Name: Camps International
Address: Unit 10 Kingfisher Park Headlands Business ParkSalisbury Road, Ringwood
Rating: 4.13

“DO NOT USE THIS FIRM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. This is an appalling organisation who have decided to hide behind their T&Cs which were agreed pre covid-19. They have flights listed in my trip section that do not exist, Their staff do not engage. Those who can comment are automatons who speak legalise and who have no concern for the health, safety or welfare of anyone connected with the trip. They dissemble at every turn and cannot be trusted. They claim to be ethical, but there is no evidence of this, nor is there evidence that they operate safely with repeated requests for risk assessments ignored. Their only concern is to extort the next payment from young adults with the threat that they will cancel your place as you failed to meet the T&Cs. One wonders just how long they will persist in refusing to cancel trips to South America? Once they do they will no doubt try to rearrange to some other country to continue to cling to hard earned money. They have no concerns that they have sucked the any and all excitement and joy from the experience via their intransigence and pig headed approach. Try personal view is they are in deep financial difficulty. They claim to have 4000 travellers in summer 21 but as I still can't get my hair cut, it hard to see how you can safely organise trips for so many young people to so much of the planet that is presently closed and almost certainly will remain so for months to come. With 4000 cancellations they'd be on the hook for at least £16 million. I hope they go bust A truly disreputable and odious company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. We understand your frustrations regarding the expeditions and would like to assure you that the safety of our travellers is our number one priority. Risk assessments have been carried out and we are closely monitoring the advice of the relevant government bodies and the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. We do of course understand the impact on our travellers and are working closely with schools to make sure that families will not be financially disadvantaged by any decisions. If you could like to discuss this further, please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and one of our team will be happy to chat through the options surrounding your expedition. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“The worst customer service. No direct answers. Basically fobbed off at every turn. No accountability. WE WILL BE FIGHTING THIS. Camps International, dont tell me to email with concerns. Stuart Rees Jones and his partner need to step up and sort this out. Thieves. I want a direct contact NUMBER. DO NOT FOB ME OFF AGAIN. Brazil borders Ecuador by the way.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Louisa, we are sorry to hear that you have been unable to get hold of our team. We have looked into the situation and understand that our operations team have been trying to get in contact with you regarding your cancellation since October 2019 and have not heard back from you. Please can you get in contact with us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk with your updated contact details so that we can resolve this matter. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“Camps international are a money grabbing charity. They totally refuse not to listen to children and parents worries, anxieties and fear. We have cancelled and lost our money for the safety of our son. A bunch of shitsers. Please be careful folks with this company. Their staff are like robots and state the same information that they follow fco advice. Warning avod at all cost. Nil customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Hayley, thank you for your review. We understand that you are currently in contact with our operations team regarding your son's cancelled expedition. If you have any further queries, please contact the team and they will be more than happy to assist. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“Camps International refusing to cancel trips to third world countries this summer despite CV19 - schools therefore being forced to make the sensible decision not to go and as as such No Refunds (CI basically Saying It was the school not us) and their Peace of Mind Promise therefore means nothing Whatsoever! Very Very underhand practice here. Not sure which is more worrying the fact they are stealing Kids money or think it’s okay to take kids to third world countries At the moment mmm.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Hi I’m just wondering if you can advise who the contract is with? If schools have allowed you in to promote the trip and the teachers are attending who is it with the school or the child? Also if children get a positive covid test before the trip will we get a full refund? If children are going to have to isolate on their return in a hotel for two weeks do you pick up this cost? Lots of unanswered questions and two weeks before the trip to cancel is ludicrous expecting parents to pay for kit and vaccine and you let us know two weeks prior? When will you be making a decision on trips for July this year?”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi, our operations team will be able to answer any questions you have regarding the expedition. If you email with the best number to reach you on operations@campsinternational.co.uk someone will give you a call as soon as they can. Thank you, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“Can you now tell us what the situation is now U.K. has shut the borders to South America ? My daughter is due to go to Ecuador this summer with her school it doesn’t like this will happen now because of the new deadly variant in South American . You are still taking monthly direct debit from families knowing these expeditions will not take place this year. I think you should do the right thing and tell the school/students that they won’t be going this year knows they won’t be able to leave the U.K. Also please do not book flights then tell families they can only have half their money back because you booked their flights !!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi, Thank you for leaving us a second review. As stated before, we understand your frustration surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic but can assure you that we are closely following the advice from the FCDO that covers our specific expedition dates. The advice can change quickly and we are monitoring it constantly. The safety and wellbeing of our travellers is our number one priority and we will never send our travellers to an area that is considered unsafe by the relevant governing bodies. Again, if you would like to discuss more about your daughters place on expedition, we encourage you to contact operations@campsinternational.co.uk to discuss the options available to you. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“I get that they are struggling with the pandemic, but their general communication with people who are booked on expeditions with them is woeful. It is a shame because I think if it hadn't been for the pandemic our students would have been fine, but as it is they are not a company I would ever recommend engaging with. We have some signficant issues with some of our students' fund raising, possible travel dates etc and despite initial promises of contact with me as their teacher and working with us to get the students through it I can't get a response out of anyone at this company. Shocking given the tens of thousands of pounds they have collected from our students already.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Jason, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We understand that you have spoken with several members of our team regarding your points raised. In addition to the current fundraising support and advice from our school support team, we would be happy to help if you feel you/your expedition team would benefit from some additional guidance. Please do feel free to get in touch with us directly. If we can do anything else to help you further through what is undoubtedly a challenging time for all, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us and we will be more than happy to help. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“DO NOT BOOK WITH THESE !! AVOID AT ALL COSTS !! As mentioned many times in other reviews the fact that the is a world wide pandemic and parents have lost jobs, homes and cannot feed their own families does not matter to them! They will keep your money stating as per their terms and conditions! Shame on you, children who are trying to do good in the world are being punished by you financially!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Gemma, Thank you for your review. We understand your frustrations surrounding this uncertain time, but we can assure you that we are continuing to closely follow the advice of the FCDO and relevant governing bodies throughout the pandemic. As you know, the situation surrounding COVID-19 is changing rapidly and the FCDO advice does not cover our departure dates which are in 8 months time. Therefore, our 2021 expeditions are currently still able to go ahead as planned. As explained to you previously by a member of our team, if you chose to cancel your place with us now, we are unable to provide a full refund in line with our terms and conditions. We apologise that this is not the outcome you were hoping for. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“I have travelled with this company repeatedly over the last few years and choose to return with them every time because of their commitment to the communities they work with. They are an ethical and morally driven organisation. I was unable to travel with them this summer due to the global pandemic and have been extremely impressed by their transparency. In my past experience, the safety of their travellers is always the number 1 priority and I have experienced first hand how their leaders and schools work together to offer the best experience. The pastoral care that students receive in-country is outstanding. They ALWAYS put safety and wellbeing of their travellers first!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Phil, Thanks so much for your amazing review! It's great to hear that you've had such a good experience with us and we look forward to welcoming you on expedition with us again soon. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“1 star is to good for this company. Lost £1200 as they forced the school to cancel early or risk losing all the money. Having read the other reviews it is obvious they have no morals or ethics. They appear to be hiding behind every clause possible. I would urge people going next year to reconsider before it is to late. I would have expect a small administrative cost of 10% but 50% is daylight robbery. Families and children work hard to pay for these expensive trips. Let's hope Watchdog get wind of this, would make a great story.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi Russell, Thank you for your review and we understand your frustration in the current unprecedented circumstances. In line with our terms and conditions, 50% of the expedition costs are irrecoverable upon the schools decision to cancel due to pre-expedition expenses such as flights and the investment into the safety and infrastructure that happens before each of our expeditions. We hope you can understand that this is due in part to our strong ethical commitments to the local communities with whom we have already invested these funds at this point before departure. We do of course understand the impact on families and have been working closely with all schools to make sure that families are not financially disadvantaged by this situation and have also supported them throughout their insurance claim for the remaining costs. We understand that many families have already received their money back. If you would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Camps International are using the Global pandemic to profitere. DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM because childrens safety and welfare are not a priority”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for leaving us your feedback. We, along with our volunteers, are extremely disappointed that our expeditions have been unable to run this year but we can assure you that the safety and wellbeing of our travellers is our highest priority and we continue to follow government guidance throughout to ensure we keep our travellers and Camps community safe. If you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at operations@campsinternational.com. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Camps International are a disgraceful company who do not care about the health and well being of any child. If you pay them any money irespective of any changing circumstances like a Global Pandemic and a child with severe chronica asthma it's tough luck. DO NOT BOOK with Camps International find a company that actually cares about the welfare of your child. How can you trust them to ensure a childs safety for 4 weeks if all they care about is money??????”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi, Thank you for leaving a review. As I’m sure you understand we do not publicly comment on individual circumstances due to data protection, therefore we will continue to liaise with you privately regarding your concerns in order to reach an amicable solution. We would like to assure you that the safety and wellbeing of our travellers is at the forefront of all our expeditions. We have been providing safe and meaningful expeditions for many years and have always done so in line with FCDO advice. With almost a year until our 2021 summer departures and with global events changing rapidly, we are not currently making amendments to these programs. Of course, we will continue to monitor the official advice and if it becomes necessary, will make the appropriate amendments. Regards, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“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.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 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 5 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.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 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

Helpful Report

Posted 5 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.”

Helpful Report

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.”

Helpful Report

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.”

Helpful Report

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

Camps International Reviews