Super Troop Highlight
Four Badges or Other Earned Awards One Field Trip
Transporting Girl Scouts
Field trips and extended travel opportunities are fun! It’s exciting to leave the regular troop meeting room, but how do you get everyone to your destination? How parents decide to transport girls between their homes and Girl Scout field trip locations is each parent’s individual decision and responsibility. Consider these typical options.
Family Organized Transportation
Ask families to bring their child directly to the field trip location. Families may choose to organize carpools among themselves. Provide clear communication with lots of activity details in the parent/caregiver permission form to keep everyone on the same page.
Troop Organized Transportation
Organize a troop carpool. Each driver must be registered as a Troop Helper in the troop, with a completed background check. The Safety Activity Checkpoints provides carpool guidelines and a handy Checklist for Drivers in the Transporting Girl Scouts section.
For planned Girl Scout field trips and other activities, in which a group will be transported in privately-owned vehicles, arrange qualified drivers and ensure:
• Every driver must be a registered, background-checked member (approved adult volunteer) at least 21 years old, and have a safe driving record, a valid license, a registered/insured vehicle, and meets council standards and policies for driving and transporting girls.
• Girl Scout youth members never drive other members to, from, or during activities or field trips.
• If a group is traveling in one vehicle, there must be at least two unrelated, registered background checked members (approved adult volunteers) in the vehicle, one of whom is female.
• If a group is traveling in more than one vehicle, the entire group must consist of at least two unrelated, registered background checked members (approved adult volunteers), one of whom is female.
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Plan for Safe Driving
• Review and implement the standards in the Checklist for Drivers, in the Safety Activity Checkpoints Transporting Girls section.
• Share the Checklist for Drivers with all drivers, in advance.
• Build possible delays into your schedule. Allowing time for traffic or other delays will help prevent urgency and stress, which can be dangerous when driving.
• Provide directions for each vehicle.
• For driving trips of more than a few hours, plan a stop where all cars can gather. This will avoid having drivers follow too closely or worry about being separated from the group.
• Anticipate stops every couple of hours, for drivers to rest and refresh. Let drivers know they can stop more often, if needed.
• Arrange for relief drivers if drive time will last 6 hours or more.
• In each vehicle, there should be a first aid kit, and the permission and health history forms for each person in that car.
From Safety Activity Checkpoints, Transporting Girls
Booster Seats
For Girl Scouts 8 years old and under make sure to review current laws about booster seats and use them in all carpools.
Rental Vehicles
GSNWGL has a discount program for troop travel with Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Contact info@gsnwgl.org or 888.747.6945 to request the information.
Review the Safety Activity Checkpoints for guidance on:
• Borrowing or renting vehicles
• Chartered vehicles
• Taxis and ride-sharing services
• Recreational vehicles, campers, and trailers
• Vans designed for 15 passengers
• Commerical and common-carrier transportation
• When traveling internationally
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