Name: Camps International
Address: Unit 10 Kingfisher Park Headlands Business ParkSalisbury Road, Ringwood
Rating: 4.11

“My daughter raised £4000 for her trip with camps International this summer which, due to the world wide covid 19 pandemic. Camps will only refund 50%. I do understand they have costs to cover but to keep HALF of this money is disgusting. They should have insurance to cover situations like this. Camps must be laughing all the way to the bank, with 30 children from our school and gods knows how many other schools not receiving a full refund. Camps should feel very ashamed of themselves, taking money from children who wanted to help people and learn.”

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Posted 4 years ago

Hi, thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback and we’re truly sorry your daughter won’t be travelling with us this year. Unfortunately, at this point before departure a significant sum of the costs are irrecoverable, having already been invested in the extensive support and infrastructure that goes behind running our safe and sustainable school expeditions. This is due to amount of support and organisation that happens before the expedition takes place, such as the booking of flights and the investment into our global social enterprise model. This is why, in line with our terms and conditions, 50% of the expedition costs are irrecoverable upon the school’s decision to cancel. However, in order to make sure no families are financially disadvantaged by this, we have been working closely with schools to support them through their insurance claim for the remaining costs and we understand that many families have received their money back already. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk Regards, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“My son was due to travel this year, clearly covid has prevented this. Camps asked the school to cancel/defer despite knowing that travel bans to the country my son was going to were in place ans covered the dates of travel, all flights to the destination (and the back up destination) had already been cancelled before the deadline the school were given to make their decision. So despite it being physically impossible to get pupils to the country Camps still refused to take action by cancelling the trip. Upon contacting Camps myself I queried vaccines as GPs and pharmacies had stopped doing them (early March) and the member of staff advised me that not vaccinating my child was perfectly fine, despite this being terrible advice medically but it could also cause issues with insurance. I forwarded this email chain to another member of the Camps team to be called a liar, despite having written evidence right there. Camps informed me that they would contact me via email before refunding 50% of the trips cost, this didn’t happen, it took until early July to finally receive a refund and the member of staff found it appropriate to write “lol” in their email to me. When deferral was an option I asked Camps what would happen about students who would be 19 years old who would be considered ‘strange adults’ where safe guarding is concerned, I was informed that they would not need DBS checks and would still be sharing bedrooms with children. As a designated safe guarding lead I can assure you that does not comply with safe guarding. I work at a school and I organise all of the schools enrichment activities, all of the companies my school uses have cancelled all of our trips and refunded us in full, some which were more costly than Camps. Speaking to various colleagues at other schools Camps seems to be one of the few companies who have refused to act in a responsible manner.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“I recently have returned from 4 weeks doing camp Cambodia. Such an amazing and unforgettable experience helping such wonderful people and seeing some beautiful places. Throughout the trip, I felt very looked after by both the camps international staff and the locals. I wouldn’t hesitate to participate in a trip like this again. I would HIGHLY recommend!”

Camps International 5 star review on 27th July 2020

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Posted 4 years ago

“Having paid a huge sum of money to Camps International (£4,000+) it is a huge disappointment to find that due to the Covid 19 situation, they have chosen to refund only HALF the money and kept the rest. Of course I understand that they have made payments for these forthcoming trips, however I fail to believe they did not take out insurance for situations such as this. To keep £2000 of our hard earned money and force us to rely on an external insurance company who may or may not refund this amount, is quite simply, a joke. Not only has my sons trip been ruined, but the slap in the face is Camps International keeping half the money for their ‘costs’. Shame on you. This is disgraceful. Pure and Simple. I really hope this gets picked up by the media so this can be exposed, as clearly this money should be paid back. parents have saved tirelessly to send their children on these trips; to have this money taken from them is, in my eyes, almost criminal.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. We are extremely disappointed that our trips are unable to go ahead this year and know how hard families and students have been working to raise the money. In line with our terms and conditions, when a school decides to cancel, 50% of the expedition costs are irrecoverable due to the amount of pre-expedition support you will have already received. This includes the booking of flights and investments into our social enterprise model i.e wages for local staff and vital capacity building throughout our host communities. We understand your frustrations but can assure you that we are working closely with schools throughout this difficult process to do everything possible to mitigate any financial exposure for families and have supported all affected schools with claiming through their school insurance, in line with guidance from The Department for Education, along with other central bodies such as the OEAP (Outdoor Education Advisors Panel), and EPA (Expedition Providers Association). We understand that the majority of schools have already had successful claims processed through their insurance and many families have received their money back already, however we will be more than happy to discuss your concerns and individual situation further with you. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at travelsupport@campsinternational.co.uk. Regards, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Do not deal with this company - only interested in taking your money. They are like the school bully taking dinner money from the smaller kids by imposing unrealistic terms and conditions.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi John, Thank you for your feedback. We would like to assure you that our terms and conditions are in line with other school expedition travel providers. An expedition is unlike other travel experiences due to the extensive support and organisation before the expedition itself takes place, including the booking of flights and the investment into our social enterprise model globally i.e. wages for local staff and vital capacity building throughout our host communities. We have been working closely with schools to mitigate any financial exposure caused to families and have supported many schools through successful insurance claims already. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your individual concerns further and offer our support - please don’t hesitate to contact us at travelsupport@campsinternational.co.uk. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“I fully agree with everything said in the review by MF. Shame on You Camps International!! I am shocked and dismayed by your unethical business dealings during this Global Pandemic. Trip has now been deferred by a year. However my child no longer has a place (as currently in Year 11). Guess what - Camps International want to keep 50% of the trip cost (nearly £2000) for the privilege of telling me my child can't defer and doesn't have a place. Easy money, £2000 per child affected. Multiple children impacted at my child's school, even before you look at the many other volunteer trips Camps International have planned over the Summer with schools across the UK. Leaving the school to submit an Insurance claim, but this cannot be guaranteed! £2000 of fundraised/donated money (that will need to be repaid) and my hard earned money. To add further insult I now have to wait 6-8 weeks for the monies paid over the £2000 to be refunded by Camps. Apparently its really hard for them as they only have a small team and are WFH so the process will take longer. They certainly had no issue taking my money!! Over 3500 people due to travel with Camps this summer. Although according to Camps their primary business is not with schools and education establishments with children aged under 18 - so the Department of Education direction does not apply! When challenged they would not provide the numbers of those due to travel under the age of 18. Camps International must be rubbing their hands with delight. Refer to terms and conditions - we are in the middle of a global pandemic! What ethical Tour Operator would consider sending a plane full of children to Kenya amidst all of this going on - apparently Camps International would. A clear case of a Tour Operator making a financial gain and profiting by ‘double recovering’ their money. You have tarnished a once in a lifetime opportunity for my child, and what for? Financial gain. Utterly disgraceful. I urge all schools to carefully consider any further trips with Camps past 2021.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Kim, The current pandemic has, of course, brought about unprecedented changes within the world and particularly within the travel industry. We have worked with all stakeholders to navigate through this situation and work with schools to find a solution which mitigates financial exposure for families, closely following guidance from The Department for Education, along with other central bodies such as the OEAP (Outdoor Education Advisors Panel), and EPA (Expedition Providers Association). As we hope you understand, in line with our terms and conditions, 50% of the expedition costs are irrecoverable upon the school decision to cancel, having already been committed to the extensive support and organisation before the expedition itself takes place, including the booking of flights and the investment into our social enterprise model globally i.e. wages for local staff and vital capacity building throughout our host communities. We understand many schools have already had successful claims processed through their insurance for the remaining costs and some families have received their money back already. We completely understand that in cases where the school has chosen to defer the trip, some students will be unable to travel with their school at this date. We would encourage anyone in this situation to contact us directly to discuss options for individual students unable to travel with their school. We understand you have already spoken with a member of our team, and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss your concerns further with you. Thanks, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“My daughter was due to go to Costa Rica in July/August 2020. We were 'sold' an amazing experience during a talk in school. We were told there would be lots of support to help fundraise the £4350 to go on the trip, which there wasn't. She has worked hard over the past year to raise the money. We started to have doubts about the trip when we weren't given answers as to which other schools she would be going with (she is only 15 and a month away from home with strangers raised a few concerns with us). We eventually were given a list of other schools she would be going with. When the whole Covid situation started, we received no advice, no reassurance or guidance from camps so we contacted the schools on the list that she would be travelling with. Many schools were happy to talk to us, but wanted us that the options they were being given involved their students losing a significant amount of their monies paid and they would have to claim on their own school insurances. We then discovered that most of these groups were not even travelling or would not be in Costa Rica when she was going to be there. This raised our concerns even more and when we emailed camps we were fobbed off with some lame excuse about composite groups being different. We were then told that the options for her travel had been sent to the school - not us. There is only 2 students from her school travelling to Costa Rica so it couldn't be hard to send us the information to. The trip has now been cancelled as Camps option to defer until next year is not really an option for us. The department for Education has said that school trips must not go ahead for an indefinite period of time, so if we defer until next summer and the restriction is still in place, the insurance will not pay out as the trip was booked against government advice. Camps have kept half of her money paid, just over £2000, money which generous people have sponsored her and donated and also companies who have sponsored her in return for her to advertise their companies by means of a blog/ Facebook/istagram posts etc whilst she is there. She will now have to try to raise this money to repay all these people who have given her money. Apparently, because British Airways are still flying in July the trip isn't cancelled therefore she isn't entitled to her money back, despite the fact the British Embassy in Costa Rica are advising travel for non-residents is prohibited, despite the fact that the Department for Education is saying no school trips abroad and also in their terms and conditions of the booking it states "You have the right to cancel your expedition before departure without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at the destination of your expedition or its immediate vicinity and which significantly affects the performance of the expedition or which significantly affects transport arrangements to the destination. In these circumstances, we shall provide you with a full refund of the monies you have paid but we will not be liable to pay you any compensation. For guidance, you may wish to refer to the Foreign and Commonwealth office. www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice For the purposes of this clause, examples of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” include warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to your destination" Terrible company who have exploited young people and kept their money!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. Like you, we are deeply disappointed that given the current situation, your daughter’s trip will not be able to go ahead as planned. These are highly unusual circumstances and we have been working closely with schools and authorities to secure the best possible outcome in a timeframe that eases pressure on families, rather than the much later timeframe of FCO advice. The Department for Education (DfE), has actively encouraged schools to defer where possible and therefore the trip will not have been booked against Government advice. We have followed guidance from The DfE closely along with other central bodies such as the OEAP (Outdoor Education Advisors Panel), and EPA (Expedition Providers Association), as we have navigated our way through this exceptional time for Camps International and the travel industry as a whole. In line with this guidance, our intention has always been to work with schools to find a solution which mitigates financial exposure for families. Many of our schools have already had successful claims processed through their insurance for the remaining costs and some families have received their money back already. As we hope you understand, in line with our terms and conditions, 50% of the expedition costs are irrecoverable upon the school decision to cancel, having already been committed to the extensive support and organisation before the expedition itself takes place, including the booking of flights and the investment into our social enterprise model globally i.e. wages for local staff and vital capacity building throughout our host communities. We understand you have been speaking directly with our team, however if we can provide any further support in anyway, please do not hesitate to get in touch again at travelsupport@campsinternational.com.

Posted 5 years ago

“Our son is due to travel this summer, but camps International have closed their office and not replying to emails. The school hasn't been informed of the trip going ahead or cancelled yet other schs in the region have had their trip cancelled. An email I did receive said it was fine that my son didn't have all his vaccinations he could still travel. Like wtf!!!! I'm sorry do camps International know something we don't about not having a yellow fever or rabies vaccinations? 🤔 They do not reply to parents there communication is poor and the replies you do get eventually make no sense especially when on a medical basis. Really wish we never went ahead with this. They brush you off.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Thanks for your feedback and we’re sorry to hear of your frustrations. Unfortunately, we have had to temporarily close our office due to government advice relating to the Covid-19 situation, however all our staff are working remotely and here to support our travelling students, schools and parents. We are working closely with schools to make a decision regarding all 2020 expeditions and you should be notified of this imminently by your school if you haven’t been already. As I’m sure you’ll understand, we currently have a much higher volume of emails than usual and our team are doing their best to reply to everyone as soon as possible; we apologise if you have felt frustrated by the slower response times. We’d like to confirm that as our team are not medically qualified here, we would not give out any medical advice and would always urge you to speak to a medical professional regarding vaccinations. We’d love the chance to talk through your concerns further, if you email us at travelsupport@campsinternational.com one of the team will happily give you a call back.

Posted 5 years ago

“My son has travelled with Camps International on 2 trips so far. He has thoroughly enjoyed the service and action that he has been involved in. The customer service we had in the lead-up, during and after each of these trips has been fantastic. The team on the ground at the camps kept my son safe, fed well and engaged in all of the activities. Both camps chaperone's that travelled with the group did an amazing job of getting to know the kids and helped them when they needed it. I am looking forward to him traveling with Camps International again.”

Camps International 5 star review on 12th April 2020

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Posted 5 years ago

“My son travelled on expedition to Kenya with Camps International and GWA and had the most amazing time! I was impressed with the entire process from start to finish which was very reassuring since this was his first overseas trip without parents. The online traveler gateway was very useful to find information quickly such as kit lists, flights and itineraries. And the information evenings Camps provided were very informative and professional – top notch! My son is not hugely academic but is very good with “hands on” activities. It was a great opportunity to take him outside of the classroom and let him shine in a different environment. He was even able to teach some of the kids how to de-worm goats as he has done this before back in New Zealand. However, the highlight of this trip for him was the community service building work. Living in Dubai we are lucky enough to lead very privileged lives, so he was very grateful to be able to help the less fortunate build part of a school. What an opportunity! Thank you Camps International team! We’ll definitely be sending him on another expedition with you soon.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Sadly my son was not able to go on his trip of a lifetime! He had to change schools after the first payment was made. We have paid over £1300 towards this trip, he worked really hard to raise this money, making Christmas wreaths, setting up a go fund me page and he was so excited. Sadly when he had to move schools there was no support from either his school or Camps International. No alternative was offered infact camps international cancelled his contract before he had even left the school which meant that we couldn't offer his place to another child for the £75 admin fee that we should have been able to do. They were rude and curt on the phone! My son had to save up to repay his go found me that he had used to pay his deposit. Camps international is a business and all they are interested in is making money! Children should not be offered this opportunity so far in advance! Anything can happen in that time.... The trip is now looking like it will be cancelled because of covid 19 and they have said that they won't cancel the trip, they will defer? That's rediculous!!! It's a month long trip, how are kids going to be able to defer, my son has now left school so wouldn't be able to defer as he's joining the RAF. It's just wrong on so many levels the way they sell this trip to the children! DO NOT fall for their sales pitch, especially after the current state the world is in, just know that anything can happen and when it does, do not expect any understanding or solutions from Camps international.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, thank you for leaving us a review. We understand that your issue regarding the original refund was dealt with by our team back in Spring 2019 when you cancelled your son’s trip due to individual reasons. We apologise if you feel like this matter has still not been resolved and would welcome you to get back in touch with our team at operations@campsinternational.com if you would like to discuss this further. Our expeditions are offered to students with a long lead-in time in order to provide adequate time for them to fundraise, meaning these opportunities are open to students from all backgrounds. As your son is no longer booked to travel, we would not have had any direct contact with you regarding travel options in light of the current coronavirus pandemic. However, we are currently working very closely with all our travelling schools and students to provide the best possible solution for everyone. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Ensure you ask the Camps International Team about sickness rates at your selected destination country and procedures surrounding the management of travel medication. Our daughter went to Cambodia and the level of sickness was much higher than we would have expected. Not only that, but the expedition leader made in-country decisions on prescribed medication which contradicted the advice given by a 'travel specialist' GP in our home country. I can see in a previous response that Camps International have suggested that parental feedback differs from student feedback and this is likely due to the fact that the expedition leader elicits the feedback directly from the student (awkward!). My daughter was unwell for a significant portion of the trip and it's unclear as to how Camps International have the impression that her experience was overwhelmingly positive. From speaking to other parents, it's our opinion that there's definitely better providers out there...”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. As with visiting any foreign country, minor sickness in travellers can be common, however we have excellent procedures in place in-country to help manage this and ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable trip. Our Expedition Leaders have all been first aid trained and prepped to handle medication but anything that cannot be dealt with by the Leader is always referred to a local clinic. It was our understanding from your daughter’s feedback whilst in-country that she did indeed enjoy her expedition despite her sickness, so we are sorry to hear that you do not feel this is not a true reflection of her experience. I understand that you are currently in contact with someone regarding this matter but please feel free to contact us on (03) 8582 8750 if you wish to discuss further. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“I have mixed reviews about camps international. The first talk was so exciting. My daughter and I and her father loved the ethical side of the expedition, helping out whilst experiencing another culture sounded amazing. We signed up immediately. The Kenya trip is expensive. I think it would be a good idea for the organisers to mention that this will not be the only expense other then pocket money. Visas,vaccinations, malaria tablets, the health consultation to get the afore mentioned medicines and health cover excess are all expenses that need to be covered. I understand that camps international cannot advise on what vaccinations will be required however a brief overview that most going do get vaccinations and that the area visited is a yellow fever area would have softened the surprise when we attended the doctors and found out. In the last meeting, one of the topics that was spoken about was timings to take the malaria meds. It would have been helpful to know that taking malaria tablets would be the norm at the beginning of the process. We received a kit list that stated sleeping bag, anti fungal footpowder and a myriad of other things which we duly purchased only to receive another list that omitted such items. This lack of continuity was irritating and needlessly expensive. When my daughter's arrival was iminant I contacted the center to find out collection timings. I was given a phone number of someone to call and get the information. No one replied. I messaged and got no reply. I visited the camps international site and called the number, it was out of order. I was panicking. No one answered my calls, emails. My husband also tried and got a similar response. This was a dreadful lack of care on the part of camps international. We were consistently told in the meetings ' any worries just get in touch. Call is , someone is there to answer 24/7. This was obviously not the case. Luckily my daughter called me to let me know she had arrived. On the plus side she had a wonderful time. The leaders were great and the activities exciting and rewarding. Prior to her departure, correspondence was swift and any information I requested readily supplied. However I would still think twice though about sending her on a camps international trip again and would make sure I get the full story in the first meeting, not the exciting highlights the speaker supplies, before I sign my children up to any further camps international expeditions.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Eirene, Thank you for your review. We are grateful that you having taken the time to provide us with your feedback and are pleased to hear that your daughter had a wonderful time whilst on expedition with us. We are sorry that you feel as though the information you received before your daughters expedition was inconsistent. We try to make sure that families are aware of the need for vaccinations and visas and I believe a member of our team was in contact with you regarding this throughout the pre-expedition process. We apologise that you were unable to get in contact with us regarding your daughters arrival home. We pride ourselves in our 24/7 availability so will look in to this matter further. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“My daughter had an incredible time with Camps International in Borneo. We found their communication excellent, and would absolutely recommend a Camps International adventure to anyone who was considering it.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, thank you for your review. It's amazing to hear that your daughter had such an incredible time in Borneo and that you had a great pre-expedition experience with us. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Taking us around the different places And showing us how they live down in Africa and how different they live compared to us.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi Emil, Thank you for your review. It's great to hear you had an amazing time learning about the culture in Africa. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“We spent a fantastic week as guests at Camp Kenya. The trip was expertly organised by the staff at Camps, and our Expedition Leader Leanne was wonderful. Totally supportive to staff and students alike, she was also great fun to be around. Although it was extremely hard work, we grew both physically and emotionally through this hard word. Our students tackled everything with great enthusiasm, as they understood the importance of the tasks to the local community, which had been clearly explained by the camps staff. Accommodation was basic, but in keeping with the environment, and nothing was too much trouble for the camps staff. A special shout out should go to Mama Mercy, for her welcome and work when we helped the women's group, Enoch who gave us lessons in Swahili and to Peter who was patient and knowledgeable on our safari. A huge thank you to Leanne (Camps Expedition Leader) who made us feel secure and safe and who helped make our trip something we will all remember for the rest of our lives. It is difficult to find words to express what we did, saw, participated, learnt and helped with during this trip. However it truly was for us, a life-changing experience. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi Lousie, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a great review. We are proud of our trips so it's great to hear your feedback. We will be sure to pass this on to Leanne as well. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Such a fun and life changing experience, thanks for the amazing trip.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi Sam, Thank you for your review. It's great to hear you had such a life changing expedition with us. Best wishes, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Camps International had the friendliest and most professional local guides and expedition leaders! Made the experience and journey to Cambodia so easy and completely unforgettable!”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We think that the local guides and expedition leaders do an amazing job at making the expeditions safe and enjoyable so it's great to hear that you agree! All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“My daughter attended the Machu Picchu trek, July 2019. It was not a pleasant experience for her in many ways. Positively, it built character, resilience and independence which are all good. But on the trek she felt unsupported, rejected and ostracised by her peers and counselors. She was injured and didn't feel supported at all, like she should just suck it up and continue on. She was made to feel like an outcast. When I contacted the company to express my concerns, I totally understood what she meant because I felt the same by the way I was treated. I was met with curtness and impartiality, no empathy and no real suggestions on how to resolve her issues. This trip is not for everyone so please consider both your child's physical ability AND their mental capacity to handle the trip. The company really downplays the challenges these young people will face. The conditions are unsanitary - primitive in fact, far more primitive than they describe. The kids work HARD MANUAL LABOUR on the sites. I can't believed I actually paid THEM for her to work so hard and in such harsh, unclean conditions. She was already a strong young woman before she left and now she is stronger after all she went through. Additionally, there isn't any cultural or ethnic diversity in these groups or the homebase company, if that is a consideration for you, it can make it harder on both child and parent.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for your review. We welcome all feedback and are grateful you took the time to provide this to us. We're sorry to hear that your daughter felt this way on her trek as this differs from what we understood to be the case at the time of her expedition from her communications with our team. We understand our team have been in contact with you directly to try to further discuss the issues you have raised and we would welcome the opportunity to continue this conversation. Many thanks, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Well organised exhibition. All staff, from the camp managers, camp leaders and local guides, were exceptionally helpful, kind and welcoming. As a teacher travelling with students, I felt at ease with the knowledge and organisation of camps and their staff, which ensured a smooth and enjoyable trip for all.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi Claire, Thanks for your feedback! Glad to hear you felt in safe hands with our staff and you enjoyed the whole expedition experience. We'll be sure to pass on your feedback to our global team. Hope you'll join us for another expedition in the future. The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

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