Camps International Avaliações 

Our Son was due to go to Peru this summer with Camps International. At 15 years old he was incredibly excited for what he thought was going to be an adventure of a lifetime, and paid the balance out of his own savings. Our Son’s school made the decision that he would not be allowed to participate on the Peru expedition due. This decision was out of both ours and our son’s hand and understandably we are devastated.

We contacted Camps International to explain the situation and see about a refund given that it was not our decision to cancel the trip . Camps are refusing to refund over £2000 for a decision that we had no control over.

Not only are we left with a deflated, distraught teenager we are also over £2000 out of pocket for something that was unforeseen and out of our control.

I would avoid signing your children up for expeditions with this company.

My son had to pull out of his trip with camps international due to terminal cancer in the family. At 14 yrs old he did not want to be away from home should anything happen whilst he was away. Once we informed Camps International of the unfortunate situation and agreed with the school that my son should not travel we were asked to put the situation in writing to Camps International management. My son had raised significant funds for the trip which need to be refunded to all those that sponsored him given he will no longer be travelling. Camps International management have today confirmed that following a review they will not be refunding my son’s contribution to date, despite the notice period ahead of the trip. This review is not about money, the complete lack of empathy for my sons situation is astounding and I would encourage anyone considering a camps international trip with school to seriously think about whether this company is ethically aligned to their proclaimed values.

I have been on two trips with Camps International and both of these were experiences that I will always treasure and never forget. This year I went to Nepal my leader Sam was really well experienced and he was a really good leader always making sure everyone is having fun and being safe. Both trips were filled with adventure and fun and seeing what other cultures are like and appreciating what you have in comparison to others.

I went with my school with camps international it was to Nepal i was great Sam was our tour guide he was so nice i loved it

I do not recommend !!!!
My daughter was supposed to go on a trip to Kenya. Without our knowledge, she logged in to their website and started depositing money. She had a job at the time. Because we told her that we did not consent to her. A 16-year-old child signed in without realizing it and did not read what he accepted. Unfortunately, my daughter no longer works and is unable to make further payments for the trip. She wrote to them that she wanted to cancel the trip. And unfortunately, the daughter lost the money that she had hard earned in her first job. It's a shame that the company makes money on people whose life situation can change at any time. The trip is only 1.5 years away and they are hiding the costs they have already incurred. I don't know how schools can cooperate with such companies.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND !

Well- organised Teacher Leader trip with great group of Camps staff and teachers. Stunning country and can’t wait to return with my students next summer 😁

A great adventure! Constantly on the move. Staying in different camps. Enjoyed Meeting the local school children. Scuba diving was fantastic! Wasn’t keen on the toilets or goats meat! Lots of down time in the evenings after supper to read, write in my journal or sit around the camp fire. My mum said I was a very different person that returned home after the trip! I am guess I realised how lucky I was and how much I have compared to what I saw in Kenya. My mum said that I don’t complain anymore and am much happier!

Our daughter had an amazing time. A very well organised four weeks. The expedition leaders Iris and Georgia and the teacher were fantastic role models for our daughter. She stayed at 5 different camps in Kenya with different geographies and climates including safari parks and camps by the Indian Ocean where she learnt to scuba dive! She engaged in a range of conservation and community projects including animal and marine conservation, helping to reduce animal/human conflict and building and maintaining community housing and schools. The logistics were carefully planned and embedded. Our daughter said the Kenyan people were lovely especially the children. She looks so happy and confident in the photographs from the trip. Finally and most importantly she was safe and well cared for throughout the trip. The highlights were the scuba diving - she now can scuba dive anywhere around the world. The safari where she saw the big five. The naughty monkey who stole her yoghurt, the elephant who tried to join their picnic, and watching a snake eat a chameleon!! When she got home, she slept for a week, and dreamt about Kenya for over a month! Thank you to everybody who contributed to this fantastic experience for our daughter.

Amazing camps
Amazing people
Everything was perfect
Enjoyed the work and the snacks were the best

I think the whole experience was phenomenal definitely would do it again. Rob (team leader) was very helpful and so was chumeraun (our cambodian leader). The food could have more variety for picky eaters however that is the only thing.

Camps International came to my daughter’s school and did a presentation, after which she was keen to sign up for the advertised trip. We were happy for her to do this at the time, however a few months later a change in our personal circumstances meant we quickly realised that the trip (still over a year away at this point) would no longer be possible.
Bear in mind that changes in personal circumstances can include things like your child changing school - something which may be out of your control.

We immediately contacted Camps International to explain our situation and cancel our daughter’s place.

At this point we had already payed out 1374,00 pounds, and in return received 10 e-mails (most of which were automated payment requests).
I took the time to both call and e-mail and explain our reasons for having to cancel, and was told various things, including that there would be no refund because they had already invested a lot in organising the trip. When I questioned this (knowing full well that things like visas, flights, accommodation, etc would never be booked over a year in advance, and all they had done was enter our details into their automated payment system) and asked for a list of what had actually been done, they changed tack and said they might be able to would consider some form of refund, however this was highly unlikely.

Looking back at previous reviews on TrustPilot I now realise there was never any chance of receiving any money back.
I wish I had seen those reviews sooner.

I would strongly recommend you avoid this company at all costs if there is even the slightest possibility that your circumstances may change in any way.

For example if your child changes schools Camps International suggest that you keep paying (of course) and then you child can still go on the trip, even if they haven’t been at the school or participated in ay of the activities leading up to the trip and will be a virtual stranger in a close knit group.

Their ultimate agenda is to keep taking your money for as long as possible, because their bullet proof cancellation policy means that once you make a payment you will never see that money again - no exceptions.

They have zero compassion and will not waste their time looking at individual cases (they say they will, but this is just to get you off the phone).

I actually read through the cancellation policy before booking this trip, however I genuinely had hope that they may be able to see that taking 1374,00 pounds for a handful of e-mails was genuinely ridiculous, but sadly my hope was deeply misplaced.

They might go on about their mission to change lives and empower people, but at the end of the day it really is all about the money.

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!

My child has just returned from Equador. From the first day we signed up to the trip, Camps International have been brilliant, communicating at every step, been supportive and thorough in their preparation. The trip was an experience of a lifetime, the kids loved it and matured as young people along the way. First class, dont hesitate in encouraging your child to go and dont be put off by the price or length of trip. There is loads of time to fundraise and the trip will be the best thing your child does.

the experience with camps international was amazing and the whole team was absolutely friendly . they treated us like there own family . when we were making fences I got a small scratch and I was treated very well . the chefs were amazing we had proper meals which were super delicious . thank you camps international

Hartlands visit to kenya was unforgettable and i had the best time making new friends and meeting locals, my favourite part of the trip was meeting and getting to know the people working at camps (who were incredible) as well as the activities, my favourites being, goat and cow de-worming, the safari, and meeting the local women's group.

Absolutely awful company to deal with, no consideration for problems during a pandemic. They give no thought to the students who planned to go on this trip and fundraised but were then unable to go. No provision whatsoever. I was told that their goodwill gesture was that they wouldn't charge me the cancellation fee, even though they already had been paid £800 for nothing. It's been 2 years of fighting for my refund and still nothing!! Have now taken it to trading standards.

Update: Camps International have responded quicker to my Trustpilot review than they have to my actual complaint!!!

It was a really good trip and I enjoyed it. I loved helping out the local community . It put a smile to my face to see them so happy.

Kenya is a trip that I can never forget I passed so many experiences I thought I would never need It was not only amazing but cool and if I had the choice I would do it again it is one of the experiences that I think everyone should go through at least once I could never think I would be as amazing at it was the experience is one in a life time and If I was to turn back time and do anything again this is the thing I would choose its amazing and you feel a sense of satisfaction and everyone in camp was amazing and kind I couldn't ask of a better trip I have a lot more id love to share but I don't think all of it would fit so this is my main feelings towards the trip.

We went to Camp Kenya with Camps International in Feb 2022. After a difficult few months of planning in relation to covid and travel restrictions, the day finally arrive where myself, another teacher and 9 amazing students climbed the school bus to head off to the airport. We were met by our Camp Leader who from the moment we met him was nothing shy of fantastic. He engaged with both teachers and students straight away, telling us all the amazing and exciting things we were going to be doing.

When we arrived at Mombasa, We were greated by what became known as 'the beast'. this massive truck converted into a bus, where through out our trip we got to see the most amazing sights and views. We arrived at camp to be greeted by more camps international staff. Settled into our rooms, ( With two Irish teachers we unfortunetly brought the rain with us on our travels as we seem to do everywhere we go) but our Dubai Babies had the most fun running around in the rain and our Camp said we must have brought the Irish Luck with us. Well I think we did because from that moment on we all had the most enlightening and inspiring week with Camps.

Our first day we got up bright and early to see the sunrise from the 'rock', had a yummy breakfast and set of to go and meet some of the local families, where we successfully over the course of 3 hours dewormed 109 goats. In the afternoon, we went to visit a local farmer who told us about how the elephants were destrotying his crops as they moved through his farm during the night, so we helped to begin a elephant deterrent fence, which has I believe been continues by other expedition teams after we left.

Day 3 we headed off up Marugu Hill, Personally i think it should be upgraded to Mountain, I have never been so tired in all my life and that was just getting to the top, never mind coming down But as a team we all worked together and got safely back down. Not a sunburn in sight lol. We learned that some children make hikes like that everyday to get to and from school. It was a humbling experience. That evening we got to meet the Amazing Mama Mercy and her beautiful friends, We made some bracelets and paper out of elephant dung. My students in school are still fascinated by it hanging on my wall.

Day 4 and 5 were the days i was most excited for. We began our school project work. Working and attending a school in Dubai, our students do not realise how privledged they are. In fact nor do the teachers - we have resources at our finger tips, electicity, cold water fountains, whiteboards, laptops etc. I was so excited for my students to see how much these children appreciated coming to school everyday. We repainted most of their blackboards, and built a ramp into a classroom (PS i hope it is still standing) and left them some little gifts that we hope has helped to make their lessons exciting and playtime fun.

Day 6 - was SAFARI time. Where we got to see four out of the big five. it was so lovely to see the excitment on our kids faces at seeing a lion, and zebra. My personal highlight was the herds of elephants. What a sight to behold.

We then got to meet the Masai Tribe, Where we were welcomed into their homes like we were family. We sang and danced with them, got to see how they keep their village safe, learn about their culture and traditions. And got to meet the elders 96 year old mother who was so kind and friendly to all the children.

The next day we sadly packed our bags to head back to Dubai, I am sitting here typing this with tears in my eyes think about how amazing this trip was. It has brought such a bond between me and my students. I feel it is an experience we will share together forever.

The feedback I have got from parents about how their children came back different little humans, so much more grateful for everything. I myself have even noticed a difference in them and also in my own actions and outlook on life.

I on behalf on South View School cannot thank the following people enough.

Jemima - for getting in contact about camps international and helping to get our trip up and running off the ground, and getting the kids excited from the moment we met her, Her enthusiam was catching, Im sure she will be greatly missed at camps.

Chris for the endless questions he received from me everyday about things im sure, many of which were not even oart of his job

JD our camp leader for being amazingly positive with the students all week.

The Camp Kenya Team expecially Peter and Gladis for all the laughs and lesson they have taught us. The passion and dedication they have for their jobs fantastic

Kale Primary school for welcoming us into their school and allowing us to become part of their school family for a few days.

My own principal and Head of School for giving me the green light for this trip from the moment I asked.

I cant wait for our Cambodia Trip in 2023 with Camps International.

I travelled with Camps in 2019 to Cambodia and am due to travel with them to Ecuador this year. In the lead up to both trips, Camps have been amazing!! They have communicated regularly, kept me updated and even supported the specific circumstances of individuals when we had to defer due to COVID. As a teacher, I feel really supported as they are always happy to answer questions or helps with any problems. This particularly applies to Dean who has been my expedition co-ordinator, he has been awesome!! In country, the staff have always been fabulous too and I can't wait to travel with Camps again this year. The students are counting down the days!!