Here are 10 important questions to ask your summer teen tours and adventure teen travel provider. The Wild Traveler got a head start by answering all of them for you. Let us know if you have any questions. That’s what we are here for!
1. What’s the camp’s philosophy?
The Wild Traveler believes in quality summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs. We hire the best leaders, work with the best outfitters available, and travel to some amazing places! The Wild Traveler gives participants a chance to gain leadership and problem solving skills, a greater sense of responsibility and independence while experiencing different places and cultures through a variety of multisport activities including surfing, SCUBA diving, hiking, meaningful service projects, kayaking, and more.
The Wild Traveler’s summer teen tours and adventure travel summer programs focus on cooperation. Our experienced leaders facilitate group building activities from the beginning of our teen programs. Our groups will need to work together throughout the program from setting up and taking down camp, loading, unloading, and organizing group gear, SCUBA study sessions, etc. We foster an environment of inclusiveness. Over the course of our summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs our participants create lifetime friendships and positive experiences that last a lifetime.
2. How does the camp recruit, screen and train its staff?
Each and every leader has a minimum of 3 years working with teens in an outdoor setting. Before our summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs, The Wild Traveler, leads an extensive training that focuses on the goals of our summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs as well as the individual goals of each participant (participants send in a questionnaire prior to arriving on their teen travel program).
All leaders hold Wilderness First Responders (80+ hour course in wilderness first aid) and CPR certifications. Click to learn more about our leaders!
3. What about staff return rates?
Our leaders love what they do. Each summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs with The Wild Traveler will have at least 1 leader who has led their particular trip in previous years. Our Hawaii/ Kauai trip leaders have led this trip for the past 5 summers!
4. What’s the ratio of leaders to participants?
ACA guidelines for overnight camps call for a 1:6 ratio for ages 7 and 8, 1:8 for ages 9-14; and 1:10 for ages 15-18. The Wild Traveler maintains leader to participant ratios of 1:4. While participating in our multisport adventure activities we have ratios closer to 1:3.
5. How old are the counselors?
The ACA recommends that 80 percent of the staff be 18 or older and that all staffers be at least 16 and a minimum of two years older than the campers they supervise. The average age of our leaders is 27 years old. Every Wild Traveler leader has had a minimum of 3 years experience working with teens and know the places we travel. Plus they’re awesome people!
6. What medical staff work at the camp and what backup facilities are nearby?
The Wild Traveler leads summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs, we are not a residential camp. Our staff are Wilderness First Responder and CPR certified. Emergency information, including emergency phone numbers and directions to the closest hospital/ urgent care, is kept for every campground location and multisport activity location. Click to read more about our attention to safety.
7. What is the camp’s approach to discipline and how does the camp handle conflicts between participants?
The Wild Traveler strives to maintain a safe, positive, healthy, and fun environment for our participants so that they can get the most out of their summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs. Participants must contribute positively to their group. Negative behavior detrimental to the safety or enjoyment of themselves or other participants will not be tolerated. We expect our participants to have positive attitudes and an enthusiasm to partake in all activities.
8. What does a typical daily schedule look like?
Each day is full with activities – SCUBA diving, surfing, kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, and more. There is about an hour worth of free time before and after dinner each day. On days with half day activities (ie surfing and kayaking) participants decide as a group between different sets of set options (eg. Hike to the base of Wailua Falls, snorkel at the Captain Cook Memorial, sunset dinner at Hapuna Beach, etc). Check out our day to day itinerary on our Hawaii/ Kauai trip page for more information.
9. Will the camp be transporting the participants?
We leave the inter-island flights to the Hawaiian Airline pilots. Once on the islands our leaders transport participants using brand new mini vans. Our leaders go through a thorough driver safety training during staff training. The average age of our leaders is 27 and all have clean driving records.
10. Do you have references?
Yes – Just ask. We’ll put you in touch with parents of past participants who participated in our summer teen tours and adventure teen travel programs.
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