sample budget, trip planning steps, training requirements and much more!

GSUSA Guide to U.S. Travel – resource designed to assist with regional or national trips targeting Junior and Cadette troops. Are your girls ready to travel? Check out the quizzes for girls and leaders!

GSUSA Global Travel Toolkit – national resource designed to assist with international trips targeting Senior and Ambassador troops. Download girl and adult guides.

Girl Scouts Together - Your one-stop-shop for all of the Girl Scout-related information and health and safety guidance you need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safety Activity Checkpoints - A resource that provides safety standards and guidelines for GIrl Scouts of the United States of America-approved activities.

2. Trip leaders complete their training.

There are different types of trainings required dependent on what kind of trip experience your group is planning. Please refer to GSOSW Policies and Procedures for specific requirements.

Course Name	Required For	Time Frame
Grade Level Trainings	All troop leaders	Within three (3) months of receiving a troop number
Girl Scouts Inside & Out (Previously Day Trips & Indoor Overnights)	At least one adult volunteer attending a day trip or indoor overnight trip	At least three (3) months prior to an outing
Outdoor Skills	At least one adult volunteer attending a camping trip	At least six (6) months prior to an outing
Extended Travel	At least one adult volunteer attending a trip of three nights or more, regardless of destination	At least six (6) months prior to the trip; training should be completed prior to submitting paperwork

3. Troop travel council approval.

Each fall, all troops must complete Regional Travel Qualification (for travel within the council region, including high risk day trips, indoor overnights of any lengths, or outdoor overnights of any length) in order to travel with their troop. This process is supported by service unit Girl Experience Mentors (GEMs). If you do not know who your GEM is or your area does not have one, please email answers@girlscoutsosw.org for staff support with qualification.

Troop Travel within the council region (extended 200 miles outside council boarders) of any length.

Complete coaching meeting with GEM early in the fall to go through regional travel qualification.
Once qualified, troop submits Regional Travel Notification (form 119) at least two weeks prior to the trip.

National and International troop travel (any length of time, outside the council region).

Complete online National/International Intent to Travel (form 121a) at least six months prior to the trip dates.
Complete online National/International Travel Planning Summary (form 121b) three months prior to the trip dates.

4. Ready, set, travel!

While there can be many steps and a lot of time spent planning a trip with your troop, we are here to help along the way! Reach out to your service unit girl experience mentor (GEM) who can help coach you through the planning process. Use the helpful resources we shared as well as the valuable info you learn in your training to help guide you in stepping back and allowing the girls to plan the trip.

Contact Shannon Shea at answers@girlscoutsosw.org for travel questions.

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS

Travel Volunteer Team: The Travel Volunteer Team (TVT) is composed of adult volunteers from around the council who have experience planning trips and traveling with girls. The team works with council staff to create a long range plan of progressive travel experiences for girls; from mystery day trips to international patrols to WAGGGs World Centers. The TVT also offers innovative Extended Travel trainings to adults and inspiring Travel Discovery workshops to girls. Members of the travel team offer support to individual traveling girls going on Destinations and also help to distribute council travel financial assistance and the DPass Grant for Destinations. If you have experience traveling with girls and an interest in being involved in the creation travel experiences for GSOSW, this team is for you! Members will be required to attend monthly call-in meetings and two in-person meetings per year.
Travel Chaperone: GSOSW provides a variety of travel experiences for Girl Scout to participate in; however, these trips would not be possible without qualified and dedicated adult chaperones. If you have interest in helping girls achieve their dreams of traveling nationally or internationally, we may have a trip that interests you! All interested adult volunteers must apply to be a travel chaperone and are eligible to apply for financial assistance to help pay for their trip.

If you have questions about travel opportunities or are interested in being a travel chaperone, please contact Shannon Shea at answers@girlscoutsosw.org.

Girl Scouts love to travel—from the field trips they take as Brownies to the global adventures they go on as teens. If you love exploring different places and cultures, then Girl Scouts is the place for you.

You can experience all that our country has to offer, whether you’re “blasting off” at Space Camp in Alabama, taking in a Broadway show in New York City, or visiting the birthplace of Girl Scouts’ founder, Juliette Gordon Low, in Savannah, Georgia. And you can plan even bigger adventures around the world, traveling with other Girl Scouts who share your love of adventure.

Check out Girl Scout Destinations, the ultimate adventure program for girls ages 11 and older. With a ton of different trips to apply for every year—from surfing camp on the east coast and breathtaking hikes out west, to the crazy-cool wonder of new cultures abroad—there’s something amazing for everyone to experience.

Make friends from all over the country as you travel with Girl Scouts from different states, see and learn new things, and pack your bags full of inspiring, life-changing experiences and memories. Find your trip today!