CHECKLIST Inform : Headquarters, your International Adviser, your County Commissioner, Camp Adviser, DC and anyone else you can think of.....better to overdo it than miss anyone out!
FORMS

Host camp forms / application forms. If they have a website, check it out and bookmark it!

Guide Association forms : Permission to Plan, Parental Consent, Camp Form, Travelling Abroad - invest in the GA "Forms" book, it tells you which sheet to send where and when.
Health Forms (you may also need host health forms too) - KEEP A COPY/LIST OF DETAILS WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES.
PERSONAL

Check that everyone has a valid passport in plenty of time (some countries demand that it has 6 months left before it expires) E111 forms (for reciprocal health care within the EEC) can be got a short notice from any post office ; everyone needs one. Depending on where you are planning to visit, you may need vaccinations : find out in plenty of time.

Insurance : the Guide Association's insurers are very competitive and offer cover for "all recognised Guiding Activities" (but they won't cover you for winter sports if you're over 80...... !!) Check out the GA for details etc. - when I last checked the website wasn't up to date so ring them.

Luggage : Check personal luggage allowance with the airline if you are flying.
Rucksacks are easy to carry but make sure that all straps etc. are secure before checking them in.
Hand luggage - pack a change of undies and a spare teeshirt, wet wipes and toothbrush besides the usual stuff - we speak from experience!!

HOME HOSPITALITY

If you are offered the chance of Home Hospitality in your host country, take it! It is the most wonderful way of getting to know a country and its people and an opportunity simply not to be missed.
Once you have been given a host group, don't wait for them to contact you, get in touch straight away. Don't be afraid to ask questions, either.
When the girls have been allocated individual hosts, encourage them to make contact as soon as possible, that way they won't feel like strangers when they finally meet.
And keep in touch after the visit's over!
FUNDING Depending on the kind of trip you are making, there may be ways of funding it besides asking the parents to pay : fundraising ensures that the opportunity is available to ALL Guides, not just those whose parents are able to afford it.
Ask your International Adviser whether there are funds available for grants, get the girls to write to HQ about bursaries, contact local businesses and charitable foundations - and get out there fundraising! (Supermarket bag-packs are good money-raisers but you usually have to book WELL in advance.)
TRAVEL Travel in full uniform - it makes a world of difference. People recognise you as Guides and are VERY friendly and helpful, and it can get you all sorts of privileges too (like getting your passport stamped, going into the cockpit of the plane...) It also makes the girls easier to spot in a crowd if by chance you get separated.
OTHER If you're going to an International camp, TAKE SWAPS!!! LOTS of badges, especially county standards and local badges - the bigger and brighter the better - and anything with Union Jacks on. If you can afford it, take spare UK neckers - everyone wants to swap them, they are by far the best neckers out there.
Gifts for your hosts don't have to be expensive : we found local stuff went down really well : packs of Yorkshire Tea, sticks of rock (with "Bridlington" right through the middle!) tea towels with "Yorkshire Phrases" on them, sets of coasters with local views, teddy bears with Union Jack waistcoats, and when we were there we bought plants for our hosts' mothers - miniature white roses naturally, as we're from Yorkshire. It might be a good idea to brush up on local history, customs and folklore before you go, too - I found myself giving a potted history of the Wars of the Roses!

(If you have any questions about topics I haven't covered, please feel free to email me to ask.)

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