It’s the Journey not just the Destination! –  During the year or two before your trip, it’s great to practice some of the skills that your girls will need to have on their adventure! The girls can practice planning the trip by planning simple day outings, can practice riding public transportation, meeting new people, learning to read maps (or apps) and learning to get around a city as an independent group. They will practice budgeting skills and can learn how to make an itinerary and packing list, and they can learn to help you fill out the council paperwork for a trip. They should practice staying, sleeping, traveling and cooking together just like they’ll do on the trip to San Francisco!

Transportation Field Trips – Take the bus, trolley, ferry or train anywhere! The idea is to pick a destination somewhere nearby and let the girls figure out how to get there using public transportation. The girls can figure out what stop is closest, how to buy a ticket, how much the trip will cost for the group and what time they’ll be able to get there and get home.

Places To Go – ANYWHERE! – Take the trolley and/or a bus to Old Town, to a Farmer’s Market in Little Italy, go downtown to the County Admin Building park and the waterfront for a picnic, go to Liberty Station to play and eat.  Take the ferry to Coronado and ride bikes to the beach.  Take the metro train from Oceanside up to Orange County or LA on weekends for only $10! These are all great adventures that don’t cost much and will be a fun, local destination.  Let the girls figure out the purpose for the trip and what to eat and do when they get there.

Hostelling International Programs – Cultural Kitchen is a cooking and overnight program great for Brownies or Juniors! World Travel 101, Travel Bug Workshop, Discover the World. Practice staying at a hostel! Here in San Diego we have 2 of them.  Meet new people from other parts of the world and practice packing up for a weekend overnight. Add to the trip by taking public transportation to get there. Do a “shakedown hike” with your luggage/backpack.

Camping –  Practice your trip to San Francisco with a campout in Balboa at one of our cabins.  Make swaps and t-shirts that you’ll use in San Francisco. Use this time to do some of your planning.  Take a trip, using public transportation, downtown to do an activity. Do some cooking together just like you would at a hostel in San Francisco.

Start now to practice the skills that you’ll need for your next big trip! If your troop just got home from San Francisco be sure to spend a meeting evaluating what worked and what could have been better. Start thinking about your next destination…Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Savannah, New York, Boston or maybe Europe! What new skills can you practice that will help you get there?