What do I want in a camp?

Single sex or co-ed?

Religious or non-denominational?

Sports-oriented, nature-oriented or a mixture of both?

In driving distance or am I willing to fly?

Do I want lakes or mountains (or will just a river do)?

How many weeks?

Is the camp competitive or nurturing?

Activities required or free choice?

To do this research, it is helpful to:

Talk to other children and parents.

Watch DVDs & talk to your children.

Search the Internet.

Attend a camp fair. The Annual Jewish Camps Fair will be held on Sunday, December 14th, from 10 am – 2 pm, at Solomon Schechter Day School. The broader St. Louis Summer Opportunities Fair will be at Whitfield School on Saturday, January 31st, from 10 am – 3 pm. At both, there will be overnight camps, day camps and teen travel opportunities.

Talk to camp directors.

Talk to a Camp Advisor.

Making Camp Visits (Summer 2009)

Based upon your research, try to narrow your camp options and choose a few programs to go and visit. All camps gladly receive guests, if you schedule an appointment. If you are considering camps in Missouri, you can plan a day or overnight trip to an area and then stop in to see the camp. If you are looking at camps in the Upper Midwest, you could plan a family vacation near to the camps you wish to visit. Most camps are located in beautiful areas near state parks or resort areas, so these visits can be fun for the whole family. You could even plan your family’s vacation at a camp and take advantage of a family weekend. These visits can help your child acclimate to the environment of the camp and make the decision to leave home a lot less scary. And, your first-hand observations of the facilities, the activities or the dining hall routine can help you know if this would be the right place for your child!

Early Bird Discounts (Fall 2009)

Once you have determined which camp suits your child, you can take advantage of early bird discounts. These discounts usually hold the cost of camp down to the previous year’s tuition or take a few hundred dollars off the price of residential camping. And, when your neighbors are stressing out about what their child will be doing in the coming summer, you will be sitting pretty with your child already enrolled!

Summer 2010 – The Best Summer of Your Child’s Life

Since there are programs to fit the needs of any child, I encourage you to explore the range of options available to you. The camp experience is an opportunity that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Happy camping!

Do the Research (January – May 2009)

Are you planning for a camp and want to spend time in the outdoors? Then camping tent is the most important item that you need to carry with you. Here the most important thing is choosing the right type of tent and its color, quality and the size.

You can find the camping tents which are really useful for sub zero temperatures whereas some others are excellent for tropical forest atmospheric conditions. It is better to select camping tents based on the climate that you will be camping in.

Here are the things that you need to consider while buying camping tent:

In order to select the right type of tent, the first thing you need to do is decide the dimensions of the camping tent that you need. Mainly tents are prepared to protect you and your family.

In the market you will find the tents with labels telling their capacity, or for how many campers it is made. There is no need to choose various tents with different capacities. So, think carefully and decide cleverly on the biggest number of campers that you predict camping together with you.

Basically every camping tent consists of four components. They include: tent body, the poles, the trap and the rain fly. The trap is basically a material that you set on the ground which helps to keep your tent floor last longer.

Tips to choose camping tents based on your needs:

Just think what you require. Before going to purchase, consider the below factors:

• Your camping place or spot

• The season

• Whether you will be backpacking or not

Also consider if you have any other requirements and then decide the type of camping tent that you need.

Decide your budget and how much you are going to spend on the camping tent. Once you have decided your budget you will not spend much on it.

• Decide on the size and weight of the tent. If you prefer car camping, the size of the tent doesn’t matter.

• If there are many campers to sleep in the tent it is better to pick a large camping tent.

• If you want to go on backpacking then it is suggested to invest in a lightweight camping tent.

Search for the available aspects of the tent. It is suggested to select a durable fabric tent. Test how the tent shade spreads the light within the tent. Some colors make the interior of the camping tents brighter, whereas some colors make it dim and gloomy.

If you are planning for a summer camp, it is better to choose light color tents. For cold seasons, pick dark colored camping tents, as they absorb the heat from the sun and keep the interior of the tent warm.

Also, check the coating of the tent. Look for a water proof and shiny coating inside the tent. If you don’t observe these features then the tent might not be durable enough for heavy usage.

The most popular tent makers include: Great land, Coleman, Eddie Bauer, and Wenger. Select the manufacturer whom you trust most. With the wrong type of tent you can’t enjoy the camping experience to the fullest. It leaves it as an unpleasant one.

So, think carefully and choose wisely while you are purchasing the camping tents. Just remember that the tent you have chosen will be the home away from your home for fewer days. Visit Camping Tourist

For those that can afford the one-time membership fee and annual membership dues, members have choice access to a slew of luxury vacation homes around the world, which can be booked based on availability and reservation requirements.

Destination clubs allow for more desired choices and less overhead than other similar type clubs because members do not have nor want any deeded ownership.

Destination clubs generally do not give members an ownership stake in real estate. Rather, the club is structured more like a country club. With average membership deposits of $200,000 to $400,000 (usually 80% refundable), annual dues start out around $15,000 to $30,000 with stays from 14 to 30 days.

Given that one of the least expensive clubs still costs $50,000 to join, it’s clear the destination clubs are mindfully aimed at travelers with the comfortable means to vacation in style.

The costs for Destination club membership is undoubtedly higher than that for ordinary timeshares, as the type of higher end clientele is much more used to a pampered lifestyle than that of the typical timeshare buyer.

Destination clubs provide luxurious and elegant surroundings, flexible travel and beautifully appointed destinations all over the world.

Private Residence Clubs provide the feel of luxury hotel living but also the partial ownership of a second home. Their offerings are generally smaller than destination club residences: 750 to 3,000 square foot villas.

Families or groups who require larger residences – three or more bedrooms of at least 2,000 sq ft and above will find that Destination clubs are especially well suited for their personal needs. They will, however need for their travel schedule to fit within the availability structure of the club.

With all that is said and done, however, there are some who are most likely not cut out for the average Destination club mentality. Those who prefer traveling at the last minute, individuals or lone couples without children, grandchildren, or friends to invite may not be able to justify the expense of a destination club.

With that in mind, they are generally better off with some other kind of vacation option.

It then all comes down to what each potential member’s needs are that determines if a Destination club membership is right for them.

Choosing camping gear is not about buying the latest, most popular or even the most expensive equipment. Camping equipment should be affordable and suitable for your needs.

The key to choosing the right gear is to know what you will encounter on your camping trip. How long you will be camping also influences what camping gear you would need.

Consider which gear is essential based on the terrain and weather conditions. You can still have many choices of gear which are still practical and functional even if you are on a tight budget.

It’s easy to get distracted by all the gear you see in camping stores but you need to focus on the camping gear that you will definitely need and would later prove useful to your needs.

You also wouldn’t want to carry too much gear and equipment if you can. The rule of thumb is to carry not more than a third of your body weight.

The strongest camping and hiking gear may be too heavy or lack the features you need so evaluate the conditions of the terrain and decide if you really need gear that may be overkill. Contact the local tourist office to find out about weather conditions and terrain before you start buying new equipment or before you pack what you have already.

Sometimes you will go through a variety of conditions and terrain in the same camping trip so make sure you take this into account when choosing camping gear. For example if you go on a mountain hike, the conditions and terrain would be different at the top of the climb than at the beginning.

If the weather is unpredictable bring rain gear and pack your gear in a waterproof enclosure so that it remains dry.

Making Your Own Camping Checklist

A camping checklist is something that evolves as you gain more experience camping. It not only makes sure that you carry everything that you might need but it also can be used to make sure that you don’t carry too much camping equipment.

To make a dynamic camping checklist that you be useful for different occasions make a note of which camping gear you did or did not use and alter you list accordingly.

The camping list may change from each camping trip as you encounter different conditions. This is the trial and error method for choosing the right camping equipment for you.

As you take notes on which equipment works best for different situations and which gear you wish you had or how much of the camping supplies you had used up in your camping trip your list will become better, more useful and more customized to your individual needs.

Making your backpack lighter

While the camping gear checklist can possibly make your backpack lighter by reducing the number of camping, it may take a few camping trips to get it right.

With new technology camping equipment are increasingly lighter and smaller with new designs and materials. Choosing a lighter alternative to the same piece of gear can significantly reduce your overall load. It is not necessary to sacrifice certain essentials just to make your backpack lighter.

A lighter backpack will help you travel more quickly and cover more distances in a day and put less stress on your knees, shoulders, neck and back.

These 5 tips will help you reduce the weight of your backpack.

? Get rid excess – Don’t bring extra changes of clothing more than one. Don’t bring more than one cooking pot.

? If you are hiking in a group or someone else try to share some of the camping gear that can be conveniently shared like camping tent, camping stove, insect repellent etc.

? Replace camping equipments with lighter versions of it. Lightweight components and simple designs can almost maximize function while minimizing weight.

? Use camping gear that can perform different functions.

? Use travel size versions for consumables like soap and toothpaste and try to reduce packaging.

Traveling with a big load on your back is not fun and most times unnecessary. If that’s what you’ve been doing you’ll appreciate how easy it is to travel with a lighter load. Keeping your body in shape can help you carry your load better still.

There are a lot of people who seriously consider photography as a career. There are many who feel that engaging their life in taking pictures is a fulfilling experience. But this venture requires a sound education in photography.

Just like any school, it is essential to select a photography school that will meet all the needs and requirements of the students for a good quality education. Here are some tips that will help you select a photography school that suits your needs:

• Look beyond
While choosing your school, you should be able to see the bigger picture. You need to consider your general goals pertaining to your career before selecting a photography school. There are a number of tracks that chosen in the photography field. If you want to involve yourself artistically through photography, there are a number of subjects you could choose that will facilitate this. In case you are more commercially inclined, there are a number of schools you could choose from that offer business courses along with the photography lessons.

• There is more to photography
If you are taking photography because you want to run away from the tough subjects such as math, then bad luck, because photography involves all these subjects in order to equip you to survive in the race. As most photographers go ahead to start up their own studio, it is best that students take up courses in accounting, business management, marketing and other related subjects.

• Find out your class strength
If there are too many students in your class, you might not be able to get the best of your course. The instructor may not be able to pay individual attention to you and will be prohibited form giving you hands on supervision that can hinder your learning process.

• Look for Computer Courses
Any reputed photography school will have courses that are related to computers. Photography is a very competitive field, and it will give you the edge if you have enough knowledge in computers. With digital photography, using computers and having computer expertise has become a compulsory option.

• Scholarships
Look for a photography school that offers some sort of financial aid to their students. Photography is not a cheap business and buying equipment can prove to be very costly.

These are just a few tips on how to go about looking for a good photography school. Selecting the right school for you is very important. This can help you decide where you want to go and determine how to get there.