girl scout trip planning worksheet

Travel Progression and Planning

Every girl scout deserves a chance to see the world—whether it be to explore within her own neighborhood, around the city, or on the other side of the planet. we know planning trips can be a lot of work, so we’ve created this article just for troop leaders that outlines travel progression, planning resources, and exciting travel opportunities for your troop or individual girl scout., trip and travel progression, volunteers without any travel experience probably aren’t ready to shepherd a group of 12+ girl scouts through an airport. likewise, not all girl scouts will approach travel with the same comfort level or ability to follow rules while away. troop leaders, troop volunteers, and girl scouts need to start with small, local trips to work their way up to advanced, national or international travel., every group is different and has unique experiences, but the following outlines the standard trip and travel progression for girl scouts. for a quicker, visual reference, download our trip and travel progression chart (pdf) ..

Experience level: Little–none

Appropriate for: all girl scout program grade levels, these mini-trips take place during a troop’s regular meeting time. the troop should start and end the at their regular meeting location and go to a point of interest that is within walking distance, a short car ride, or accessible via public transportation., experience level: basic; comfortable with meeting-time trips, these simple, one-day excursions get girls away from their regular troop meeting place and last a few hours or more., experience level: basic comfortable with day trips, on simple overnight trips, girl scouts and volunteers can spend one to two nights at a point of interest. points of interest examples include a girl scout facility or campsite , a nearby campground, or hotel., experience level: intermediate; comfortable with simple overnights, 3 nights are appropriate for: juniors, cadettes, seniors, and ambassadors, 4+ nights are appropriate for: cadettes, seniors, and ambassadors, on extended overnight trips, girl scouts and volunteers can spend three or more nights at a point of interest. points of interest can range anywhere from a nearby girl scout facility or campsite to across the continental united states., traveling within the united states gives your troop much more flexibility and options for travel from the birthplace of girl scouts in savannah, to national parks, to cultural and historical sites, there is a domestic destination for every troop’s interest. check out these location guides for sights, tips, and activities straight from the itineraries of troops who have visited these troop-approved guides are just the start of your troop’s options., dululth, mn (pdf) chicago, il (pdf) savannah, ga (pdf), experience level: advanced; comfortable with extended overnights, appropriate for: cadettes, seniors and ambassadors, travel to other countries or the united states territories is an option for girl scouts 11 years or older. traveling to other countries opens many doors for them to broaden their cultural horizons and gain new perspectives., before your trip, immersing your troop in the culture of your point of interest can be a great way to get girl scouts excited and discover culturally relevant activities. you and your troop will also want to do an in-depth cultural exploration to make sure everyone is prepared (ex: understand the possibilities of language barriers, introduction to new cuisines, customs, etc.)., please note: some international locations may be on the travel warning list and are not recommended., planning for trips and travel, planning for trips and travel is an opportunity for girl scouts to develop decision-making skills and work collaboratively with leaders and troop volunteers. just remember, all trips should have an immediate purpose (such as complementing badges or learning new skills) and involve girl scouts in the planning process., for extended overnight trips, international trips, regional trips, trips with multiple troops or service units, and activities with high risk, troop leaders must complete the travel request form or approval. this form should be submitted at least six months prior to the departure date ., once the girl scout travel request form has been approved, troop leaders should complete the girl scout travel approval worksheet (pdf) . this form, along with any accompanying documents, must be submitted to girl scouts river valleys at least four weeks prior to departure ., for all other trips, regardless of length, the troop leader should complete the travel approval worksheet. the worksheet is a helpful guide for troops to discuss and think through the details of trip planning. the completed worksheet, when left with an at-home contact, constitutes council approval of your trip., you can use our sample budget worksheet and financial agreement (pdf) to estimate how much your trip will cost. from here, your troop can start setting goals for financing your trip, girl scout and family contributions, there are many creative ways to finance trips and travel girl scouts can make a personal contribution such as saved money from summer jobs, allowances, etc. families (even extended relatives) can make contributions as well., troop/individual money-earning, travel plans can be great incentives for girl scouts to reach their cookie program and snacks & magazines sales goals. while cookie credits and fall funds belong to individual troop members, some troops agree to use them to pay for troop activities, like traveling. they can be used for individual girl trips or troop trips. to apply cookie credits, fall funds, or juliette program credits to approved, extended trips, use the cookie credits, fall funds, and juliette program credit reimbursement form . these requests can take at least four weeks to process, so please plan your submission accordingly, if the budget goal for a specific activity has not been met through product sales, troops may participate in additional money-earning projects outside of the snacks & magazines and cookie sale seasons., when taking girl scouts on any trip, planning for safety is a priority. this includes thinking through everything from home-sickness, child-to-adult ratios, creating a first-aid kit, to having an emergency contingency plan., your key resource for safety information is safety activity checkpoints . always review this document for general safety standards and activity-specific guidelines while planning activities and travel., sleeping arrangements, sleeping arrangements are important to keeping girl scouts safe and to make everyone feel comfortable. download our sleeping arrangement guidelines (pdf) to help minimize any unwanted behavior or feelings., it’s important to keep families informed when making trip and travel plans. families will expect thorough planning, the ability to provide input, and affordability. (some may even be willing to help out with the planning process), provide information in writing, get signed permission forms, have a parent meeting or two when planning longer trips, and discuss any sensitive issues such as expected behavior., as departure nears, be sure to discuss expectations around being individually responsible for responding to communication., permission slips, for basic trips that are less than four hours drive, two nights or less, and not considered high-risk activities, the annual parent/guardian permission slip (pdf) is the only permission you need to collect. for all other trips and travel, the troop activity parent/guardian permission slip (pdf) must be collected., health forms, in additional to permission slips, you’ll need to collect any pertinent health information:.

• Parents/guardians of Girl Scouts with medications must fill out the Medication Information Form (PDF) , which documents medication information and permission to dispense.
• Parents/guardians of Girl Scouts with allergies must fill out the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Action Plan (PDF) , which documents the type of allergy and outlines EpiPen® Auto-Injector usage.

Behavior Contract

Consider having girl scouts and volunteers complete a behavior contract. this gives everyone a chance to collaborate on expectations and to voice any concerns ahead of time. download our sample participant behavior contract (pdf) and make it your own, pre-organized trips, there are several sponsored travel opportunities through girl scouts river valleys and girl scouts of the usa., the destinations program brings individual girl scouts from across the nation on adventures across the united states and the world. destinations programs fall into the following categories: international, outdoors, s.t.e.m. and life skills., getaways are great for traveling with your troop and include a wide array of activities within the united states, such as broadway shows, girl scout jamborees, and national attractions., visit girlscoutsrv.org/travel to learn to more about these pre-organized trips., summary of resources, trip and travel progression chart (pdf) – a visual chart outlining the standard trip and travel progression for girl scouts. camp.girlscoutsrv.org/rentals – girl scouts can rent any of our camp properties and facilities for troop use. girl scout travel request form – this form is required for extended overnight trips, international trips, regional trips, trips with multiple troops or service units, and high risk activities, and should be submitted at least six months prior to travel. girl scout travel approval worksheet (pdf) – all troops planning a troop trip or travel should complete this form. for trips requiring council approval, this form should be submitted at least four weeks prior to travel. sample budget worksheet and financial agreement (pdf) – this document will help you learn how much your trip will cost. planning for trip safety guide (pdf) – a detailed guide on planning girl supervision, training girl scouts on the buddy system, dressing for outdoors, and creating emergency plans. health, safety, and using safety activity checkpoints – this article outlines how to use safety activity checkpoints. sleeping arrangement guidelines (pdf) – this guide helps minimize any unwanted behavior or feelings around sleeping environments. annual parent/guardian permission slip (pdf) – this form must be collected for basic trips that are less than a four hour drive, two nights or less, and not considered high-risk activities. troop activity parent/guardian permission slip (pdf) – use this form for all trips where the annual parent/guardian permission slip will not suffice. medication information form (pdf) – parents/guardians of girl scouts with medications must document medication information and give permission to dispense. allergy and anaphylaxis action plan (pdf) – parents/guardians of girl scouts with allergies must documents allergy types. sample participant behavior contract (pdf) – this optional contract gives everyone a chance to collaborate on travel expectations. approved bus companies – find companies that meet the standards of girl scouts river valleys for transporting girl scouts for trips, activities, and events. girlscoutsrv.org/travel – learn about pre-arranged travel opportunities through girl scouts river valleys and girl scouts of the usa. cookie credits, fall funds, and juliette program credit reimbursement form – complete this reimbursement form when using cookie credits, fall funds, or juliet program credits for council-approved travel fees..

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Girl Scouts River Valleys Volunteers

Resources for River Valleys' Volunteers

2024 Camp Registration

BOOK YOUR SPOT! Camp registration is now open to the public.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Field Trips

Remember the excitement you felt when it was a field trip day at school? How thrilling it was to take a break from your usual routine, get on a yellow bus (well, maybe not that part), and venture to a nature center, art museum, or theater? Field trips aren’t just fun—hands-on learning enables kids to deepen the lessons they’ve learned in the classroom.

It’s no different for Girl Scouts! In fact, it’s one of the three processes that shape the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. No matter the badge or Journey your girls are working on, there’s probably an outing that will help them strengthen those skills. Troops who regularly go on field trips also have a better overall Girl Scouting experience than those that don’t. Every girl deserves the chance to explore and broaden her horizons. Use our step-by-step guide to plan a field trip, and then get out there—the world is your oyster!

Step 1: Who’s Ready?

Any time you leave your regular troop meeting space, regardless of distance, it’s considered travel. And, like everything in Girl Scouts, you should keep progression in mind. Use the Trip and Travel Progression Chart to assess what your girls are ready for and tailor the field trip to the least-experienced girl.

Step 2: Decide on the Where and Why

Now onto the best part of the planning process—deciding where to go! Girls of all program grade levels should play a part in the planning process, so this step is a great opportunity to involve even the youngest girls.

One way you can do this: Make a list of badges and Journeys your troop plans to work on or have already earned that year. Divide girls into separate groups and assign each group a badge or Journey. Have them brainstorm potential field trips that relate to those badges by asking, “Who can teach us more about this topic?” and “Where can we go to see these skills in action?”

Once your troop has a list of places, have girls vote on where to go. (Psst—if you and your troop have trouble coming up with possibilities, Girl Scouts River Valleys’ activity plans for Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes include field trip ideas. The field trip directory is also a great resource.) Keep in mind that all activities should deliver fun with purpose—if you’re not sure if they do, assess whether the trip will help your troop will reach any of the five program outcomes .

Step 3: How and How Much?

When you’ve reached a consensus on where to go, determine how you’ll get there. On foot? Car? Bus? (If you’ll be carpooling, remember that anyone transporting girls needs to be a registered adult with a current background check.) Then, work out the budget. How much will the field trip cost? Do you have enough in your troop account for the trip and do girls agree to use their troop funds to pay for it? If you don’t have enough funds, are you comfortable asking families to pitch in to pay for the trip or can you think of a lower-cost alternative?

Step 4: Staying Safe

Make sure to review any relevant Safety Activity Checkpoints prior to your trip. Follow the girl-volunteer ratios in the “Knowing How Many Volunteers You Need” section to see if you’ll need to ask for additional chaperones for the day. Let your troop families know about your plans, and if you haven’t already, have families sign a Parent/Guardian Permission Slip .

Step 5: Adventure and Evaluate

It’s time for your adventure! Before you head out with your troop, it’s a good idea to review expectations and general rules for the trip. Does everyone have a buddy? Do they know what to do if they get lost? What’s proper behavior for the place you’ll be visiting? These general group management tips might also come in handy.

After you get back from your adventure, set aside some time for girls to debrief and reflect on their experience. What were some highlights of the field trip? Downsides? Would they recommend this trip to their friends and family or other troops?

There you have it—a short and sweet guide to planning a troop outing! Depending on where your troop decides to go (further afield or closer to home), these steps may take more extensive organization. Whenever possible, give your girls the opportunity to practice these planning skills themselves (like reaching a consensus on where to go, figuring out to finance it, and preparing for safety). As your troops become more confident, these small and local trips will pave the way to bigger and greater adventures. Watch out, world, here come the Girl Scouts!

Share this:

Girl scouts river valleys.

In partnership with 6,300 committed volunteers and adult members, Girl Scouts River Valleys serves nearly 17,200 girls through a 49-county council that spans Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

• View girlscoutsrv’s profile on Facebook
• View girlscoutsrv’s profile on Twitter
• View girlscoutsrv’s profile on Instagram
• View girlscoutsrv’s profile on Pinterest
• View girlscoutsrv’s profile on YouTube
• Girl Scouts River Valleys Company Profile

Support & Community

• Support for Service Units
• Support for Troops
• In the Loop
• Volunteer News
• Policies & Volunteer Essentials
• Service Unit Directory
• Privacy & Terms of Use

Sister Sites

• GirlScoutsRV.org
• Camp.GirlScoutsRV.org
• GIRLTalk.GirlScoutsRV.org
• MyGS.GirlScouts.org (My Account & VTK)

Search This Website:

• Recruitment Resources
• Conflict Resolution Resources

Samples and Templates that will be Helpful to your Service Unit.

New leaders are essential to your service unit. They increase capacity, bring new perspectives and ideas, and re-energize your existing leaders. Use the template below to introduce yourself and your service unit to the new leader.

Download the email template.

Level consultant are essential in making the connection with new leaders. Use the template below to introduce yourself and your service unit to the new leader.

A phone call is seen as more personal to the receiver. Calling on someone that you do not know can be intimidating, use the script below to invite leaders to the service unit meetings.

Download the phone script template.

It is the responsibility of the Service Unit Manager to make sure that the service unit meeting runs smoothly and that the volunteers in the area receive all necessary information and resources (as communicated by council staff or as requested by service unit members). Below is a suggested meeting agenda and schedule.

Download the suggested service unit meeting agenda template.

Having a troop agreement is an excellent way to prevent conflict and create a happy, safe, and healthy environment – both with girls and parents. Girls should be held accountable and responsible for their own actions. Girls will develop their. own "rules of engagement" through development of a Troop Agreement. Here is a sample that you can use and change as needed.

Download the Troop Agreement Template .

Girl Scouts love to travel—from the field trips they take as Brownies to the global adventures they go on as teens. In planning for your troop travel you will need to make consideration for the financial aspect of the trip. The sample below will help you to write a troop travel contract regarding payment plan.

Download the troop travel contract template.

Learn more about our Social Media Guidelines.

Girl Scouts of Orange County Social Media Guidelines

Lockups and Acronym Marks:

A brand is only as strong as the symbols that represent it. To establish a unified Girl Scouts voice, we’ll now use an optimized and streamlined set of marks developed by GSUSA. Please reference this  Guide for Usage of Girl Scout Marks  when using these logos. These logos are primarily intended for flyers and internal service unit communications. If you have need to incorporate these on merchandise (patches, shirts, ect.) or external facing collateral assets please reach out to us at  [email protected]  for assistance in navigating GSUSA licensing requirements.

Web Lockups GSOC Lockup Color  (RGB .png) GSOC Lockup White  (RGB .png) GSOC Lockup Black  (RGB .png)

Print Lockups GSOC Lockup Color  (CMYK .png) GSOC Lockup Color  (CMYK .jpg)

GSOC Acronyms GSOC Acronym  (RGB Vertical .png) GSOC Acronym  (RGB Horizontal .png)

Event and Activity Flyer Templates:

Linked below are several Girl Scout Branded Word Templates available for service unit or troop use. Please ensure these templates are primarily used for events or activities with an audience that is primarily Girl Scout Members and their families. For consistency and up to date brand messaging please continue to work with the Membership Team for externally facing  recruitment collateral . Email GSOC MarCom at  [email protected]  if for program pillar-based or other uniquely branded templates.

GSOC Branded Flyers (Open in Desktop Application) GSOC Branded Flyer Template 1  (Word .doc) GSOC Branded Flyer Template 2  (Word .doc) GSOC Branded Flyer Template 3  (Word .doc)

Brand Story:

A brand story outlines exactly what an organization does, for whom, and what makes it stand out. Because Girl Scouts themselves (and not the organization) are, and always should be, at the center of everything we do, the statement that follows speaks directly to them. 

And much like our brand purpose to champion girl ambition, the statement isn’t meant to be used verbatim but as top-of-mind inspiration when you write and communicate about Girl Scouts. Revisit it frequently to remind yourself who we serve, how we serve them, and why.  

Please reference our  Writing Tips for Service Unit Volunteers  for some quick pointers and refreshers to guide you in writing about Girl Scouts.