Camps International Reviews

Name: Camps International
Address: Unit 10 Kingfisher Park Headlands Business ParkSalisbury Road, Ringwood
Rating: 3.98

4.0 Rating 516 Reviews

76 %

of reviewers recommend Camps International

Company Reviews

Metrics

Info

4.0

Based on 516 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	3.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

About Camps International:

Camps International are experts in sustainable student travel, offering life-changing school expeditions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Visit Website

Phone:

01425 485390

Email:

info@campsinternational.com

Location:

Unit 10 Kingfisher Park Headlands Business ParkSalisbury Road
Ringwood
BH24 3NX

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Camps International 5 star review on 19th April 2024

Reena Abdul Rasheed

Camps International 5 star review on 27th November 2023

Darran Tunnah

Camps International 5 star review on 31st October 2023

Noah Clarke

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 2 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Please be aware this is for 14 - 18 year olds and they are grouped dependant of the expedition the school has selected and not by age. My son signed up to Impact in Cambodia with four other boys from his school who would all be 18 years at the time of travel. They had just finished their A’levels. Camps International put them with another group of 18 students who had just completed year 10. When I became aware of this in November 22, I contacted Camps International and asked if the boys could be transferred to a group similar to their age (we had already paid for half the trip) they said the groups had already been assigned. I asked for a refund and they refused this. We would not have signed up to the trip, if we new the other group would have been so young. Camps International came to the sixth form to talk about the expedition, not at any point did they speak about the age groups or is it in their literature or on their website. As it was a sixth form talk we assumed it would be with other sixth formers. My concerns that the group dynamics would be geared to the age of the majority. Camps International refused to acknowledge this. As they refused a refund, my son did go on the trip. He enjoyed the community work, however, the down time wasn’t what he had hoped for. Strict 9.00pm bedtimes, 18 year olds can regulate their own sleep, even if they have to be up at 6.00am. If you are a sixth former and want an adventure after leaving year 13. This is not the route to go down. My son left the group after 3 weeks and spent the remaining time exploring Cambodia and meeting other young adults.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“BIG RED FLAG by not allowing Google reviews?!! My 15 year old daughter has had the most amazing, life changing, experience this summer in Kenya! The Camps International team, while she was there have been nothing more than exceptional, and I cannot thank them enough! If your son/daughter and you, as a parent, want this experience, I would absolutely tell you to go for it! BUT...Please don't fall for the "Sales Pitch"! Camps International are NOT a registered charity, you will NOT be able to raise money as a charity, therefore fundraising becomes much, much more difficult than you think it might be! The "fundraising help team" will be there for you 100% until you've raised half of the none refundable £4000! Then, they're gone... no support, no replies while asking for help! If you're not a high earner and need to raise all the money, be prepared for a stressful 2 years! Have a look on Companies House on the Gov.com website and have a look at just how much money this "Charity" is making...take a particular look at the Director of this "Charity"! Side note... most of the kids my daughter went with were only there because their parents needed their children to "have this on their CV"... I think Camps International have totally lost the original ethos! Such a shame!”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

Dear Parent Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are delighted to hear that your daughter had a wonderful time on expedition this summer in Kenya. We will be sharing the lovely feedback to the team for making sure your daughter had a truly amazing experience. We would like to address your concerns in your recent review for the lack of fundraising support you experienced and would like to apologise for any frustration and stress this might have caused you. We strive to provide exceptional fundraising support, and it’s disheartening to hear that we fell short of expectations. Your feedback is appreciated and helps us identify areas where we can improve. We would also like to confirm that Camps International is not a charity. We’re proud to be a social enterprise – a successful business with philanthropic aims at our heart. Driving positive impact for the young people that travel with us, our community partners, and the planet remains our ethos. If you have any additional suggestions for how we could have improved your experience, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk All the best The Camps Crew

Posted 7 months ago

“Hannah was great, kind, funny and a caring leader. I meant some great people throughout my trip. I really enjoyed the first camp, the food was very nice there! The other camps, quality of living spaces and food were very poor. All the manual labour we did everyday of our trip, we only had rice and vegetables! We needed protein to keep energy levels up and for our muscles to recover. I lost 11 and a half pounds in weight. Came back very thin and poorly.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

Dear Morgan We appreciate you sharing your experience with us and we value your feedback. While we’re glad to hear you enjoyed working with Hannah and meeting great people throughout your expedition, we’re disappointed to hear you weren’t happy with the food. We’d love to speak to you to find out a bit more, if you can please contact our Travel Support team on operations@campsinternationak.co.uk. All the best The Camps Crew.

Posted 7 months ago

“i sent my son on the borneo trip, and was extremely dissapointed. In camp Bongkud there were ants in the orange juice he had and he was given food with ants in it too. Moreover, the facilities he stayed in were inadequate being extremely unhygenic and not to acceptable standards.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Dear Ekta Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Our Camp Bongkud is situated in the shadows of Mount Kinabalu in a remote location surrounded by lush green foliage which naturally becomes a habitat for all kinds of native animals and insects. Our kitchen team follow strict food hygiene standards and would have been able to replace any food or drink. We sorry to hear that your son did not enjoy the experience of staying in a traditional longhouse, which is rustic in nature. All the best The Camps Crew

Posted 8 months ago

“First, I will like to say that I traveled with CAMPS twice in the past (Sri Lanka 2019 and Tanzania 2020). Both were positive experiences. This year was extremely disappointing. First, a group of 57 teenagers should not travel as one group and complete dangerous activities such as the 9K hike we did. There were 3 Thailand groups and we should have traveled as 3 separate groups to ensure each group was manageable and to ensure safety. The group could not be properly managed, and there was a large amount of first aid that needed to be administered due to frequent falls. We had students who severely struggled on the 9k trekking expedition. Even staff members felt unsafe and fell on the loose rocks and loose leaves. There was a particular stretch coming downhill that was the most dangerous and students started to scoot and crawl down rather than continue to fall. We had an incident of a student almost falling off the cliff. Since we were all stretched out across the 9K distance, it was impossible to have eyes on all students and properly ensure safety. There was a moment when a group of students I ran into told me they had waited almost 20 mins for a staff member to arrive because they fell and hurt themselves. I was the first staff member to get to them. Second, proper staff accommodation was not provided. There was a night when male and female staff shared one room/space. We were not informed until we were already in a remote village with no signal or way to make alternative plans. We were offered (at the last minute) a room off to the side that wasn't prepared with a mattress. We were told we could move our mattresses into the room as female staff members. This was given as an option close to 10 pm after we had spent the day on a dangerous 9K hike and after we had to focus on putting kids to bed. It was not treated as a priority. I believe this was due to poor planning by CAMPS because a staff member who arrived earlier was informed by a local that there was another cabin usually available but it was not reserved in advance- therefore it was unavailable for female staff. Additionally, all teachers did not have their own rooms at the hotel lodge although there were enough rooms available if bookings were made in advance. Two staff members had to share a room which made it difficult for staff to relax and rest each day. This was fixed mid-way through the week. However, this proves it was something that could have been fixed before. It is essential for teachers to have proper rest on long 8-day shifts with expeditions. There seemed to be poor communication with numbers, flight meal requests, and the count of teachers from CAMPS to vendors. I understand that miscommunication happens especially with language barriers. However, a pattern of it happening in different sectors (Emirates airline, hotel, village) shows a strong sign that information was not verified or checked before our arrival. For example, the flight meals were not sorted on the way to Thailand. A phone call at the beginning of the week could have sorted to flight meals before returning. Emirates values customer service and has a high reputation for accommodating needs well if given advanced notice. Yet, we were told less than 24 hours before our flight that Emirates meals were once again not assigned and that Emirates could not adjust because it was less than 48 hours. It was delayed communication that if delivered at the beginning of the week, could have left room for solving. Third and probably most concerning: CAMPS leaders should have an activated and working SIM card for emergencies the moment we land. I believe they had SIM cards, but they either weren't checked or weren't working right away. Unfortunately, we had a hospital emergency on our first day, and CAMPS leaders were unable to use their phones to contact the UAE right away. This was eventually solved. After traveling to Sri Lanka and Tanzania in the past, I felt as if the CAMPS leaders and teachers were a team. We interacted with the kids the same, helped discipline, re-direct, and the kids interacted with CAMPS leaders. It is understandable that CAMPS leaders will not know all of the kids (and even harder with a massive group of 57), however many of the teachers travel with students they do not know either. We are also learning over 50 new names and faces. Yet, we know it's essential to build relationships with kids, interact with them, and establish common communication among all staff members. It was quite hard to feel that on this trip.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year 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.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 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 4 years ago

“Organisation prior to expedition was very poor. And I am not happy with Camps International’s safeguarding policies especially on toilet/showering facilities at some of the camps in Kenya. Our school will not be using them again in the near future. The saving grace was some of the in Kenya staff. Most were very polite and friendly especially loved the Athi River staff. Our school enjoyed this camp the best.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. We take the safeguarding off all of our volunteers very seriously so we would love the opportunity to discuss your concerns in more detail. If you could please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk we would like to gather some more information about this and put any corrective measures in place if necessary. Many thanks, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“The experience my son had was amazing when actually in Peru, he loved almost every moment. He really didn't enjoy the fact that he was served a dish containing nuts, resulting in being rushed to hospital; and also had to sit on a long plane journey where nuts were served as part of the meal! Camp's international were informed of his nut allergy and that it was ingested and airborne allergy. As parents we cannot give a good review. As if to add proof of their lack of attention to detail he was emailed an incorrect certificate.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Thank you for your review. We welcome all feedback and are grateful you took the time to provide this to us. We are of course aware of the circumstances regarding your son’s allergy and have responded to you directly on this. We are also aware of the error on your certificate and have corrected this already for your son. We are so happy to hear that your son had an amazing time in Peru and we are very grateful to have had his support this summer. We would like to wish him all the best for the future! Regards, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“Hello, after my Son brought home a letter from school regarding an Expedition to Ecuador in 2021, we thought "great" we have two years to raise the funds, and then after sitting and listening for almost an hour and a half to Mike selling us this wonderful experience we were sold, only to be told after the meeting that the first deposit had to be in with in 7 days, that threw us a bit as I am a single parent and money is tight enough as it is. But we decided that if we both worked hard at fundraising we may be able to make the deposit with in a month, we were given an extra week on the deadline, which wasn't going to work for us, and while I do understand the need for this company to secure places by taking in deposits early, for most households this is not viable, especially in less affluent areas. After speaking to other parents in the same boat it soon became apparent that expeditions such as these are for kids whose parents have money, or at least enough spare cash to get them going, also even after signing up we were not eligible to download any of the fundraising materials to enhance our chances of fundraising, people do not want to give their cash away to kids who say there are fundraising for an expedition with only a booklet for evidence. Maybe it would be of benefit if the representative of Camps International informed parents at the start of the meetings the need to pay the deposit with in the first week, this would save wasting the time of the parents who then come to realise that it is out of their league; leaving behind the parents who know they can afford to put up cash straight away. Overall it does sound like a great opportunity and wonderful experience, albeit for kids in private schools or schools in more affluent areas of the city.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Hi Vicky, We're really sorry to hear that you felt the expedition would be unattainable for your son due to funds. We would like to stress that our trips are absolutely not for affluent families only. They are for all students who want to make a difference, travel, enhance their CVs and develop themselves. Fundraising is a big part of this development which is why we encourage all our students to do so. We do understand every family has different circumstances which is why Michael mentioned to discuss with him on an individual basis if you need longer to fundraise your deposit. We have so many success stories of students who have fundraised the deposit in less than a week and as long as you keep us updated with your progress we will try to be as flexible as possible. Each year we see thousands of fundraising success stories from students all over the UK, and we provide a huge amount of support - face to face, over the phone and online through our Traveller Gateway portal. All of this support is available to students from the moment they sign up to the expedition, with hundreds of ideas and resources to make fundraising achievable for everyone. Whilst we understand our expeditions aren't for everyone, we do everything possible to make sure that costs alone are not a prohibitive factor for any student. If you'd like to discuss further about how we can support you and your son with fundraising, please do get in touch with us at schools@campsinternational.co.uk. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 4 years ago

“The pre-organisation was not that good but I guess it has more to do with the communication with our school. Robin enjoyed the adventure trips a lot and he liked it. they did a lot of things in the nature. The trip was very expensive but the camp where they stayed was very basic. The softdrinks and the chocolate milk for breakfast was not included in the price and that was very disappointing for me. We did not get any information that this is not included and we did not give him a lot of money as we thought it will be all included in this price. For this amount of money I really expect softdrinks and chocolate milk included, that is basic for a schoolcamp I guess. Robin also said the food was not good as a lot of meals were very spicy. Kids normally do not like spicy food, especially European ones. He also said that the toilets were not clean and the rooms very basic and he did not sleep well. I think it is to overpriced for what they get and I think I will not send him again to any oversea trip. Regards NZ”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Hi NZ, Thanks for taking the time to share your review of the expedition. We really appreciate all your feedback and take all these comments on board. With regards to the food and drink - all our expeditions include drinking water and freshly cooked meals every day, which are a mixture of familiar foods and local cuisine. We do make it clear during our launches that soft drinks and additional snacks are excluded so sorry to hear you felt unaware of this. It's great that Robin enjoyed his expedition and got so much out of the adventure activities - we hope he has taken many positive memories with him. Best Wishes, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“The trips are very overpriced. The flight schedules were awful with long layovers. Even if direct flights are available, they never book these for the kids. They always use the excuse of availabilty but we're required to pay months in advance so never understood why direct flights were never an option. The activities and community project work that they say the kids would engage in during the presentation is not always what the kids do. I was so fed up that refused to send my child this year as he was disappointed last year with his trip.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Hi there, Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. We're really sorry to hear you were unhappy with the flight schedules for your trip. We always book direct flights when possible, unfortunately for some of our destinations there are no direct routes available. When booking flights we consider all available options on the market and take flight routes, time schedules and costing into consideration, and the decision for the chosen flight is always made in conjunction with the school. We're disappointed to hear that the activities were not always as expected. If you could get in touch with us at uae-operations@campsinternational.com, we'd love to find out more about this and be able to follow up. Many thanks, The Camps Crew

Posted 5 years ago

“Way overpriced. For the same cost we took a full family (3) cruise on a 5 star cruise for one week in Europe, including awesome food round the clock and great accommodation. With camps not only is it way overpriced but the kids still had to pay for just about everything, so add 50% to the already expensive trip to cater for equipment, sleeping bags, accessories, vaccines, etc etc etc. Food was barely edible.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Please read the warnings re a hard sell, no refunds and expensive company. It seems so unfair to pay £1200 within months of booking and get none back, aggravated by best friend putting off said 2nd payment for months and then withdrawing losing 25% my fee. Wise her, but life lesson for another parent. Please enter eyes wide open.”

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Posted 5 years ago

Camps International is rated 4.0 based on 516 reviews