Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains to host Desserts and Destinations Oct. 10 and 11 in New Hampshire and Vermont
BEDFORD, NH | Girl Scouts love to travel—from the field trips they take as Brownies to the global adventures they go on as teens. Any G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ who loves exploring different places and cultures, will find that Girl Scouts is the place for her. Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (GSGWM) is preparing now for trips nearby and globally for just for girls.
Bonnie Anderson, a Girl Scout from Harrisville, N.H., recently returned from a GSGWM council trip to Iceland, where she spent the last week of July with six girls from New Hampshire and Vermont. She is an experienced traveler, having gone to Georgia and Wyoming for Girl Scouts USA Destinations trips, and last summer to England on a council trip. In Iceland, she said everyone got to know each other well and learned to work as a team with other girls from across North America. Joining her were five other Girl Scouts from New Hampshire and Vermont.
“We played basketball knock-out,” Bonnie said, “and a (Girl) Scout from our group, Paige, won the whole game! We also played manhunt on a huge scale because the camp was remote and spacious, and were able to play a two-hour game because it didn’t get dark in Iceland.”
She encourages others to make the leap and travel. “Just do it! Even though it may seem a lot of money, it is a totally different experience than anything you find elsewhere, and totally worth every penny!” she said. “You meet people from all over -- the world, potentially -- that are just as excited to be there as you.”
Paige Allen, 12, of Randolph, Vermont, said the Iceland trip was her first trip abroad. She enjoyed the river rafting, cliff jumping and trying the native Icelandic foods. “Some of their food was really good. I enjoyed tea time daily. I tried shark and dried fish, which are two of the most popular foods ... I really enjoyed the beautiful land and all the hiking we were able to do, to explore. Their history and culture was very interesting.”
Seven Girl Scouts from the GSGWM council got to visit Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France in July as well. One highlight of their trip was visiting Our Chalet, the first World Center for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides, located in the picturesque Swiss Alps. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has four other centers around the globe.
Christina Kennamer of Salem, N.H., is already an experienced traveler, who visited China this summer, with hopes to visit India and Japan next summer. The Great Panda Adventure is a Girl Scout Destinations trip, where girls volunteered at one of the most progressive panda centers in the world. Christina helped the caretakers with their daily routines, including feeding the pandas and helping with panda research, as well as spend a day and a half visiting historical landmarks in Beijing.
Traveling with Girl Scouts is unique because girls take the lead – during the planning and on the trip. This builds their skills, develops confidence, and teaches them how to overcome challenges and practice collaboration. Girl Scouts learn how to budgeting time and money, and can earn travel funds through cookie sales and other events. The Girl Scout travel progression allows girls to learn the skills they need to become competent travelers, starting with local field trips and day trips as younger girls, overnight and regional trips in their Junior and Cadette years, and taking national and international trips from Cadette on up. Girls can travel as a troop, with other Girl Scout members, or individually, with help from the Girl Scout Global Travel Toolkit. Girls who travel gain practical life skills, have a stronger sense of self, gain an appreciation of different viewpoints and cultures, and feel more connected to the global community.
More trips are in the works, and it’s easy to join the Girl Scouts to travel. Girl Scout Destinations is the ultimate adventure program for girls ages 11 and older. With a ton of different trips to apply for every year, 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. Our council has trips this summer to the Galapagos Islands and Lake Placid, New York, and for 2020 we are hosting a destination to Athens and the Greek Islands.
You can learn more about the ways to travel with Girl Scouts at Desserts and Destinations Oct. 10 at Rutland Regional Medical Center in Vermont, or the Baker Free Library in Bow, NH, on Oct. 11. See more at http://bit.ly/2NEKPK4. You can meet girls who have traveled, exchange ideas about how to travel with your troop, and apply to destinations worldwide. Also, discover ways to earn money for travel and learn about council trips at information sessions online at http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/travel/take-a-trip/destinations.
Girl Scouts is the BEST girl leadership experience in the world, period. How far will your Girl Scout experience take you? That’s up to you. Find your trip today!
