To celebrate a Girl Scout graduation and a high school graduation, Troop #11000 from Spring traveled to Pax Lodge last July. Troop members Jessica, Courtney, Alley, and Kristin and mothers/volunteers spent two fun-filled weeks at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) World Center in London.

The troop began planning its trip three years earlier by first attending a Council international trip meeting. With information from the meeting, we decided to plan a trip of our own. Working through the Program Department, we contacted Pax Lodge for a schedule of events and possible travel dates. Initially we wanted to visit Pax and London in July 2002. However, after contacting Pax 18 months in advance, we found all program dates full. We changed our plans and opted for a graduation celebration trip (instead of a senior year kick-off trip) and reserved space in an eight-day London Experience Program for July 2003. In addition, we reserved five days of room and board to explore London on our own.

To help finance the trip, we reserved our Fall Product Sales bonuses and held additional approved money-earning activities. (At the same time, we continued to camp, take field trips, etc. with troop dues and cookie sale profits.) We also saved money earned from part-time jobs and, with moms traveling too, money from our families.
We began our adventure on Saturday, July 5 by taking a 10-plus hour flight from Bush International Airport to Gatwick Airport, London. Arriving at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, we hopped a train at Victoria Station for a 30-minute ride into town. Negotiating escalators, stairs, and a number of underground rails (subways) with 14 pieces of luggage, we arrived a Pax Lodge roughly 2 hours later.

We began each morning by joining all staff and guests at Pax for a flag ceremony. We sang the World Song and reflected on an “inspiration for the day.” And then we began our adventures. We toured the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, visited Buckingham Palace where we actually talked with palace guards inside the gate, toured Madame Tussard’s Wax Museum, rode British Airways’ London Eye high over

the city, toured Windsor Castle where we saw the Crown Jewels, toured the Royal Observatory where we stood on the Prime Meridian, visited Westminster Abbey, traveled done the Thames River, stood at Harry Potter’s 9 3/4 station platform, and saw “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the London Palladium. We also visited the United Kingdom Girl Guide Headquarters where we reflected on the roots of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting and worked at Hampstead Heath helping to rid the area of weeds overtaking the beautiful moors. Pax Lodge staff helped us negotiate our transportation and ensured our party, which included Girl Scouts/Girl Guides from Missouri, Indiana, Horne Payne Canada, and Troop #11188 also from GSSJC, arrived safely.

With some free time during the program and our additional time in London, we toured St. Paul’s Cathedral (where some of us climbed the 440 plus steps), Kensington Palace and Gardens, the Globe Exhibition Theatre, and the Monument (where we girls climbed 311 steps), and walked across the Millennium Bridge. We shopped in Camden Park, Covenant Gardens, and in the shops near Pax Lodge. We celebrated our final night in London by seeing “Chicago” at the Adelphi Theatre. Troop leader Susan Huff capped her trip by spending a couple of days with her long-time pen pal Sally. They began writing years ago and had last seen each other at Susan’s high school graduation years ago.

Teresa, Kristin, Susan, Alley, Courtney, Jessica, and Diane of Troop #11000 pose in front of Pax Lodge.

With two weeks in London, we had to learn how to get around town. We maneuvered the underground known as the Gap and quickly learned the meaning of “Mind the Gap.” The gap refers to the space between the platform and the underground train. At some stations, the gap is merely a few inches; at others, it is a foot or more. We also rode the double-decker buses often seen in movies set in London. And we walked and walked up hill and down hill crossing streets where the cars are on the left, the opposite of what we have in the “States.” And we had to learn to look to the left when crossing streets!

We left Pax Lodge on Saturday morning, July 19 to return to Houston. This time we took a quick cab ride directly to Victoria station and avoided all those escalators, stairs, and subways. Some 30 minutes later we arrived at Gatwick Airport and boarded a plane at 9 a.m. for a 10-hour return trip to Houston. When we arrived home at 1 p.m. (remember the time difference!), we were tired but happy for the adventure and to be home.
We had a trip of a lifetime. From mom Susan Huff, “What an experience to have and to say it is all because I was a Girl Scout! You can go many places and see many things when you are a Girl Scout–even some things you might not ever get to do or see unless you are a Girl Scout. Some girls and adults are missing out on some great times and experiences.”