pack a backpack
Instructions
Summer Camp Packing List
In Megève, the French Alps climate in summer can be hot (around 32°c) but also cold and rainy. You must pack for both eventualities.
Recommended items:
Luggage + belongings
Each student’s articles should be clearly labelled with his/her full name. A supply of extra labels is also recommended for any new purchases (sport equipment or other).
ID card / Passport
Each student has to come to the camp with an ID card or passport (which will be kept by the Director in a safe).
Packing Tips
Your child will be very excited to head off to camp. It’s in your best interest to help him/her pack. While he/she may be able to do this on his/her own, you will save yourself the inconvenience of forgotten items if you oversee the packing. Don’t miss the opportunity to enroll your child in this wonderful teaching experience.
Packing list
Create a camp packing list using the recommended list from the camp and other necessary items that your child may need, i.e. his/her medication.
Try items
Highlight all of the items on the list that you will need to purchase for your child. You will need your child to try on items that may have become too small over the past year so that you can highlight them if needed.
Label
Label all of your child’s items with his/her name.
Recheck
The day before camp starts recheck the list, pack up all of the gear and close the bag.
Pocket Money for the camp
Upon arrival, students may deposit their pocket money in the camp bank at the reception for safekeeping and withdraw money as needed.
They can ask the director for the money depending on their needs each day.
Spending money is generally used for the purchase of souvenirs and small purchases in the town shops including postcards, postage stamps, batteries, lollypops, etc.
How much?
It is recommended that each student bring about 50 Euros of spending money for each week they will reside in camp.
Before departure, any unspent money will be returned directly to the student.
This is a difficult question. Kids all have different needs and they don’t spend the same amount during the camp.
Everything is included in our camps so they only need pocket money for shopping, to buy souvenirs…
Travel Arrangements
How to make sure children reach the camp safely?
Thousands of kids and teenagers go on holiday without their parents every year and they have a great – and perfectly safe – time.
Many of the risks that are associated with children flying alone can be overcome by using common sense and taking a few basic precautions. The following tips will help both children traveling solo and those responsible for the child to deal with many of the problems that may be encountered.
Do not over chargeyourself
Do not take heavy items
Do not take fragile items
things to pack
The Packing List
In Megève, the French Alps climate in summer can be hot (around 32°c) but also cold and rainy. You must pack for both eventualities.
Check items off the as you pack!
Frequently Asked Questions
INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE CAMPS welcomes campers in the Arrivals Hall of Geneva Airport (GVA). On arrival and departure days, a camp representative will welcome and accompany the campers at the airport. At their departure, the children will be assisted with check-in and customs formalities. If they are travelling as a UM (unaccompanied minor), PLEASE INFORM US BEFORE. For organizational purposes, information concerning the arrival and departure of the participants must be confirmed in writing at least two weeks before the date of the journey. Individual arrangements and last minute changes will be invoiced accordingly. Our campus is only 1 hour away from Geneva airport.
Yes! We are always very happy to meet the parents when they visit the camp. We can arrange the welcome and transfer for the parents as well. You can also drive your child to the campus. We will of course provide you with directions.
If I accompany my child to camp, can I stay the night nearby? Absolutely. We can recommend some of the most beautiful hotels in the resort. You may also wish to spend your holidays in Megève to enjoy the peace of the Alps or to discover the region.
Participants should arrive on Sunday at 5pm at the hotel. Campers leave at 4pm on the last Saturday of their session. But because campers arrive from all over the world, the time of the arrival depends on the flight possibilities. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE CAMPS will organise a transfer according to the flight times of the campers.
Airlines call a child who flies alone an unaccompanied minor (UM). Generally, a child must be five years old to fly alone, and each airline has its own policies, restrictions and requirements. The airline will request from parents the name and phone number of the pick-up person. We will provide all this relevant information if required. Once the child boards the plane, he is in the care of a flight attendant. If it is a non-stop flight, the flight attendant will transfer the child to the camp representative waiting at Arrivals. If the child is making a connection to another flight, the flight attendant will accompany the child to the gate agent or airport employee who will then take the child to the appropriate gate. There should be an adult airline or airport employee with the child at all times. Depending on the number of stop-overs on the trip, the child may be under the care of several different adults. If the child will be spending some time in the airport, the airline may have special kid-friendly lounges for UM’s. These may not be in every airport or available from every airline. The reservation agent will know if there is one in the airport a child is traveling through.
When is a child ready to fly alone?
Parents are the best judges of that. Is the child comfortable around strangers? Is he/she able to keep track of their belongings, follow directions and entertain themselves quietly for extended periods of time? The responsibility that goes along with flying alone can give kids a great sense of independence and confidence. But, if a child is unsure of himself, shy or scared, flying can be a frightening experience. Parents can help alleviate some anxiety by preparing the child ahead of time. Like so many other parenting situations, children pick up on their parents’ feelings. The child should be inform what will happen at the airport, through security, on the plane and at the destination. If he will be changing planes, parents need to stress that he follows the directions of the flight attendant or gate agent.
Is the pre-boarding different?
On the day of travel, parents should allow extra time at the airport to fill out paperwork and pass through security. Some airlines ask parents and UM’s to arrive three hours ahead of time. The reservation agent can provide that information. Parents can go through security to the gate with their child but won’t be able to board the plane with them.
Additional Fees?
Not all airlines charge a UM service fee, but many do. Charges can vary depending on whether the flight is domestic or international and if there are connecting flights. If two or more children are flying together, the fee is usually charged just once.
The campers using UM service will be under our responsability once they arrive and at the departure our representative will stay until the plane departs. For this service, there is an extra fee of 155€ / transfer.
Pleasant Flight?
Airlines ask parents to stay at the gate until the plane has pulled away from the gate since mechanical problems or weather delays could result in passengers deplaning. The plane should be well on its way before adults leave the gate. At the destination, the child should have names and phone numbers of the persons he may need to call both arrival and departure.
I’m arriving by plane.
What information should I send to SUMMER CAMP FRANCE in advance and how will my pick-up be organized? Please let us know your full flight details in writing no later than 2 weeks before the camp starts by filling in the transfer form. A SUMMER CAMP FRANCE representative will greet you at the arrival area, once you have passed the Customs. The representative will have a panel with SUMMER CAMP MEGEVE.
I am waiting at the airport and cannot find an SUMMER CAMP FRANCE staff member. What should I do? In general, our staff will be waiting at the airport before your plane lands. If you cannot find our SUMMER CAMP FRANCE staff, you can call the director’s number, sent to you before camp. When your child is ready to fly alone, you have every reason to expect it will be a positive experience. A little bit of preparation and careful planning can make it a pleasant journey – an opportunity for your child to spread his wings and fly!
We recommend 50 € pocket money which will be held safely by the organizers. Students may withdraw money for outings.
Yes, they can.
Campers are not permitted to use the hotel’s phone.
Campers will be specific times for contacting parents. Campers will not have access to their phones or tablets during the day and during the night..
At all times, they can ask to the director to call their parents if need be.