High Adventure
The first possibility is a High Adventure trip. There are many attractive destinations and many modes of adventure. We could do backpacking, canoeing, sailing, you name it! We've done these kinds of trips before, and some of our leaders have a great deal of expertise in this. We could no doubt fill a crew and take off for the Edge of the Raw in many different directions. The problem with High Adventure is that it encompasses a restricted age range and a very specific set of health criteria. There are lots of otherwise hale and hearty folks who are not old enough or fit enough to do these kinds of activities.
The Amazing Destination
Touring is another possibility. Name a place you've always wanted to visit, particularly one with strong associations for Methodism and/or Scouting. A place you've always thought beyond your reach. For instance, England: we could take a trip that would include all the major sights of London, including Wesley's Chapel and Methodist Central Hall and Gilwell Park. Also in London are the London Eye, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, etc. Take a side trip over to Bristol to stand in Charles Wesley's pulpit and visit Glastonbury, Stonehenge, and Bath along the way. Other amazing destinations could be proposed.
Service Project
A Scout service project on the mission field is another possibility. Perhaps something in the Redbird Missionary Conference, combining some basic construction tasks with a week of camping and touring in Appalachia. Cumberland Gap, Cherokee, and other interesting locales for day trips could be incorporated with doing a worthy and lasting project for others. And there are many other locales with needs that Scouts and Scouters would find within the reach of their abilities. This would be the most family-friendly kind of big trip.
The cost of any big trip would vary from a couple hundred dollars per person to, say, $2500 or so for a major Destination kind of trip. Scholarship help would be available in any case where need presents. The length of any big trip would probably best encompass no more than nine days (two weekends bracketing one workweek away). Time would either need to be summer or one of the major school breaks (fall or spring).
At this "blue sky" stage, all input is valuable and every suggestion will be seriously considered. Scouts and Scouters: Which kind of trip would you consider most attractive?