Travel

Girls begin their exploration of travel together by learning how to plan their own trips. Leaders gently guide girls into increased responsibil­ity and plan trips of growing complexity and distance over time based on their grade level and previous experience. Girls learn valuable life skills when learning the logistics of travel, goal setting and money earning to fund their experience, how to roll with unexpected changes, and the feeling you get when accomplishing your goals. Check out the How to Travel with your troop section below for more detail on getting started with troop travel.

Council-sponsored trips can include multiple formats and are organized by GSOSW staff and travel team volunteers. These trips are open to all girls across the council and are a fantastic way for motivated girls to receive travel progression and experience as Juliettes, or in addition to their own troop experiences. The locations of these trips vary (local to international); travel costs vary accordingly and are the responsibility of each participant, though they can be funded by money-earning activities like council-sponsored product programs and program credits.

Preset trips: Throughout the year, council staff and volunteers collaborate to plan a group travel opportunity where the destination and most of the activities are set in advance. Girls who join the experience will not only have a fun adventure with girls they might not have met otherwise but will gain essential travel progression experience in girl-led travel planning that they’ll need to participate in more hands-on adventures like Travel Patrols and GSUSA Destinations. Search our Activities tab to find upcoming trips.

GSOSW Travel Patrols: Travel Patrols sponsored by GSOSW are designed for participants to function like a troop for the duration of the trip, including the planning stages. The destination of the trip will be predetermined, with girls who are interested signing up using a GSOSW application. Girls who are accepted into the patrol start planning portions of the trip together. This is a great way for girls to experience more complex trips by having a chance to get to know their travel buddies before leaving on the trip. Travel Patrols can take 1-3 years to plan as girls are actively involved in the planning stages. If there are any Travel Patrols currently accepting applications, they will be listed below.

Any Girl Scout Juliette, troop, or volunteer wishing to pursue travel goals can consider participating in or forming a travel patrol. Patrols are a group of girl members supported by adults working towards a specific task, activity, or particular interest focus. These groups are an excellent way for individuals to engage with a group of like-minded girls while still maintaining their troop membership or supplementing their Juliette experience. Patrols function similarly to a troop but can happen in tandem with a girl's primary troop activities and can include girl members from outside of their primary troop. In our council, there are currently several established travel-focused patrols that decide and plan travel to locations both domestic and international. Patrols can be open to members across the council or just within their local service unit. Patrols have been formed for things aside from travel, like supporting specific service unit activities like planning events or supporting product programs. If a group that meets your girl’s interests doesn’t currently exist, we can help you form one! Because girls can become a member of a club or patrol in addition to or instead of participating in a troop, groups can be formed over long distances and include various participants. To find out more about how these groups work and come to be, please review the video below and the Girl Scout Patrols and Clubs FAQ. To find out if there are any open patrols or clubs near you or for support in starting one of your own, please email answers@girlscoutsosw.org or connect with your local service unit team.