Flying to Camp? How to Avoid Additional Luggage Costs . . . .

One cannot seem to fly without additional luggage costs anymore. With rising luggage fees making extra suitcases and carry-ons an added expense to the already high cost of air transportation, it’s prudent to consider ways to curb this growing cost inconvenience for your campers and staff. 

• Carpool or pack the van and drive—A growing number of families are driving to camp to avoid the airport hassles, luggage costs, price inflation, and incredible unpredictability. A family of three, four, or five can pack up the van and get the kids to camp at a fraction of the cost of flying and avoid the additional luggage costs, unaccompanied minor costs, etc. Suggest carpooling to your camper families that live near each other as a means to save on transportation costs.

• Limit the amount of luggage brought to camp—Some camps set limitations for luggage. For example at Blue Star Camps in North Carolina, campers are limited to bringing two 50-pound duffels, regardless of what form of transportation they take to get to camp. And in pre-camp materials for parents, the camp strongly recommends a specific quantity of clothes, shoes, equipment, etc.

• Create a "Live Lightly" Theme at camp—Blue Star’s theme for this summer is "Live Lightly," and part of living lightly is encouraging campers to bring only what they need to camp and learn to be comfortable without all the comforts of home. Providing laundry service on site can help as well. Offering a linen service is an excellent way to deter campers from packing bulky domestic items.

• Encourage  camp families to take the scenic route—Provide families with ideas for enjoying your camp community and surrounding sites either before or after camp drop-off to help parents enjoy the  trip to camp at its fullest.

Any specific ideas to help keep luggage costs down? Send them to magazine@ACAcamps.org, and we will add them to this list.

*Ideas contributed by Tom Rosenberg, director of Blue Star Camps in North  Carolina.