Our troop will travel together in a number of trips that become progressively more challenging. Some examples:

• Basic Trips — discovery trips around San Diego County using public transportation to get everyone accustomed to walking, staying together, and listening. Then visits to a local hostel for a cultural food experience, day trips in Southern California and surrounding areas, weekends away to places like Santa Monica, Big Bear, Catalina, etc. 

• Advanced Domestic Trips — last several nights or more, and cover more terrain. A trip to San Francisco, to the Grand Canyon by rail, or a trip to Portland, Oregon, are typical examples. 

• International Trips — travel to Canada, visits to a World Centre,  or participating in a jamboree in Australia are among the many options available to well-traveled troops. We are currently planning a trip to Nuestra Cabaña, also known as Our Cabaña a WAGGGS World Center.

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— our troop will work with the girls on travel planning 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?

•  What are visiting hours and the need for advance reservations?

•  What are our options for getting there?

•  What’s the least and most this trip could cost?

•  What can we do now to get ourselves ready?

•  How will we earn the money?

•  What’s the availability of drinking water, restrooms, and eating places?

•  Where is emergency help available?

•  How do we handle emergency travel situations?

•  What safety factors must we consider?

•  What will we do as we travel?

•  What will we do when we get there?

•  How will we share the Take Action story?

• As girls answer these questions, they begin the trip-planning process. In time, girls can make specific arrangements, attend to a myriad of details, create a budget and handle money, and accept responsibility for their personal conduct and safety. Later, after they’ve returned from an event or trip, girls also have the chance to evaluate their experiences and share them with others.