Amsterdam Adventure is the latest in our series of international wide games. Participants will complete a series of activities around the capital city of the Netherlands. Each activity is designated a number of points, and on completion of that activity, evidence is uploaded to the game on the Goosechase app. A live, dynamic leader board will be available to view on the app throughout the day. Which group can gain the most points and be top of the leaderboard by the end of the game? The event will combine small challenges you can complete in your group, with bigger activities led by Girlguiding Scotland volunteers. We can’t reveal exactly what you’ll be doing, but it’s sure to be an amazing day!

The game will take place on Saturday 12 April 2025 from 10am – 4.30pm (approximate timings). This is the weekend before Easter but was the best option to ensure most local authorities had suitable school holidays. It also appears that we will avoid the Dutch school holidays.

Tickets cost £25 per person and tickets will go on sale at 12pm on 23 May 2024. Adult volunteers and young members are charged the same amount. This will cover all activities on the day and, of course, the event badge. It does NOT include meals, your transport, accommodation, or travel insurance.

As this is a girl event, we are limiting the number of tickets available to adult-only groups. Anyone attending as part of an adult-only group, or a group that is just adults and their children should purchase the ‘adult-only’ tickets. Groups bringing young members should purchase the ‘group’ tickets.

Tickets will be on sale until 30 June 2024 unless they sell out. If they do sell out, we will work to increase capacity where possible. If we are close to selling out, we will be sure to communicate this on social media.

This event is open to Brownies, Guides, Rangers, young leaders, adult members, and Trefoil Guild members. Preference is given to members of Girlguiding Scotland, however it may be possible for members of other Girlguiding countries and regions to take part if space allows. We will update this section when tickets open to other countries and regions.

As this is a girl event, we are limiting the number of tickets available to adult-only groups. Anyone attending as part of an adult-only group, or a group that is just adults and their children should purchase the ‘adult-only’ tickets. Groups bringing young members should purchase the ‘group’ tickets.

As this is a girl event, we are limiting the number of tickets available to adult-only groups. Anyone attending as part of an adult-only group, or a group that is just adults and their children should purchase the ‘adult-only’ tickets. Groups bringing young members should purchase the ‘group’ tickets.

If you are attending as an adult only group, the process you follow is slightly different. More information is available on the Girlguiding website and, while this is aimed at 18-30 residential events, we would recommend all adult groups follow this process.

Every adult on a Girlguiding international trip must comply with all applicable UK laws and guidance, and the law of the country you are visiting, as per the volunteer code of conduct. This is regardless of whether you are in uniform or not, and you should remember that you are representing Girlguiding Scotland and you must not do anything which would reflect poorly on the organisation.

In addition, the residential guidance makes it clear that all adults must remain capable of dealing with an emergency or first aid incident at all times.

You can find out more about the local rules and regulations on the I amsterdam website.

No, however, it’s our experience that taking part in the game itself is easier in groups of no more than 10. If you intend to travel in a larger group, you should be sure you will have appropriate adult to young member ratios to break into smaller groups for the game.

As this is an international event, at least one adult volunteer per group will need to hold their going away with license and the travelling abroad module AND have this recorded on GO. If you do not have this, you can still take part, provided an adult volunteer in your group is working towards their going away with travelling abroad module – they should have already completed the relevant modules of their going away with qualification for ‘home’ residentials. More information on what this involves is available on the Girlguiding website.

If you want to start working on this qualification, get in touch with your county international adviser (or county team if you don’t have a local adviser) for support as quickly as you can.

Each group taking part will need to ensure they have appropriately qualified adult members who hold a safe space, first response, and have their PVG. You must ensure all qualifications are current and recorded on GO. You will also need to ensure you meet the adult/young member ratio appropriate to your section.

As this is an international trip, you will need to complete the international residential event notification (REN) form. This comes in three sections – permission to plan, part 1, and part 2. The permission to plan should be submitted as early as possible, so submit your permission to plan form now – it does not tie you into running the trip and you can always withdraw if you decide not to go ahead with the trip!

Forms should be submitted to your county international adviser in the first instance, who will check them over and then send them on for final approval. Currently ALL parts of the international REN must be submitted for approval by the country or region international adviser and the country or region chief commissioner.

Alternatively, it is now possible to submit REN forms via GO. This option is in its early stages so, if you are a member of Girlguiding Scotland, you should also email Emma Pettis (the Scottish international adviser) on scotlandintops@gmail.com to confirm submission in this way. This will ensure forms are seen and dealt with promptly.

As part of the international REN process, you will need to produce and submit a risk assessment. You should start thinking about this as soon as you can and there’s an international risk assessment checklist you can download to help you plan your trip. Your county international adviser will be able to support you with completing the international REN and developing your risk assessment before you submit it for final checks and approval.

You will need to collect the usual consent and health forms for young members. Adult members are also encouraged to also complete a health form and hand it in a sealed envelope to your group first aider, in case the information is required.

Yes! We are delighted to say we are offering a dedicated Brownie book and go option for this event. This offer is only open to Brownie groups with leaders who are using this trip to obtain the international module of their going away with qualification.

We have secured accommodation in a hostel in Haarlem, a short train ride from Amsterdam, from 11 – 13 April 2025. There are a total of 88 spaces available at £120 per person, and this includes dinner, bed and breakfast, as well as your ticket for Amsterdam Adventure, and dedicated support from 2 lead volunteers who will be on-site and available to support you throughout the event.

You will be responsible for arranging your own insurance, travel, risk assessments, home contact, lunches, snacks and other activities during the weekend. That sounds like a lot, but it will allow you to gain your international module and our lead volunteers will be available to help with any questions.

The accommodation is in a hostel, with shared bunk-bed rooms, which are all ensuite. Brownies from different units may be required to share rooms and leaders from different units may also be required to share rooms. At present, the hostel is fully booked by Girlguiding Scotland groups, so there will be no members of the public on-site, other than hostel staff.

The hostels in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas tend to have very few accessible rooms with adapted showers and toilets. If you require these facilities, we would urge you to contact us directly to discuss your needs so that we can advise on what is available.

Any group taking part in this offer must have the correct ratio of girls to adults, but please be mindful when booking spaces that most of the spaces should be for Brownies and not adults.

A deposit of £25 per person is required to book your places, with the balance due by 15 October 2024. Both the deposit and balance are non-refundable.

If this offer is not sold out by 30 June 2024 we will offer the remaining spaces, in the first instance, to Brownie groups who are travelling with a leader who already has the international module, but still need accommodation.

This is a pilot project and the first time Girlguiding Scotland has offered an experience like this. The aim is to provide support for Brownies and their leaders to encourage international travel with the younger section. We are excited to be providing this opportunity and are working hard behind the scenes to make it a success. As usual, we will look for feedback after the event to help improve future projects.

At this time, the offer is only for Brownie groups, however there is a lot of support available to leaders wishing to take young members away. Please look at the other sections of the FAQs for links to relevant parts of the Girlguiding website, talk to your local international commissioner or county team, or get in touch with other leaders who have their international module for advice, hints and tips!

There’s no getting round it – international trips are expensive. However, it’s important to look at ways of managing this cost to help make it accessible to everyone.

• Be up front with parents about the expenses involved so they know why the trip costs as much as it does.
• Make sure parents are aware of whether you will be doing any fundraising to help bring the cost of the trip down, and what support you will need from them to achieve this.
• Have a clear payment plan and try to spread the cost as much as possible.
• Remember that you might need more money for the initial deposit to cover the cost of booking flights.
• Factor in termly subs and any other unit payments needed so that there’s only one payment for parents to make each month to try and make it more manageable.
• Keep parents informed on how the budget is looking, costs incurred so far, and how fundraising efforts are going.
• Have clear terms and conditions so everyone knows what happens if someone wants to pull out, such as losing any payments made so far. There is guidance on the Girlguiding website on setting expectations and writing terms and conditions for your trip.

There is advice on the Girlguiding website on how to manage finances for overseas trips.

Yes, in fact we recommend that you do as this will help make the trip more accessible to everyone in your group!

There is lots of advice in the fundraising toolkit on the Girlguiding website, but here are a few reminders:

• Even if businesses and organisations in your local area can’t support your group with a cash donation, they may be able to provide other help, such as items for raffles and venues for fundraisers.
• Make sure you get parents on board to help with fundraising – the more they help, the more it brings down the cost of the trip for them.
• Keep sharing updates on how the fundraising is going so that everyone can see the benefits of what they’re doing.
• Read the fundraising policy before you start and the fundraising regulator code of practice to make sure that any fundraising you do is legal, open, honest and respectful.

The travelling abroad grant is for adult leaders working on the travelling abroad module of the going away with scheme. You can apply for a grant of £100 towards your travel and accommodation. A £200 grant is available if you’re meeting Guides from another country or doing a community project.

The Leslie Sell Charitable Trust is an independent trust fund which makes small grants to groups to help with the cost of making repairs, purchasing sundry items of equipment, or going on trips in the UK or overseas. Please note, they are unable to consider applications for trips submitted within four months of the proposed departure or event date due to processing times.

It is worth checking if there are any trusts or grants available in your local area that might support your trip in some way, such as those dedicated to towns or counties, or even those related to local windfarms.

There is guidance on the Girlguiding website about applying for grants from trusts and foundations.

Booking travel for your group is your responsibility, and there is advice on what to consider on the managing finances for overseas trips page of the Girlguiding website.

Flights direct to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport are available from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Inverness airports, provided by KLM and easyJet. Flights typically become available for booking 11 months in advance, with the best deals available for those booking early. The flight time is around 90 minutes.

Amsterdam is very well connected by train to many other European cities. You may wish to extend your adventure by starting or finishing in a neighbouring country.

If you are looking for a different experience, you can take the overnight ferry between Newcastle and Amsterdam, operated by DFDS.

It is likely that, by the time groups are travelling in April 2025, the European Entry/Exit System (EES) will be in place for non-European nationals crossing an external European border. This involves fingerprint scanning and a photo of your face being taken at passport control. These images will be stored by EES along with personal details obtained from an individual’s passport. You can find out more on the European Union website.

Please note, if people in your group have EU passports, rather than UK passports, they will use a different gate at border control on arrival in Amsterdam. At departure, UK and EU passport holders exit via the same channels. You exit these gates one at a time, therefore we suggest one adult goes at the front of your group and one at the end, to ensure all young members exit safely. A video which shows how the eGates work is available on the passports and travel documents page of the Schiphol website and we would strongly encourage you to show this to all young members prior to departure.

If you have group members with passports not issued by the UK or an EU member state, it is your responsibility to check if there are any additional entry requirements for them.

The Dutch authorities require groups travelling with children where there is NOT a parental relationship to have written permission from their parents. You can download the appropriate form for completion from the travelling with children page on the Schiphol website. Please note, this is in addition to the Girlguiding consent form.

While it is possible to get group passports, Girlguiding advises that you use individual passports as it means that individuals can travel separately to the group if necessary.

There are lots of ways to travel responsibly and reduce your impact on the environment – it’s not all just avoiding planes!

If taking a ferry or train isn’t suitable, some airlines will give you an option to pay a little extra to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. Packing light helps with fuel economy, as well as avoiding excess baggage fees. You can try prioritising accommodation that supports green initiatives and make sure you don’t have your towels replaced every day. Take a refillable water bottle with you and give solid bars of shampoo and soap a go to avoid single use plastics.

Ask your group if they have any ideas on how to make your trip more sustainable and check out the hints and tips on the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) website.

The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, however, it is estimated that around 90% of the population speak English. You might want to learn some basic phrases so you can say hello, good morning, excuse me, thank you, and do you speak English, for example, so that you can be polite to anyone you meet.

There are translation apps available which can translate images if you’re trying to read a menu, for example, or that can say the phrase you entered in the target language, and it might be worth having one available just in case. Google Translate and DeepL are both free and might be an option in a pinch!

Yes! Amsterdam uses euros as their currency, so make sure that members of your group have either euros in cash or have checked their individual bank for overseas spending.

You may wish to consider using banking apps such as Monzo or Revolut, which enable you to sterling into euros and pay using a smartphone app. Many of these accounts also issue payment cards, which might be easier to pass among the leadership team if it’s a unit account rather than a personal account. Often these cards will not charge you bank fees for overseas transactions, unlike many credit or debit cards, so it’s worth doing some research on the options available and weighing up the pros and cons.

Contactless and card payments are used widely across Amsterdam and appear to be the preferred option by most shops and businesses. However, a few outlets may only take cash, so it is worth having a small supply of euros available. When paying by card or contactless and given the choice, it is usually best to pay in euros rather than pounds as this can save you money.

There is some advice on prepaid cards and bank charges under managing finances for overseas trips, and more on prepaid cards in the finance policy on the Girlguiding website.

Yes – you must purchase suitable travel insurance for this trip. As we are not licensed brokers, Girlguiding Scotland is not permitted to recommend policies and you will have to research the most appropriate policy for your group and your needs. You must purchase insurance before arranging travel or booking accommodation. The Girlguiding website has some advice on what to think about when looking for travel insurance.

Global health insurance cards (GHIC) are not an alternative to travel insurance but are a useful addition to travel documents. They allow an individual to receive necessary state healthcare in an EU country on the same basis as a resident of the county. There may or may not be a payment required. Cards are free and you should apply for the card through the NHS website.

Booking accommodation for your group is your responsibility.

You will need to think about the specific needs of your group, such as whether you have particular accessibility requirements, and your likely budget. As with flights, the sooner you are able to book accommodation, the better. To make it as easy as possible to take part in the game, you should focus your search on Amsterdam city centre and try to identify accommodation with good local transport links.

The best budget option for accommodation in Amsterdam is hostels. The lead volunteer team stayed in the Generator Amsterdam hostel for a recce trip, where rooms are typically 4 bedded (bunk beds) with ensuite toilet and shower. This hostel was extremely busy, with a lively bar area on the ground floor, however the accommodation floors were quiet and secure. We visited the StayOkay hostels at Amsterdam Oost and Amsterdam Vondelpark. Again, accommodation is in bunk bedded rooms, with open bar/dining areas on the ground floor.

These hostels tend to have very few accessible rooms with adapted showers and toilets. If you require these facilities, we would urge you to contact the providers directly to discuss your needs.

At previous wide games, some groups have booked Airbnb accommodation. This offers you more privacy and the ability to cook meals for yourself but is generally more expensive.

If you are struggling to find suitable accommodation for your budget in Amsterdam and are willing to travel on the day of the game, it might be worth looking at the surrounding area. Often public transport links are much better than they would be in the UK and a little extra on a travel pass that works slightly further out of the city, plus a 30-minute train ride might save you much more on accommodation costs.

A tourist tax applies in Amsterdam and the surrounding area. This is usually clearly included during bookings, but you should remember to factor that into your budgets. The rate for this year is 12.5% but this may increase for 2025.

Scouting Netherlands also have facilities in and around Amsterdam which you may wish to investigate. There are some recommendations on the Amsterdam region website, and there’s a full directory of campsites and residential accommodation you can search and filter on the Scouting Netherlands website. Please note, we have not visited these sites and cannot vouch for the quality of facilities available.

Amsterdam has a very high number of tourists each year and this takes a toll on the city. To help support the extra spending needed to keep the city clean and safe, and to maintain the infrastructure such as bridges and canals, a tax is taken on all accommodation whether it’s hotels, hostels or campsites. The rate for 2024 is 12.5% and should be clearly included when booking accommodation, but you will need to remember to factor it into your budget and the potential for the rate to increase in 2025.

There are several modes of public transport to get around the city such as buses, trams, ferries, trains for longer distances and the Metro which is similar to London underground and overground services.

Many of the game’s activities and challenges will be in the centre of Amsterdam within walking distance of each other, so you won’t need to rely completely on public transport. Amsterdam is a famously flat city, so hills are generally not something to worry about although a lot of steps can be covered in one day. Some of the activities will be further afield, so using public transport options is encouraged to enjoy the full extent of the game, as well as the beautiful city and outskirts of Amsterdam.

One, two, and three day Amsterdam travel tickets are available which will cover all your public transport and can be purchased in advance. These can be collected at various points including Schiphol airport and include train travel into central Amsterdam.

If staying outside Amsterdam or visiting a region further afield, an Amsterdam and region travel ticket is required. This ticket covers travel to and from Schiphol airport, as well as travel within the Amsterdam region, including to Haarlem.

Please note, trains in the Netherlands are split into first and second class. You must sit in the appropriate area as you risk a fine otherwise.

Amsterdam has a reputation as a cycling city and it is well earned. You must respect cycling lanes – they are not somewhere to walk in, and the local cyclists will soon let you know if you’ve strayed into their territory!

Finally, remember they drive on the other side of the road in the Netherlands, so when crossing the road, you must ensure you have checked right, left, and right again.

The weather in Amsterdam in April is starting to warm up with it reaching a daytime high of approximately 13 degrees but it can be as cold as 4 degrees at night. It tends to be a less rainy month, but its unpredictability means you should be prepared for all eventualities. Layering is a good idea!

The activities and challenges of the game will be spread throughout Amsterdam and although some may be indoors, they will not involve spending a lot of time in a particular venue.  If your group is keen to see a particular place of interest such as visiting Nemo Science Centre, the maritime museum, Amsterdam Zoo or Zaanse Schans, we would recommend that you make your own arrangements to visit on another day during your trip.

The tulips of Amsterdam are worth a visit if staying in the area for a few days. Keukenhof Tulip Park is a 35-minute bus journey from RAI station in Amsterdam, and travel is included if you have an Amsterdam and region travel card. If you don’t have an Amsterdam and region travel ticket, the cheapest option is to buy a combined park entry and bus ticket. Group tickets are available to purchase on their website.

The Netherlands were occupied during WW2 and many communities, including the Jewish community, were subject to significant persecution. There are several museums and monuments to this, including the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi forces. Out of respect for this difficult period we will not be visiting these areas during the game, but they may be of interest to you during the rest of your visit. Tickets for the Anne Frank House go on sale 6 weeks in advance and should be purchased through the museum website.

Of course, everyone taking part in the Amsterdam Adventure will receive a special badge! We respectfully ask that you do not copy this design for any event clothing you may order.

If you want to purchase special clothing for this event such as hoodies and t-shirts, this is up to you. The volunteer team for the event will be wearing orange hoodies, so we would ask to not to use this colour, to avoid any confusion.

If you are using the Girlguiding trefoil on any clothing you order, you must check the design with the Girlguiding branding team to make sure you have followed all the branding guidelines.

We respectfully ask you do not copy the Amsterdam Adventure logo or badge design for any event clothing you may order.

We will have a range of volunteer roles available! We will be recruiting through the volunteer pool, so make sure you’re signed up.