Perched on the banks of the River Rhine, Düsseldorf is a vibrant and welcoming city. It's easy to reach by flight or train from the South East of England, and with Cologne (Köln) just 25 minutes away by train, groups might like to explore two incredible cities in one trip. With this giving flexibility about which city to travel into and to stay in - there are plenty of ways to create the perfect adventure for your group.
A Game of Words – The 2026 wide game
We will organise a one-day wide game to help groups explore the city, connect with others, and discover the joy of international travel through Girlguiding. The game will run on Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 October 2026 or both, depending on your interest levels, and will be inspired by Scrabble and other word games to tie in with our 2026 A-Z region challenge!
Build your own adventure
Your group will decide:
- how and when to travel (flight/train/coach)
- where to stay (Dusseldorf or Cologne)
- how long to go for
- what to do when there (on top of the wide game)
We encourage you to involve your young members in planning – it’s a brilliant opportunity for them to develop life skills like budgeting, travel planning, and teamwork. And as always, let’s keep it planet-friendly: talk with your group about sustainable travel, packing light, and making eco-conscious choices. We think your young members will have lots of ideas about this!
Leadership & safety
Your leadership team must include:
As this is an international event, your Permission to Plan and REN will go through region for approval (not your local commissioners) and must be submitted via GO. Don’t worry - we’ll share full guidance once you’ve expressed your interest if you're not sure how to do this!
Costs
The event fee is £20 per person (for both adults and young members), which includes an event badge and scarf.
How to get involved
Step 1: Expression of Interest – by 15 January 2026
Let us know you’re interested by completing the form on the left. This helps us gauge numbers and plan the event. We’ll confirm by end of January (or sooner if obvious from answers) whether the event can go ahead, and if both days will be available for the game.
Please don’t book or pay for anything until you receive confirmation and your Permission to Plan has been approved by the region team. A reminder that travel insurance should be one of the first things you then look to book.
Step 2: Registration & Deposit – by 28 February 2026
Once confirmed, we’ll share a registration link for you to:
- officially register your group
- choose your game day (if both dates remain available)
- pay your £100 group deposit
Step 3: Final Confirmation – by 31 May 2026
You’ll confirm final numbers, accommodation, and travel plans - and pay your remaining balance of the wide game.
What to do now
Start planning!
- Recruit your leader team
- Chat with your young members to build excitement and gather interest - will it just be through sign up or will you hold a selection event?
- Perhaps consider opening it up to your district or division, or even inviting Young Leaders who help with Rainbows and Brownies to join in with the fun
Information session – coming soon
We’ll be hosting a Zoom information session  on Mon 24 November at 7.30pm with the International team to:
- explore ideas for the trip
- learn about Düsseldorf and Cologne
- hear tips from leaders who’ve travelled abroad before
This session is designed to help you decide if an international adventure is right for your group — it’s not full event details just yet.
To register for the Zoom session, click here.
Challenge badge
Continuing the fun from the last few years, there will be a fun challenge badge based around word games like Scrabble, Boggle, wordsearches etc. for units to take part in around the same time as we are meeting in Dusseldorf. Watch this space.
We hope you are excited about the opportunity to once again introduced international travel to our young members
Please contact international@girlguidinglaser.org.uk if you have any questions.
