Girl Scouts travel Europe thanks to cookie sales

Thanks largely to money earned from cookie and fall product sales, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Troop 593 were able to travel to Europe. The fourteen girls and 6 leaders spent two weeks exploring London, Paris, Rome and Munich.

A history previously only known through textbooks sprung to life as they visited sites once inhabited by artists, writers, politicians and other famous figures. One girl was thrilled to visit the home of her favorite author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Another girl who had taken AP art history gasped and cried when she saw Raphael's painting, "The Mass at Bolsena" in Rome for the first time. A World War II history buff was excited to visit the Winston Churchill War Rooms in London.

In England, stopping for a photo near London Bridge

"We even got to see the Queen at a distance," laughed one girl. "We were watching the changing of the guards when suddenly everyone started running up to this Jaguar and taking photos. It was the Queen and her driver."

In Germany they visited Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. The stark rooms and gas chamber had a chilling effect on the little group. One of the Girl Scouts was Jewish, and the tour had a big emotional impact on her. She held her friend's hand tightly and the two stayed close to one another as they moved from room to room. One of the guides observed their reaction and asked them who they were and why they had wanted to come to the concentration camp. They explained they were Girl Scouts from America. "My friend here is Jewish, and I am from German descent," said one girl. "I know there are Germans who deny the Holocaust ever happened. For me it 's important to educate myself about my ancestral history and see this place firsthand."

The crematorium at Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp

The Eiffel Tower in Paris proved to be an unexpected lesson. One scout struggled with her intense fear of heights, panicked and sobbing as she climbed the monument--the equivalent of 81-stories. Her mom and friends held her and helped her through it and she made it to the top. Once she got to the main platform, she relaxed and laughed--even running up another set of stairs with her friends to reach the pinnacle. "It was amazing to watch her transformation," said the girl's mom. "I was so proud of her. She really wanted to do this despite her fears. And when she did it, something just seemed to click in her. It all just fell away and she was suddenly fine, looking over the city and having fun with the other girls. I don't think it would have ever happened if she hadn't made this trip."

Girl Scout leader Vicki Ward and her daughter Caitlin

There were also cultural differences that surprised the group. At one point the girls sat picnic style on the ground outside to eat and received a lot of dirty looks from the locals. "Evidently you can't sit on the ground to eat. It's just not done. It was kind of funny because people were sitting down on monuments and drinking, and that was okay. Also you NEVER eat with your fingers in Europe unless it's a sandwich--not even pizza! It's considered barbaric."

The Fountain of Trevi in Rome

The girls enjoyed staying at the hostels, which were simple but comfortable. In the evenings it was hard for them to remember to go to sleep because the sun was still out. "We'd be laughing and talking together and one of the leaders would remind us it was getting late and we needed to get to bed. It was weird because the sun was still out which made it feel earlier. It didn't start getting dark until after 10:00 at night."

Posing in a red phone booth in England

The troop offered these suggestions to other scouts who are planning international travel. "Don't dress alike. When we wore the same troop shirts, we were treated like tourists. It sets you up a victim for theft and people also constantly try to sell you things. When we dressed differently, we had a much better time."

They also recommend doing two countries instead of four so that you can really explore and not be rushed. "We would just start getting familiar with a city when we had to take off again." The troop also advises groups to leave room in their schedule to make unexpected stops. Local people will often make recommendations of interesting places to visit, but if you are too tightly booked you can't take advantage of it.

International travelers from Girl Scout Troop 598

"It was a life-changing trip," said leader Vickie Ward. "It really had a huge impact on the girls and I could see them grow up so much because of it. For me, this was the best part. They also learned how to gracefully adapt to the unexpected. Sometimes places we had scheduled to visit were closed or things didn't go as planned."

17-year-old Caitlyn Ward agreed. "The whole trip was incredible. I love history, and being able to visit places I had only read about in books was just amazing. It brought everything to life in a way I could never have experienced otherwise."

The entire 2-week trip cost $3,300 per person and covered all expenses except for souvenirs. Caitlin Ward was able to cover almost 85% of her cost with money raised from her Girl Scout cookie and fall product sales and made small payments over the course of a year to cover the rest.

"Most of these girls would never have had the opportunity to take an international trip without Girl Scouts," said Vickie Ward, "Not only did they enjoy visiting other counties. It really gave them a great feeling of pride and accomplishment."

One of the many beautiful ceilings in the Vatican in Rome

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio are always exploring exciting new opportunities. To find out how you can get involved with Girl Scouts, call 1-800-400-GIRL (4475) or visit us online at http://gssgc.org.

Do you have a great Girl Scout story to share? Send it to us using our easy online form.

Juno Kughler Carlson
jcarlson@gssgc.org


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