Travel Pre-Approval Form

  • Travel Pre-Approval Form

    This form should be completed at least three months prior to the trip start date. Travel approval is only required for trips that are 4 or more nights, or at a destination farther than 200 miles or a 3.5-hour drive from your regular meeting place. This includes all international destinations.

  • Important! This form is designed to be used as a tool while you have initial travel planning conversations! You can save your progress on this form at any time by scrolling to the bottom and clicking 'Save'. Once saved, you'll receive an email with a unique link to be able to pick up right where you left off.

  • Please note in order to be eligible for travel, troops must be in general compliance with Girl Scout requirements. This includes all Troop Leaders have taken training for their program level, attendance at Service Unit meetings, and adherence to Service Unit policies regarding troop accounting and bank statements.

  • Section 1. General Information

  • Section 1: General Information
  • e. Trip Start Date*
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  • f. Trip End Date*
     - -
  • g. Travel approval is only required for trips that meet any of the following criteria: are 4 or more nights, or at a destination farther than 200 miles or a 3.5-hour drive from your regular meeting place (including all international destinations). Which of these criteria does your trip meet?*
  • h. Will your trip involve any of the following?*

  • Please ensure you have all relevant paperwork and identification for your travel, such as Real ID, VISAs, and passports.

  • j. We expect that you will have multiple caregiver meetings to discuss your trip. Have you held a caregiver meeting yet for this trip?*

  • You must have a caregiver meeting(s) to discuss details pertaining to this travel. You may procede with this form without having your first meeting, but please understand that you may have questions you will be unable to answer until a meeting occurs.

  • k. When was your caregiver meeting held, or when do you plan to hold your caregiver meeting?*
     - -

  • 2. Progression in Travel and Readiness:

  • Section 2: Travel Progression & Readiness
  • a. Girl Scout travel allows the troop to learn skills they need to become competent travelers, including how to plan and organize trips. Girl Scouts must have experience at every level of the progression before moving to the next level. Please check all that apply:*
  • Section 3: Troop Compliance

  • In order to be eligible for travel, troops must be in general compliance with Girl Scout requirements. This includes all Troop Leaders have taken training for their program level, attendance at Service Unit meetings, and adherence to Service Unit policies regarding troop accounting and bank statements.

  • Please note that troops also need to be attending Service Unit meetings and submitting bank statements & receipts to be in good standing and be able to travel. SU Managers will review this upon receipt of this form.

  • Section 4: Volunteers Traveling

  • Please remember that your troop/group will need to provide a final roster in the final approval process.

  • Section 5: Youth Participation
  • a. CURRENT Program Level:*
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  • Girl Scout travel is a different experience than family travel. Every effort should be made to make the trip as girl-led as possible with youth members actively engaged in planning and decision-making.

    • You will need enough trained adult members with a background check to meet the youth-to-adult ratio at all times. (Be sure to plan for times when an adult is temporarily "off duty" to have a break.)
    • All youth and adult participants in Girl Scout travel who are eligible for Girl Scout membership must be members.
    • Avoid having siblings or too many adults on the trip because it changes the tone and takes away from the focus on the Girl Scouts.
  • e. Taking this into consideration, will there be any non-Girl Scout siblings (under age 5 or boys) attending?*
  • f. Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital is committed to nurturing an environment where all Girl Scouts feel included and can participate in a meaningful way. You will need to carefully consider the needs of all your youth and adult travelers so they can have a safe and successful travel experience. These needs may include: mobility issues, medical needs, allergies or allergic reactions, dietary requirements, access to emergency response medication, alternative communication, physical, sensory or materials adaptations or other accommodations. Participants mayor may not have a diagnosed disability, and needs may be behavioral, developmental, learning, physical, sensory, or social-emotional. Have you carefully considered the needs of your group and the accommodations that may be necessary?
  • Section 6: Insurance

  • Girl Scouts and registered adults are not required to purchase additional insurance for domestic travel. However, troops should be thoughtful about what the basic insurance plan covers and whether they wish to purchase additional insurance for higher coverage. International travel REQUIRES troops to purchase additional insurance.

  • a. What are your insurance plans for this trip?*

  • You can find insurance forms on the forms section of our website. For questions about insurance, please contact (202) 274-3320.

  • Section 7: Trip Logistics
  • a. Modes of Transportation (check all that apply)*

  • *See limitations on 15-passenger vans in Safety Activity Checkpoints and Volunteer Essentials.

  • b. Where will you be staying during the trip? (check all that apply)*

  • Forms & Paperwork

  • You must have original, signed Parental Permission Forms, as well as Girl Scout Health History and Emergency Medical Authorization forms for each youth BEFORE you travel.

  • c. Do you have signed Parental Permission Forms, as well as signed Girl Scout Health History and Emergency Medical Authorization forms for each youth?*
  • d. Will passports be needed for this trip (passports may be required on cruise trips regardless of the destination)?*
  • Do all participants have passports?

  • In most cases, you cannot travel with a passport that expires in less than six months. Please be sure to plan accordingly, with enough time to obtain the necessary passports.

  • Have you verified the expiration dates of all passports? (In most cases, you cannot travel with a passport that expires in less than six months.)
  • e. Will visas or other international travel documents be needed for this trip?*

  • Per the US Department of State, if your trip involves international travel, you need to have a Minor Travel Consent form for each youth. There is no official form provided from the Department of State, but a sample can be found in the Resources section of travel training. The country you are traveling to may have a specific required form; be sure to do your research well in advance.

    These forms are required to authorize you to travel with youth and must be signed by parents and guardians and must be notarized. This is required even when one parent or family member is traveling with the group. (Any time a child travels abroad without BOTH parents and/or legal guardians, this written permission is required.)

  • f. Have you obtained Minor Travel Consent forms for each youth participating in this trip?*

  • Preliminary Itinerary & High Adventure

  • i. Do any planned activities require a trained facilitator?*
  • j. Do any planned activities involve rental companies, vendors, or high adventure operators?*

  • Be sure that all High Adventure operators meet current Girl Scout safety requirements. Be aware that some international vendors may not meet the same safety requirements and that you will travel at your own risk.

  • Please remember that your troop/group will need to provide any rental agreements and contracts with facilities and/or vendors in the final approval process.

  • Swimming

  • If trip involves swimming, a currently certified lifeguard MUST be present. This includes hotel/motel and home pools (including AirBnB & VRBO), as well as a beach or other body of water.

    Youth members are not allowed to swim without a certified lifeguard present.

  • k. Does your troop plan on swimming?

  • Please remember that your troop/group will need to provide a final itinerary in the final approval process.

  • Section 8: Paying for the Trip
  • c. Have you submitted your Money Earning Approval Form/s for these additional money earning activities?*
  • d. Have you discussed ways to ensure that every Girl Scout who wants to go is able to afford it?*

  • If you have exhausted all money-earning options, there are troop loans and grants available to support you. You can find forms to request loans and grants on the forms section of our website. 

     

  • Please remember that your troop/group will need to provide a final budget in the final approval process.

  • Your troop is not yet ready for this type of travel. Girl Scout travel allows the troop to learn skills they need to become competent travelers, including how to plan and organize trips. Girl Scouts must have experience at every level of the progression before moving to the next level. You need to begin with smaller trips and build to longer ones. After some travel experience, your troop will be better prepared to enjoy a longer travel experience.

  • Final Approval & Signature

  • If this is a troop application, this form will be provided to your Service Unit Manager for review and approval. If this is a teen group application, the Association Chair of the sponsoring association will approve this form.

    If you receive pre-approval for your travel, the final Travel Approval form is due two weeks prior to the start of the trip. A finalized itinerary, rental agreements,contracts with facilities and/or vendors, and budget must be submitted before final approval.

    If you have any questions, please reach out to your Service Unit Manager or Association Chair.

  • By signing below, I certify that all information is true, to the best of knowledge and ability, and understand that failure to provide true information may result in this form being denied. In addition, I also understand that intentionally providing false information may impact whether or not this trip is covered by Girl Scouts Nation's Capital liability insurance.

     

    By signing, you also acknowledge that you will need to provide a final roster, budget, and itinerary as part of the final travel approval process, in addition to copies of any vendor agreements or contracts, before this trip is fully authorized.

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