Camps International Reviews

Name: Camps International
Address: Unit 10 Kingfisher Park Headlands Business ParkSalisbury Road, Ringwood
Rating: 4.10

4.1 Rating 612 Reviews

78 %

of reviewers recommend Camps International

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About Camps International:

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

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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 7th January 2025

Joshua Rowlands

Charlotte Thompson

Amy Warren

119

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

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“Very well planned, communicated, staffed and delivered.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Amar, Thank you for your review. It's great to hear you had a positive experience with us on expedition and we hope you'll join us again in Camp Kenya soon! Stay safe, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Once in a lifetime experience with an amazing team. Shout out to Chris and Laura for being inspirational leaders, and to the entire Camp Kenya team for being extremely hospitable.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Seba, thank you so much for your review. We have passed this on to the team who are delighted that you enjoyed your time with us in Camps Kenya. We hope to see you on expedition with us again soon! All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Their answerphone message says "our staff our working from home for their safety" whilst trying desperately to send our 16 year old to a third world country in a pandemic!!!! They are in a difficult position with lack of clarity from the government but its crazy to keep the idea of the trip alive when we haven't seen our family for 6 months because its too far to drive in one day and we can't stay overnight in a hotel. Their refusal to cancel the trip has put many of our children into huge anxiety when they are in the middle of exams. This could have been avoided by doing the right thing. Communication has been woeful. They are now policing the negative comments on their Facebook groups. Very disappointed in their ethics, "it's all about the fundraising" was how the trip was promoted yet now it is about the terms and conditions which you signed. The expeditions may indeed be great but we are unlikely to find out this year and I have lost confidence in their level of care.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. We are sorry that you feel our communication has been unsatisfactory. We can assure you that we have been working closely with schools on options to alleviate any need for further payments and planning. A decision on what option they would like to take is currently with the school and we recommend contacting them to discuss these options further. In regards to the Facebook group, we have been monitoring it due to a number of complaints from other users regarding bullying and negativity. We would like to group to be a safe place for travellers to discuss fundraising and we encourage people to use the appropriate channels to discuss their concerns with us. If you have any further issues, please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and one of our team will be in contact with you as soon as they can. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Total disgrace this company is. Holding students and parents at ransom by asking for balance to be paid by 1st May. Trips shouldn't have been booked in the middle of a pandemic as this was the advice given by the government. Any one with any conscience should know it is morally wrong to behave in such a way. CI is being unreasonable and they need to think twice about their actions which to me are criminal. No one should be put under such financial and emotional pressure. Cancel the trip and refund all monies. Did you have insurance or not? Or was this just a con or what I would call legalised robbery? You don't deserve a star.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank for you getting in touch. We can assure you that we are closely following the advice of the Government, FCDO and the DfE for the proposed expedition dates. Currently, the opportunity to cancel or defer the trip, and alleviate any need for further payments and planning, is with your school. We recommend that you contact them to discuss these options, otherwise you can contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and we will do our best to assist in any way we can. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Firstly I feel I should echo previous comments about how it is unfair and completely unreasonable for our children to have to wait for 2 weeks before their travel date to be told that their trip is either cancelled and a refund due or that they trip will still be going ahead. I think very few children and parents feel it is actually safe or appropriate to be travelling across the world this summer when so many people are unvaccinated and hospital systems are under such strain. A big aim for these trips is to do good in the local communities but how likely is it that this will happen now? My daughter is due to go to Costa Rica and I have just read that they have had record numbers of cases today but not imposed stricter lockdowns to avoid hurting the economy. At a time when India is facing a collapse of its health service, should we not all be pulling together to support these less fortunate countries? Camps International, how about cancelling our trips and refunding our money now? You may find that many students feel inclined and motivated to donate some of their very hard earned cash to health charities of the country they had intended to visit. Then at least some good can come out of all of this.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Emma, thank you for getting in touch. We have been working closely with schools to create several different options that alleviate any need for further payments and planning. Currently the decision to defer or cancel the expedition stands with the school and we recommend contacting them to discuss their decision further. If you feel we are better placed to help you with more information, please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and our team will be happy to discuss this futher. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“We’re very disappointed at being held to ransom over the balance. At what point do ethics come into play? Are we seriously talking about sending unvaccinated young people to a red list country (Kenya) for them to fall ill with the South African variant and/or carry UK variants to a largely unvaccinated population? At what point is this helpful, reasonable or ethical? I can’t imagine it supports the Mem & Arts of the charity. Camps International need to do the right thing now and put the safety of their donors/customers/ recipients first. As Trustees/Directors of their Charity must know, they are in breach of their obligations to their stakeholders and, actually, to the organisation. This is seriously damaging your brand and ability to trade in future. Let’s be honest, your financial position is precarious and why should we pay the balance, when your organisation will not be viable and then we will need to spend our time and money pursuing you for recompense when the trips are cancelled and you find yourselves no longer viable. Your Board needs to step up and take action.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. We are sorry that you are disappointed with our terms and conditions however we would like to assure you that the safety of our travellers is our number one priority and our expeditions will not be going ahead if it is deemed unsafe by the relevant government bodies for the specific expedition dates. Currently, the opportunity to cancel or defer the trip, and alleviate any need for further payments and planning, is with the school. We recommend that you contact them to discuss these options, otherwise you can contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and we will do our best to assist in any way we can. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Failed to provide any details of the insurance”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. You can find details of insurance on your traveller gateway. If you are unable to log in or have forgotten your password, please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and our team will be able to help. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“They have rejected to cancel a trip in the midst of a pandemic forcing customers to lose all the money already paid or forcing kids to an unsafe travel. They don't care about their customer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. The safety and well-being of our travellers is our number one priority and we will not be sending anyone on expedition if the government, FCDO or the DfE declare it unsafe. Currently, the decision to cancel, defer or continue with the expedition is sitting with each school and we encourage you to contact them to discuss their decision further. If you feel we are better placed to help, please contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and our team will do their best to help. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“I appreciate this is a challenging time for Camps International, but hounding us for the remaining trip balance or threatening to kick us from the trip by May 1st is unfair on multiple levels. My son has done his best but finances are just not available over the last year with many being out of work. As well as the trip legally SHOULD NOT GO AHEAD THIS YEAR as stated by many government officials. We should be given the opportunity to defer by Camps International not have to wait until 2 weeks before expected departure. My sons anxiety is through the roof, as is our financial situation at trying to find this money or lose the £2000 we have paid. I would recommend not using this service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. We are closely following the advice of the relevant government bodies, the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Education and we can assure you that we will not be letting anyone travel on expedition with us if it is considered unsafe during the proposed expedition dates. Currently, the opportunity to cancel or defer the trip, and alleviate any need for further payments and planning, is with the school. We recommend that you contact them to discuss these options, otherwise you can contact us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and we will do our best to assist in any way we can. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“The company may have provided amazing experiences in the past, but CV19 has made them show their true colours. They totally lack any care for the safety of the pupils going this summer. They want our money but they know that Kenya is on the Government red list and yet WILL NOT CANCEL THE TRIP. When teachers take students on trips, the safety of everyone concerned has to be paramount! This company want final payment on 1st May, as agreed in October 2019 before CV19 took over the world. They were going to have revised insurance, no one can get a copy, and made a final decision at the end of March 2021. That decision is to still go, even though Government and DfE guidance say the opposite! It is a total disgrace and I hope that a lot of schools now decline CI trips in the future! Heads have asked CI to postpone final payments until after the Government's next review in March - they declined and now have everyone over a barrel. Pay the final £2k and you may get a refund if cancelled or you may end up spending an extra £3-4k on isolating in Kenya and upon your return, plus your children will get a shortened trip due to the isolating in Kenya being 2 of their 4 weeks, or do not pay the final £2k and risk losing everything you have paid in so far! What an amazing company to work with!!! I have contacted local and national media to support our cause, as well as our MP! Good luck for the future Camps International, with your CEO spouting off on Twitter and the amount of schools you have annoyed this year!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi Kerry-Ann, Thank you for getting in touch. We would like to assure you that we are closely following the guidance from the government, FDCO and the DfE and will not be sending any of our travellers on expedition if they advise against travel for the proposed expedition dates. The safety and well-being of our travellers has and always will be our number one priority. With this in mind, we have been working with schools since January to come to a decision that will relieve uncertainty and reduce financial pressure on travellers and their families. We understand that many schools have already made a decision in this regard. If you have any further concerns, we recommend that you contact your school, otherwise please email us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and one of our team will be happy to help. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“Not even worth the 1 star!! Do not send your child with this company. They do not care about our children its all about making the money. Communication is appalling and they are liars! We are stuck on a trip currently in a RED listed country and they refuse to consider the safety of our children. We can't even get confirmation of their insurance that they promised in March 21. Avoid, avoid, avoid!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. The safety and well-being of our travellers is our number one priority and we can assure you that we will not be sending our travellers on expedition if it is deemed unsafe. We have been closely following the guidance from the Government, FDCO and the DfE and have been working with schools on several options that minimise uncertainty and financial impact on families. If you have any further concerns we advise that you contact your school, otherwise please email us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and one of our team will get back to you as soon as they can. All the best, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“We have been ripped off. In my opinion it has taken money knowingly knowing it is not going to provide a service. Deceitful, poor service. If you use them then you will probably lose your money Avoidd”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

Hi, thank you for getting in touch. As it stands, we are following the advice of the Government and the FDCO as to whether the expeditions will be able to go ahead. We are also working with schools on several options that minimise uncertainty and the financial impact on travellers. We understand that many schools have already made their decision and we advise you to contact the school if you are unhappy with the outcome. If you feel we are better placed to help, please email us at operations@campsinternational.co.uk and one of our team will get back to you as soon as they can. Thank you, The Camps Crew

Posted 3 years ago

“I have read the first few negative reviews and cannot agree more. Sadly the only way I can make a review is to give one star. I would give minus stars if possible. I have written on several occasions making it clear that as a parent, I was not satisfied with their thinking that a trip this year was likely to be safe under any circumstances. Like the other folk, all I get is stonewalling. They are highly manipulative using the T&C to extract more payments for a trip that must be canceled. Pat by May of you will be deemed to have withdrawn and then you lose all payments made. This looks like an organization that knows it is going broke trying to get underpinning by deceit. If that proves to be the case, it is not only unethical, it is illegal. I have reached the point where I think it time to seek legal representation and probably sue them. I do not think any reasoning is possible with an organization that does not listen and has no concern for its customers. However, I see I am not a customer, rather I am a donor for their 'charitable activities. I think their activities should be investigated. I also think by behaving in a way that causes us the parents anxiety and diminishes any potential pleasure the children may have gotten from this activity, they may well be in breach of contract. Let's see what a lawyer has to say. As you can hear, I am very angry.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Terrible no customer service direct phone number will not answer emails off the school to phone them I do not think any school will ever support Camps International in the future supposed to be a experience of a lifetime and no refunds”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Has anyone ever had full refund off camps International as this years trip to Cambodia is highly unlikely to go as boarders not even open”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Where do I start .. terrible situation to be held to ransom, insisting we pay another £2000 or they will take it we have cancelled and lose the £2k we have paid Single parent that’s worked hard through pandemic .. feeling quite desperate”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 years ago

Camps International is rated 4.1 based on 612 reviews