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Girl Scouts of Utah: Guide to Travel
Let’s go see the
world!
In Girl Scouting, travel is about fun, exploration, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that allow girls to learn to
appreciate other cultures, new places, and the outdoors. Through all of this, girls learn about themselves and become
leaders as they plan, budget, earn money, prepare, and participate in regional, national, and international trips.
For travel opportunities to happen, safety is key. This Guide to Travel is your go-to-resource to ensure that every
travel experience you are embarking on with your girls is fun, beneficial, and safe.
NOTE: This resource includes an abridged version of GSUSA’s Volunteer Essentials and Safety Activity Checkpoints
to familiarize you with the key points of travel. Before travelling with girls, read through all resources thoroughly.
Types of Travel
Troops can travel in a multitude of ways that are progressively more challenging. The ways that troops can travel
together are:

Field Trips – short (all age levels)

Field Trips – day-long (all age levels)

Overnight Trips (all age levels. Note: Daisies can only go one one-night overnights)

Extended Overnight Trips (Juniors [Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can go directly to National Trips])

National Trips (Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)

International Trips (Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)
We encourage girls to follow a travel progression. Before taking girls on a trip,
assess the groups’:
o
o
o
o
Ability to be away from home and their parents
Ability to adapt to unfamiliar surroundings and situations
Ability to work together as a team and get along with each other
Behavior in previous travel experiences
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Field Trips – Short
Ages: All (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)
Description/Purpose: A walk to the nearby garden or a short ride by car or public transportation to the firehouse or
courthouse. This is a great first experience for Daisies to travel outside of the meeting space and experience a group
dynamic different from one at a typical troop meeting. We encourage troops to take many of their meetings outside
and into the community on these short field trips!
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online).
Paperwork Required: Signed Parent/Guardian Permission Slip to be kept with your troop. Nothing is due to Council.*
*Things to Note: If your field trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting
approval from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
Field Trips – Day-long
Ages: All (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)
Description/Purpose: This is your basic one-day trip. It can be around the community, a short hike in a local park, or
visits to zoos or museums. Younger girls can select locations and do much of the trip-planning while never being too
far from home. These trips get girls thinking of the aspect of travel and experiencing new things. We encourage troops
to make many of their Journey- and Badge-related work into these day-long trips to get the girls thinking about the
world in new ways and to keep them engaged!
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online).
Paperwork Required: Signed Parent/Guardian Permission Slip to be kept with your troop. Nothing is due to Council.*
*Things to Note: If your field trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting
approval from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Overnight Trips
Ages: All (Daisies**, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)
Description/Purpose: One or two nights away from home (within the State of Utah) to a state or national park,
historic site or nearby city for sightseeing, or to visit a museum. For Brownies, these short trips are just long enough to
whet their appetites, but not so long as to generate homesickness. These trips get girls familiar with being away from
home and travelling in groups together for longer periods of time. We encourage troops to do these frequently, as
they foster independence and new experiences from a young age. **Note: Daisies are only allowed to spend one night
away from home and the destination must be within 60 miles of the troop’s meeting location.**
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online). If camping, Group Camping 101 is required instead.
Paperwork Required: Signed Parent/Guardian Permission Slip, Girl Emergency Medical Information Forms, and
Medication Logs (if applicable) to be kept with your troop. If your trip is one night, no paperwork is due to Council. If
your trip is two nights or more, a Trip/Travel Application is due to Council at least 6 weeks prior to travel dates.*
Additional Requirements: The group must have a minimum of 5 girl members and two non-related adult members. All
girls/adults traveling must be registered members of Girl Scouts. Adults must be approved volunteers with an
approved and current Criminal Background Check on file with GSU. The group must have a First Aider with current
certifications from GSUSA or an approved organization.
*Things to Note: If your trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting approval
from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
Extended Overnight Trips
Ages: Juniors (Juniors are limited to extended overnight trips. Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors may travel in the
Mountain West Region [Extended Overnight Trips] or go directly to National Trips)
Description/Purpose: Three or four nights away from home within the Mountain West Region (AZ, CO, ID, NV, UT, or
WY). These trips are designed to get Juniors familiar with travelling outside of Utah without putting them several
states away from home. We encourage Junior troops to take the opportunity to travel to one of the states in the
Mountain West Region so as to open up the door to more travel opportunities as the girls continue to grow older as
well as giving the girls a great, memorable travel experience!
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online) and Planning Extended Overnight and National Trips
(classroom)Trainings are required. If camping, Group Camping 101 is also required.
Paperwork Required: Signed Parent/Guardian Permission Slip, Girl Emergency Medical Information Forms, and
Medication Logs (if applicable), Physical and Health History Form to be kept with your troop. Trip/Travel Application is
due to Council at least 6 weeks prior to travel dates.* Add Driver Form must be submitted to Council prior to trip.
Additional Requirements: The group must have a minimum of five girl members and two non-related adult members.
All girls/adults traveling must be registered members of Girl Scouts. Adults must be approved volunteers with an
approved and current Criminal Background Check on file with GSU. The group must have a First Aider with current
certifications from GSUSA or an approved organization. For a trip lasting 3 nights or more, extra-insurance must be
purchased.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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*Things to Note: If your trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting approval
from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
National Trips
Ages: Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors
Description/Purpose: A longer trip to anywhere in the United States of America! We encourage these trips to have an
education component that offer girls an opportunity to learn, explore, and discover new things about themselves and
their country. These trips give girls the chance to see places and enjoy experiences that they wouldn’t have the
opportunity to without Girl Scouts. We encourage girls to plan, budget, and make these trips happen!
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online) and Planning Extended Overnight and National Trips
(classroom)Trainings are required. If camping, Group Camping 101 is also required.
Paperwork Required: Signed Parent/Guardian Permission Slip, Girl Emergency Medical Information Forms, and
Medication Logs (if applicable), Physical and Health History Form to be kept with your troop. Trip/Travel Application
is due to Council at least 6 weeks prior to travel dates.* Add Driver Form must be submitted to Council prior to trip.
Additional Requirements: The group must have a minimum of five girl members and two non-related adult members.
All girls/adults traveling must be registered members of Girl Scouts. Adults must be approved volunteers with an
approved and current Criminal Background Check on file with GSU. The group must have a First Aider with current
certifications from GSUSA or an approved organization. For a trip lasting 3 nights or more, extra-insurance must be
purchased.
*Things to Note: If your trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting approval
from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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International Trips
Ages: Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors
Description/Purpose: A longer trip to anywhere around the world! These trips require much preparation—often
taking one or two years. When girls show an interest in International Travel, contact Council and download the Global
Travel Toolkit. Consider visiting one of the four Girl Scout World Centers or with worldwide service organizations.
Taking these trips is an amazing experience for girls to see the world together as a troop, learn new things about
themselves, and immerse themselves in a new culture. We encourage troops to make International travel a goal and
to prepare and plan to make it happen!
Training Required: Planning Trips with Girl Scouts (online), Planning Extended Overnight and National Trips
(classroom), and Planning International Trips (classroom and only offered upon request)Trainings are required.
Paperwork Required: Parent/Guardian Permission Slip, Girl Emergency Medical Information Forms, Medication Logs
(if applicable), Physical and Health History Form to be kept with your troop. Trip/Travel Application is due to Council
at least 18 months prior to travel dates. After this intent is submitted, an International Trip Application will need to be
submitted.*
Additional Requirements: The group must have a minimum of five girl members and two non-related adult members.
All girls/adults traveling must be registered members of Girl Scouts. Adults must be approved volunteers with an
approved and current Criminal Background Check on file with GSU. The group must have a First Aider with current
certifications from GSUSA or an approved organization. For an international trip, extra-insurance must be
purchased.
*Things to Note: If your trip includes a High Adventure Activity, you will need to submit paperwork requesting approval
from Council. See Safety Activity Checkpoints for a list of High Adventure Activities requiring approval.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Additional Travel Opportunities
Every girl deserves a chance to see the world! Girl Scouts offers many different travel opportunities so girls can
discover new places, connect and meet new people, learn about different cultures and ideas, and take action both
domestically and abroad. Whether exploring their own neighborhoods, going on overnight camping trips,
participating in community service projects, or flying to one of the four world centers, Girl Scouts are continually
expanding their horizons. If you have wanderlust, Girl Scouts can provide opportunities for you to see the country
and world.
Council-Sponsored Travel Opportunities
Ages: Girls must be 12 years or older at the time the trip takes place. Adults may also participate.
Description: Girl Scouts of Utah is happy to be working with EF (Education First) Tours to offer travel opportunities to
girls and adults throughout the state of Utah. We are taking an international trip every summer. Enrollment is
currently open for the following trips:
Girl Scouts of Utah 2016 Tour: Costa Rica: Touch of the Tropics
2016 Costa Rica Itinerary
Tour Website: Current Pricing, Itinerary, & Enrollment
Girl Scouts of Utah 2017 Tour: From London to Lucerne
2017 London to Lucerne Itinerary
Tour Website: Current Pricing, Itinerary, & Enrollment
Every EF Tour includes airfare, ground transportation, comfortable hotel accommodations, breakfast and dinner
daily, a full-time tour director and local guides, and the most extensive safety and security regulations in the industry.
EF also offers the lowest prices, guaranteed, as well as unparalleled support for Girl Scout Leaders and girls, making it
easy, safe, and affordable for girls to experience the very best historic, cultural, and natural sights of the world.
A Chaperone from GSU is present on all Council-Sponsored Travel Opportunities. Activity Credits may be used
towards Council-Sponsored Travel Opportunities. For more information or questions, email programs@gsutah.org.
destinations
Ages: Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors
Description/Purpose: destinations are ran through Girl Scouts of the USA in partnership with different sponsors
around the world and are opportunities for individual girls to travel to exotic places and experience new things in faraway locations. Through destinations, girls meet remarkable girls, develop leadership skills, gain confidence, and
enjoy valuable learning opportunities. These travel experiences are for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors and the
trip will range from different locations through the United States and all around the world.
Girls must submit an application to go on a Girl Scout destination. The application is due to programs@gsutah.org
Nov. 1st (early deadline) or Jan. 31st (late deadline) each year.
Girls may apply to up to 4 destinations each year. Chaperones from the sponsoring company accompany the girls on
the trip once they get to the destination location. Activity credits may be used towards destinations.
Visit GSUSA’s website for further information about destinations and the application.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Tips and Tricks of the Trade…
Taking a group of girls across the world can be intimidating—it’s a huge responsibility and it takes a lot of planning. On
the flip side, however, is how rewarding the experience will be—seeing their faces as they see the ocean for the first
time, watching one of your girls hike farther than she ever thought she could, and seeing the whole group come
together and develop friendships that will last forever with memories that will never fade. Traveling is a huge growing
experience for our girls, and we hope that some of our tips & tricks will support you in taking them out to see the
world!
Budget
Work with your girls to create a budget for your trip. Girls should take an active role in the budgeting and financing for
the trip.
How to involve the girls!
While it may seem easier for a Troop Leader to decide where the girls will travel to, what they will do, how they will
fund the trip, what they will learn, and everything in between, we encourage Troop Leaders instead to involve their
girls as much as possible. This will look different for a Brownie or Junior troop than it will for a Senior or Ambassador
troop. As girls grow older, they should take a more active role in planning. Remember, Girl Scouting is giving girls the
tools they need to be successful in life—think about what this travel experience can teach them that they will need to
know to be a successful, thriving, independent adult, and help guide them there.
Involving the Girl Scout Leadership Experience into travel should start by asking girls the following questions:

What do we want to experience?

Where are we interested in going?

Who will we want to talk to and meet?
What will you ask?

When are we all available to go?

What are visiting hours? Do we need
advance reservations?

What do we need to do now to get
ourselves prepared for this trip?

What’s the availability of drinking water,
restrooms, and eating places?

Where is emergency help available?

What safety factors must we consider?

What will we do as we travel?

What are our options of getting there?

What will we do when we get there?

What is the least and the most that this
trip can cost?


How will we earn the money?

How will we make the world a better place
on our trip?
How will we share our experience?
Be sure to involve your girls in the planning process of travel—it will teach them skills that will come in handy for the
rest of their lives. The girls can make specific arrangements, plan details, create a budget and handle money, and
accept responsibility for their personal conduct and safety.
A key aspect to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is reflection. After the
conclusion of your trip, ensure that girls have a chance to evaluate their
experience, talk about what they learned, and find ways to share their
experience with others.
Ages and Stages—Travel
Progression
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Ages and Stages – Travel Progression
Girl Scouting helps girls be successful through progression. In travel, this means that girls travel to places increasingly
farther away for longer amounts of times as the girls get older. Be aware of your group of girls and what is appropriate
for them. Taking a group of 6th graders to Washington D.C.—while allowed—isn’t always the best decision. Know your
girls and see if they’re ready.
1.
Depending on the age, start with an overnight close to home – maybe in
a troop leader’s backyard or at a Council Resource Center
2. Next, plan a trip within the state for a couple of days
3. Next, go to one of the states surrounding Utah for 3 or more nights
4. Now the girls should be ready to travel around the nation!
5. Get ready to take on the whole globe!
Wherever you go, remember that your trip should be fun, safe, and have some sort of learning component. Need
some ideas?
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Building a Team
You know that your girls can get along during troop meetings, but taking them to an unfamiliar location for several
nights is an entirely different experience. Here are some tips to ensure that all participants have a safe, accepting, and
emotionally beneficial experience:
 Build a team agreement together. Include behavior expectations, cell
phone/internet usage expectations, appropriate conduct, etc. Also have
the girls decide together what they will do if they are having issues with
one another (tell an adult, sit down together with an adult and talk it out,
etc.).
 Facilitate team-building activities before the trip and during the trip to
help your group of girls grow and stay united together
 Be prepared for disputes and know how you and the other
adults/chaperones will handle these situations
 Make sure that girls know what items are allowed and not allowed
 Use the buddy system and SWITCH UP the buddy pairs at least once
during the trip
 Sleep and “me time” is important. Ensure that girls are at their best by
helping them take care of themselves—make sure that there is enough
time for at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Give the girls 30 minutes-1
hour of down time per day, and ask them to spend part of it by
themselves (with others in sight) to allow for them to rejuvenate
Things to Remember
There are a lot of bits and pieces that go into planning a trip. Here are some things that you need to remember:

Transporting girls:
o Every driver must be an approved adult volunteer, be a registered member of Girl Scouts, and have a
good driving record, valid license, and a registered/insured vehicle. According to GSU policies, every
drive must be 21 years of age or older.
o Girls never drive other girls.
o If a group is travelling in only one vehicle, there must be two unrelated, approved adult volunteers, one
of whom is female.
o If a group is travelling in more than one vehicle, the entire group must consist of at least two unrelated,
approved adult volunteers, one of whom is female. Girl/adult ratios must be met (refer to Safety
Activity Checkpoints for ratios for your age group).
o 15 passenger vans are prohibited for any Girl Scout activity. 12 or fewer passenger vans are acceptable
forms of transportation.

Be sure that all parents and girls know the following before taking a trip:
o Who her buddy is/how the buddy system works
o What to do if she is separated from the group (whether accident or crime)
o What to do if she loses something significant
o What to do in the event of a crime, how to report a crime
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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o
o
o
What to do if emergency help is needed
How to preform basic first-aid procedures
How to deal with large crowds

Sleeping arrangements for overnight trips:
o Separate sleeping/bathroom facilities must be provided for male adults
o Each participant must have their own bed. Parent/guardian permission must be obtained if girls are to
share a bed.
o Adults and girls can never share a bed. Only exception is for mother/daughters.

Medication:
o The group/troop first-aider is responsible for making sure any over-the-counter and prescription
drugs are dispensed correctly. Any time medications are dispensed to girls, they need to be recorded
on the Medication Log. Parents/guardians need to complete a GSU Medication Log and include all
prescription and non-prescription medications which must be in their original containers. The labels
on all prescription medication must be prescribed for the girl. No exceptions!
Frequently Asked Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Can tagalongs come on a trip?
a. Only registered Girl Scouts (girls and adults) can come on a Girl Scout overnight trip lasting three
nights or more.
Can we stay at one of the Girl Scouts of Utah Council Resource Centers?
a. Absolutely! Girl Scouts of Utah has three facilities located in Riverdale, Salt Lake City, and American
Fork. To reserve one of these, fill out the Council Resource Center Room Use Agreement (for SLC) or
the Service Center Room Use Agreement (for Northern Utah or American Fork). These must be
received a minimum of two weeks before requested dates. If you are traveling to different states,
consider contacting their Council to see if you can stay at one of their facilities.
What is the buddy system?
a. Each girl should have a buddy in the group to accompany her at all times. Girls should never be alone.
What is the rule-of-three?
a. At all times when interacting with girls, adults should ensure that there are at least 2 girls + 1 adult OR 1
girl + 2 adults for safety purposes.
What is a Getaway?
a. GSUSA offers Getaways to a myriad of locations. Getaways are short-term travel opportunities
designed for Girl Scout troops or groups. These are a great way to have the majority of your travel
plans already made for you! For more information, go here.
We want to go somewhere primarily fun (ie: Disneyland, cruise, etc.); how do we make it a Girl Scout
Leadership experience for our girls?
a. Girl Scout travel experiences should absolutely be fun! We love to see groups interested in going
places like Disneyland—however there does need to be some sort of learning/leadership component
with the experience. Consider seeing if you can meet with a rollercoaster engineer (or a Disney
Imagineer!), or if you can meet with a Cruise Ship Director to hear about their career. Have a focus on
healthy living and have the girls wear pedometers while at a theme park. Learn about sea animals and
how to advocate for whales before going on a cruise…then go whale watching! There are so many
ways to make these experiences more than just running around a park eating candy and going on
rides (although that is fun too)—talk to us if you need inspiration! We want the fun to happen as much
as you (and your girls) do.
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472
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Girl Scouts of Utah Travel Forms Appendix
 Troop Trip/Group Camping Application
 High Adventure Application
 International Travel Application
 Parent/Guardian Permission Slip
 Girl Emergency Medical Information Forms
 Physical
 Health History Form
 Council Resource Center Room Use Agreement
 Service Center Room Use Agreement
 Medication Log
 Criminal Background Check
 Extra-Insurance Enrollment Form
 Safety Activity Checkpoints
 Volunteer Essentials
We hope that you and your girls have amazing, fun, and safe travel opportunities through
your Girl Scout experiences. Remember to read through Volunteer Essentials and Safety
Activity Checkpoints before embarking on a trip!
If you have any questions about travel, please contact
programs@gsutah.org – we are happy to help!
Girl Scouts of Utah  445 E 4500 S, Suite 125  Salt Lake City, UT  gsutah.org  801-265-8472