The first to fly off into the sunset was the group travelling to SOAR [‘Spirit of Adventure Rendouvous’] a camp on Vancouver Island in Canada. The group spent the first few days with local families to experience home-stay and being shown around Victoria and the surrounding area. Then it was onto camp where they enjoyed many different activities including maypole dancing, a high ropes course, BMX biking and a Camp Fire Evening. The group also experienced off site trips which included kayaking on the warm river rapids, for some it was surfing; hot tubs were enjoyed by everyone at some point during their stay. Finally, it was on to their final destination, NEW YORK! Lots to see and discover, shopping, shopping and more shopping, the Empire State building, Central Park and a boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty.

Our next group to leave the UK were off to Denmark to take part in the Jamboree ‘Vendlebo’. On route they went to Oslo, visiting the Folk Museum and the Viking Ship museum. On the fourth day they took the overnight ferry down to Frederikshavn to join the camp. Activities at camp included metal work at the blacksmiths, building a straw house for the horse, candle making and braiding plus lots more. Finally, they travelled to Copenhagen to be greeted by a luxurious hotel that was most welcome to a group of very smelly dirty camp weary travellers. The next few days were spent sightseeing in Copenhagen; they visited the various theme parks including the Tivoli Gardens. At midnight they watched the water illuminations on the lake and took a boat ride on the river to see the Little Mermaid. The next day they met up with two of the scouts from camp who took the group on a walking tour of the city.

The third group went off to New Zealand to experience the North Island Tour. The first stop was Auckland to Mount Eden, a dormant volcano crater, then onto the Sky Tower which is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and some amazing panoramic views over Auckland. They travelled to the Bay of Islands where they spotted a large pod of dolphins and some seals basking in the sun.Then on to the ‘Waitangi Treaty Grounds’ where in 1840 the treaty of Waitangi was signed between the Maori and the British Crown.
After that they made their way to Rotorua to experience home hospitality and get to see how a typical New Zealand family lives. They continued travelling around the island enjoying the culture, traditions and beautiful scenery which New Zealand had to offer. The last part of the trip was a four day stay in Hong Kong. They were lucky enough to see the famous Symphony of Lights at Victoria Harbour, visit the Space Museum and travel by tram, taking them to ‘the peak’ which is the tallest point in Hong Kong.

The fourth group went to the ‘Haarlem Jamborette’ in the Netherlands to join 3,000 other young people from 14 countries in the most amazing camp. Whilst they were at camp the Scouts celebrated their Centenary and the group took part in the sunrise ceremony and the renewal of our Promise. This was a very special occasion. There were lots of activities going on and many day trips where the group experienced ‘Walabi World’ a large theme park, days at the beach, camp fires, canal boat trips and a visit to a clog factory. After camp they travelled to Amsterdam for some sightseeing, including the Anne Frank museum, and a little chill time out before they flew to Vienna for the final part of the trip. Here they experienced a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which was broadcast on a big screen in the open air, and enjoyed a visit to the ‘Huis de Musik’ [the Music Museum]. On the final day they had an aerial view of the city by riding on the large Ferris Wheel in the centre of Vienna. The whole group agreed it was an amazing experience and enjoyed the diversity of camp and city life.

It remains to be said that without the dedication of the group leaders and assistant leaders, who give their time freely, these trips would not take place. We are very grateful to them all for their continued commitment to Girlguiding and International travel and would like to extend a huge thank you to them all.