Returning from Summer Camp: How to Continue the Journey at Home

All you've done for the last 3 months is eat, sleep and breathe summer camp, so the usual routine of work or school can be a weird 180°. No more singing Grace at breakfast. No more arts and crafts shack. And sadly, no more night time campfire smores. Returning from summer camp can be tough, and you'll no doubt be hit with a few post-camp blues.

However, we found some fun, exciting things that will make this period of time easier.

One of the best ways to deal with returning from summer camp is to get back into that camp spirit and meet up with all your counselor friends.

See them, have a laugh, talk about memories at camp and then plan to head back. Motivate each other to book your flights and sort out the paperwork.

My counselor friends and I all met up in Edinburgh for Hogmanay on New Year’s Eve, and loved every minute of it. We just had a laugh, reminisced, and enjoyed being together - what more could you want? These are the people that have been there for you at your best and worst. There were 11 of us, all from around England and Scotland, even a guy from Utah caught a flight.

It was such an amusing and crazy New Years, and we will definitely make it a tradition.

We know how much you loved camp, but does everyone else?

This is the best time to talk everyone's ear off about what an amazing summer you've just had because you've just come back, and it's expected. You can tell them anything and everything you've just experienced and that's okay. All many of my friends would be jealous of all the random unreal experiences I'd had and all the incredible friends I had made. This then made them interested in going which is so great.

Following on from the word of mouth, use social media to your advantage.

This is the only time you can brag to all your distant relatives about your summer, without having to wait until Christmas. Obviously, they will post adorable comments, and you'll love it. They're so proud of how brave you were and what an incredible thing you've done on your own.

Plus, your shots will make your Instagram look insane. Don't forget to tag us in all your pics (@campleadersofficial), we love to see them.

So, you've talked all your friends and families ears off about camp, now it's time to address the public.

If you're friendly, approachable and smiley, then Brand Ambassador is the perfect role for you. It's great if you're heading to or attending University, as you can join in on all the fresher's events and excite new candidates to come to camp. It's also great as for every event you attend you get paid for, so it's a win-win. You can then proudly place it on your CV, that you didn't just fly 4,000 miles to a new country and have the summer of a lifetime, you also spent your free time motivating and encouraging others to do so too.

It can fit in and around your timetable, so it is extremely flexible and ideal for students.

Interviewing is a crucial role in giving others the opportunity to go to camp.

Everyone that goes to camp has an initial face-to-face interview to make sure they are a suitable candidate for the Camp Leaders program. Who's better to achieve this than previous counselors themselves? As someone who knows the ins and outs of camp, you know exactly what the directors need to make sure the campers and the counselors have the best time they can.

The interviews themselves are a great excuse to sit in a coffee shop and talk about camp. It's another awesome role for students, as you get paid for every interview and it looks great on your CV. Similarily to Brand Ambassador, it's very flexible, so you can work around your timetable.

When I was interviewing, I would love getting to know prospective candidates and help them along with the process. As you are the first real person they've met from the company, you are usually who they will go to for help, which works out well. You've been in their shoes, so you know how they're feeling. I loved heading to a Costa, having an interview, uploading the report, then spending the next two hours sorting my University work.

It would make me feel so productive and helped me out so much.

How else could you continue the journey without coming back to camp?

Here at Camp Leaders we offer 5 star service to help you get back to your home away from home. The best part? You'll get lower fees and higher wages. You can negotiate with your camp, giving you the best option available. We want to make the process as simple as easy as possible to get you back to your summer of adventure. You'll thank us later. 

We hope this helped you get through this tough time of returning from summer camp; you're doing great.

Next summer's just around the corner, so it's not too long till you're back in the staff shirt screaming, 'I said a Boom Chicka Boom' and loving every moment.