Tour Plan

Effective March 1, 2011, what are currently known as local and national tour permits will be superseded by what will be called the tour plan. *The online tour permit system will be suspended. This update is the accumulation of work by a cross-functional team of volunteers and staff including the Health and Safety Support Committee, Council Solutions, Outdoor Program Group, and Risk Management Advisory Panels.

Here is the definition of the tour plan in the Language of Scouting: "Units complete this form when planning for local, national, or international adventure. The plan helps ensure the unit is properly prepared, that qualified and trained leadership is in place, and that the right equipment is available for the adventure."

The plan is available at this link: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-014_fillable.pdf

 

What's different?

  • The Council is the reviewer of all tour plans; there is no regional review required.
  • The tour plan consists of a tour planning worksheet to be completed by the unit/contingent. It is retained by the council and a tour plan is returned to the unit after processing.
  • It's on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper!
  • There is a 21-day advance notice requested for units to submit the plan for the Council's review.
  • A single point of contact (not on the tour) for council use is included.
Defined reasons/times when a tour plan must be submitted for council review :

  • Trips of 500 miles or more
  • Trips outside of council borders not to a council-owned property
  • Trips to any national high-adventure base, national Scout jamboree, National Order of the Arrow Conference, or regionally sponsored event
  • When conducting the following activities outside of Council or district events:
    Aquatics Activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.)
    Climbing and rappelling
    Orientation flights (process flying plan)
    Shooting sports
    Any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles, boating, etc.)
  • At a Council's request
  • Updated Pledge of Performance

What is not changed?

  • A council can define "local" tour plan review needs in addition to the above.
  • The Scout executive still needs to have in place a policy/procedure for tour plans.
  • Requirements for qualified supervision, training, insurance, etc., remain unchanged-for example, CPR and Wilderness First Aid requirements for high-adventure camps.