What do you do with a teen whose summer holiday plans amount to sleep and Snapchat? Try an international summer camp...
In the US, summer camp, with its inexhaustible daily diet of screen-free outdoor fun is practically obligatory (at least for affluent East coasters).
Now, British kids are waking up to the delights of a parent-free adventure overseas. For the right teenager hungry for a bit of adventure and keen to broaden their horizons, an overseas camp is a chance to show real independence, forge lifelong cross-cultural friendships and maybe even pick up a new skill or two.
The real deal is the traditional American lakeside cabin camp, but there are plenty of choices in Europe too, with all kinds of specialities on offer – from language tuition and all-action adventure to robotics and performing arts.
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Village Camps
- Best for: River fun
- Suitable for: 11-17 years; £1996 (13 nights), starting 30 June or 14 July
This granddaddy of European camps (now in its 48th year) has sites in Austria, Portugal, Switzerland and elsewhere, but few can boast a location as spectacular as the Summer River Experience Camp on the banks of the Ardèche.
It’s a slick, well-run operation with rock climbing, abseiling and canoe training culminating in a two-day 30km canoe descent of the Gorge with an overnight sleep under a bivouac.
Accommodation is ‘comfortable roughing it’ in large, all-weather tents with sprung beds. If your offspring is a linguist, you can combine the outdoor fun with a French language course.
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International Camp Suisse
- Best for: Mountain activities
- Suitable for: 6-17 years; £2600 (13 nights) or £1350 (7 nights) starting any Saturday from 30th June to 17th August
Husky sledging on a glacier is one of the many highlights at this English-speaking language and activities camp in the Swiss Alps.
Here all campers do language tuition in French, Spanish, German or English, combined with cultural trips and a full timetable of outdoor action (biking, hiking, camping, climbing and watersports).
Set up 15 years ago by Richard Young and Julie Tyler, school ski trip providers and outdoor enthusiasts, it draws campers from all over the world for one- to two-week camps.
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Camp Kandalore
- Best for: Wilderness
- Suitable for: 14-16 years; £1972 for two weeks between 28 June and 26 August
With over 600 camps, Ontario is the home of camping in Canada. This 70-year-old venue has some incredible water-based adventures on offer, including canoe tripping through the lakes and parks (14-16-year-olds can take part in 5-12 day trips, with longer trips for older campers).
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Camp Lohikan
343 Wallerville Rd, Lake Como, Pennsylvania PA 18437, United States of America- Best for: Multi-activity
- Suitable for: ages 5-18; £2200 for 2 weeks; end of June – end of August
Over 65 activities including watersports on a private lake, a skatepark, scuba diving, horseback riding, quad biking, paintball, creative arts, performing arts, culinary arts and circus arts. International campers fly into JFK or Newark and can stay for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks.
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Camp Adventure Academy, Northern Germany
- Best for: Survival
- Suitable for: 7-16 years; £375 for one week, June 23 – August 31
Set in the beautiful Lüneburger Heide National Park, Survival Camp is the ultimate outdoor adventure.
Survivors head into the forest to learn survival techniques and face the toughest challenges from lighting fires and building shelters to crossing rivers.
At the end of the week, each participant will receive a certificate, proclaiming them a true survivor and ready to battle the most difficult of situations.
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Camp Cooper
Ardvreck School, Crieff, Glasgow, PH7 4EX- Best for classic American summer camp experience
- Suitable for: 7-17 years; £945 per week, scholarships available; max 110 per week
Having spent 10 years running a summer camp in Massachusetts, the owners of Camp Cooper have transported all the traditional US elements to Scotland: singing in the dining hall, campfires with songs, lots of dressing up and a big focus on building friendships and life skills.
Camps run for one or two weeks at two Scottish locations – Crieff and Edinburgh – with campers divided into 'cabin groups' of 8-10 who are the same gender, roughly the same age and a mix of nationalities. "Building strong, lasting friendships is at the heart of what we do," says owner Hiran Silva.
Accommodation is in boarding school dorms, and there are heaps of elective activities such as football, mountain biking, tennis, drama, filmmaking, journalism and performing arts.
English language lessons are available too – international students make up 70 per cent of the 110 places in the early weeks of summer, falling to 50 per cent when British schools break up. There's a maximum of 20% per nationality (excluding the UK) to create a good mix of cultures and to ensure that English is the main camp language.
As a small family-run camp – 110 campers to 30 staff – the camp prides itself on getting to know youngsters individually. Its focus on kindness, positivity and friendship building makes it a warm and welcoming place for even the most nervous newbie.
This listing is made in partnership with Camp Cooper.
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French Woods Sports and Arts
431 Chapel Hill Rd , Hancock, New York New York 13783, United States of America- Best for: Teenage daydreaming
- Cost from: £2263-£2707 for two weeks from early June – end of August
This teen-only camp offers watersports, sports and extreme sports, performing and visual arts, circus arts and technology such as computer programming, graphic design and robotics. It is also one of the very few that allows mobile phones in camp.
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PGL Two Centre Adventure
- Best for: Value
- Suitable for: 13-17 years; 8 nights (incl journey time) £839 (incl transport from the UK); coaches leave 1 or 5 August
This multi-activity week includes a two-day canoe descent of the Ardèche followed by watersports on the Med at PGL’s exclusive beachside campsite, Mimosa.
Kids here are likely to be all from the UK and there’s plenty lined up to help them bond, including disco for 300+ and over 50 activities to choose from.
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Camp California
- Best for: International mix
- Suitable for: teens; £690 (one week), £1383 – £2037 (two weeks); June 23 – August 24
Located at a family resort on the Adriatic Sea, this US-style camp hosts children from 30 different countries and promotes cross-cultural friendships by having no more than three of the same nationality per cabin.
Camp language is English and there are lots going on to bring kids together, with watersports, performing arts and gymnastics. Teen-specific courses include sailing, rafting, kayaking and kitesurfing.
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Ocean Youth Trust
- Best for: Seafaring
- Suitable for: 12-25 years; six-night sail - £575 per person from 16 to 22 July, 29 July to 4 August or 14 to 20 August.
Not truly a camp, but this has adventure, camaraderie and sheer thrills in spades. OYT gives sail training to hundreds of disadvantaged children each year and, during the holidays, offers places to children from mainstream backgrounds too.
Youngsters learn to sail, navigate and cook on OYT’s 32-metre vessel Prolific, crewing the boat (with expert help) on voyages to France and the Channel Islands.
They can put the experience towards Royal Yachting Association qualifications, although the focus is on fun rather than training, with music, BBQs and trips ashore.
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Mountain Camp California
1348 Pollock Pines, Pollock Pines, California CA 95726, United States of America- Best for: Tech detox
- Suitable for: 6-18 years; £1567 (one week) – £2902 (two weeks); June 9 – Aug 24
Mountain Camp California is a traditional co-ed summer resident camp for campers between the ages of 6-18 that puts a special onus on weening its campers off of their smartphone/computer/tablet/television/video game addiction by getting them off-grid, outside and active.
The camp's program focuses on promoting a positive self-image, encouraging friendships and community, and practising a healthy lifestyle.
Along with the usual water sports, rope courses and outdoor activities, your teenager can look forward to slightly more off-the-wall entertainment like LARPing (Live Action Role Playing), yoga, writing for the camp newspaper and broadcasting on the camp's radio station.
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That's Mandarin Beijing Summer Camp
- Best for: Something completely different
- Suitable for: 12-17 years; £2770 (two weeks) – £5540 (four weeks); June 3 – Aug 12
Perfect for teens looking to learn Chinese language skills while taking in some of the country's incredible cultural heritage. Professional teachers aim to provide a fun learning environment with traditional lessons interspersed by calligraphy classes, cartoon making and field trips to local museums.
There's even a special trip to The Great Wall of China included and plenty of downtime for kids to socialise with other campers. For parents that don't want to miss out on the fun, there's an option for the whole family to learn Mandarin together, wánshàn!
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Maine Teen Camp
- Best for: Making new friends
- Suitable for: 13-17 years; Two-week session £2932 runs from June 23 – Aug 13, campers fly to Boston or Portland
Maine Teen Camp is a progressive camp for teens only (13-17-year-olds). 60 per cent of which are new each year which makes it easier for newbies to integrate. Family-owned camp totally surrounded by water, with lots of water-based activities – wakeboarding, waterskiing etc.
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Camp Friendship
- Best for: Horseplay
- Suitable for: ages 9-16; one week camp between 16 June and 17 August - £1162
The Equestrian Camp is specifically for girls who want to eat, sleep and breathe horses. Campers are matched with a horse or pony for their entire stay allowing them to connect and progress together.
All levels are welcome from girls who have never been on a horse before to those who have been riding their entire life.
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Ohana Family Camp
- Best for: Introducing the family to nature
- Suitable for: all ages; £3970 per week for a 3 bedroom cabin between June 24 and August 22
Ohana is similar to the Sandy Island Family Camp in that you rent a cabin/tent on a weekly basis and choose how much you want to get involved as a family in the camp's weekly activities.
Where it differs, is that there's more of a fun at-one-with-nature hippy vibe to proceedings (in the Hawaiian language, ohana means family, community, a circle of good friends).
In the evenings, Ohana campers gather for music-making, storytelling, contra dancing and presentations by local experts on the natural and cultural history of the region.
For more great articles aimed at parents check out our Kids and Schools section.
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Comments (4)
Comment FeedGlad to see Ohana and Camp Adventure on here!
Gretchen 8 days ago
Where is Artek?
Alex more than 1 year ago
Artek?
Not Alex 310 days ago
Answer
Rose 304 days ago