English Language Camp in Austria
Zell Am See, Austria (travel to Munich Airport / Salzburg Airport)
- Mountain & Lake
- 10-17 years old
- 2 weeks overnight camp
- 75 campers per session
The region of lakes and mountains is well-known for its stunning choice of outdoor activities. This programme has been a success for many years with campers returning for several times, to enjoy all the water sports and outdoors activities available in this idyllic summer camp setting.
Zell Am See is famous for its picturesque lake and mountain surroundings, offering campers the perfect setting to enjoy awe-inspiring vistas and thrilling outdoor adventures. Camp in Austria emphasis on languages, adventure programmes, and creating unforgettable memories that will endure a lifetime!
This English language programme takes place in a beautiful part of Austria, surrounded by mountains and lakes. All of the counsellors and most campers are either native English speakers or are fluent in the language and will be happy to help and support English language campers.
Learning from native English speaking teachers in class and practicing the rest of the time with other campers, staff and locals, helps our campers to rapidly develop their vocabulary and understanding as well as their confidence and ability to engage in conversation in a language other than their mother tongue.
Programme overview
- beginner/elementary
- pre-intermediate
- intermediate
- upper intermediate/advanced
Projects and Topics
Campers choose projects in discussion groups which make language-learning more interesting and personal. Often they choose something that simply interests them, a topic of the day or some element of the culture of their country. Each project offers different levels of difficulty and appropriate vocabulary so that we cater for the range of ability levels.
Typical Project Topics
‘Personality poster’ - Campers make up a ‘personality poster’ about themselves and use adjectives that they think describe their personality. This is a great way to get to know new friends and to take the first steps in language learning.
‘The Great Survival Debate’ - This is an imaginary debate on the equipment necessary for survival in the desert. Everyone has to discuss the issues and learn the vocabulary.
'The Food Tasting Festival' - Encourages campers to learn words to describe food smell, texture and flavours. The reward for learning the vocabulary is to taste some delicious traditional dishes of the country, served by the teachers. Campers love it!
‘The Song Project’ - Campers choose a contemporary well-known song BUT together make up some humorous new words that will change the lyrics.
‘Holiday Brochure’ - The group discusses and selects holiday destinations finally designing a holiday brochure.
‘Film Project’ - Campers decide on an original idea, write the script, design a film poster and then go out and actually shoot a short film.
Making the Projects Work
Every morning lesson starts with a warm-up in the language with teachers and campers talking together – and a song in German playing in the background. The teachers introduce the campers to ‘tongue-twisters’ and word games such as Scrabble. Teachers start conversations in groups about what they liked about the previous day, their favourite music and the activities to which they are looking forward.
Project work facilitates the learning of vocabulary in an ‘inter-group’ way – using new words and talking between each other and gaining confidence and language skills. At the end of all projects the groups present their results often using one of their project “products” (e.g. the film, travel brochure or a song).
Accommodation
The dormitory is a spectacular, one of a kind, family-run hotel with numerous on-site facilities including indoor, beach volleyball courts, multiple indoor and outdoor climbing sites, Sports halls,a swimming pool, theater and much, much more. With the lakeshore mere minutes away.
The recently renovated dormitory is situated on the south side of Zell Am See just minutes from the shore of the lake. Superb views of the Kitzstein Glacier and the Hohe Tauern park can be seen from the rooms and the common areas.
The purpose built hotel and complex is a paradise designed for youth with a multitude of sports and activity facilities on site as well as 4 dining halls, a pizzeria and a BBQ restaurant.
The rooms are fresh, modern and comfortable 4 bedded rooms all with showers and toilets. All of our hallways, wings and lounges are dedicated to our camp only. Bedroom sharing is assigned according to age and gender.
Meals
In one of our dedicated dining rooms (either the “Mill”, The “Knights Hall”, the “Hippie Hall” or the “Hearts’ Hall”) the experienced chef’s team will provide an enticing variety of meals that include local cuisine as well as many favorite international dishes. Once a week the chef’s prepare a special BBQ meal for the camp as well. Vegetarian options are available at all meals. Other diets can be accommodated upon request.
Facilities
In the immediate vicinity of world-famous places such as Kitzbühel, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and the city of Salzburg (90km) Zell Am See offers wonderful opportunities for many types of outdoor activities. The lake can be reached in a couple of minutes and offers the ideal location for the practice of water sports such as kayaking, SUP and windsurfing.
Our Camps in Zell Am See site includes:
Activity areas
Resident chefs
Classrooms
Dining rooms
Beach volleyball courts
Trampolines
Basketball courts
2 Sports halls
Bouldering halls
Climbing walls
Dance & yoga studio
Outdoor Pool
Waterslides
High ropes course
Campfire area
Bowling lanes
Billards
Table tennis
Nearby activities/facilities include:
Hiking trails
Mountain-biking trails
Stand Up Paddleboard
Kayaking
Mini Golf
Restaurants and cafes
Shops
Lake swimming
Waterfalls
Mountain Huts
Windsurfing
Camp Organisation
In the site campers are assigned to groups according to age and/or skill levels. The morning period of 3 hours is devoted to the campers specialty programme.
During the afternoons campers from all programmes join an array of exciting activities. Certain afternoons the children can “sign-up” for an activity of their choice while other days, age group and all-camp activities are organized. The evening programmes offer a variety of fun and challenging events that help build team spirit.
Campers visit the town in small groups and get to taste local specialities, visit traditional shops and sightsee the picturesque town streets.
Evening Activities
Evenings are filled with exciting imaginative games, spectacular events and relaxing activities. These include:
Lip Synch Battle - Campers are divided into different groups to prepare a small performance based on one of the most popular songs! A lot of costumes and more importantly laughter, are guaranteed. We even have disco lights to create a more spectacular environment.
Campfire - After dinner, we sing songs, tell stories, and roast marshmallows in front of the fire, whilst watching the sun set behind the beautiful mountains that surround the village.
Fun Friday – A very special activity takes place on Friday, called the Clash of Camps. Campers are divided into 4 teams - Water, Fire, Air and Earth. Every team has to prepare their own skit and complete different tasks working together to surpass the challenges they face along the way.
Carnival Night - This night starts with a delicious BBQ and Italian Gelato and then moves on to lots of carnival type games and music.
Movie Night – Usually happens on the evening of day trips after a long day. After dinner, the campers settle down to watch a movie and enjoy some homemade popcorn.
The Battle for Piesendorf – This game involves running, strategy and intense team work. It is a good bonding activity between campers of different ages.
Stock Market Evening – A very special activity for the whole camp is our famous Stock Market Event. This game turns our campers into professional buyers and sellers that visit each other’s stands (representing their own company creations) and try to predict what is going to happen in the future. Tension, emotions and communication make for a loud and expressive evening that campers deeply enjoy.
International Night – A night to learn about and represent countries other than your own. All of our campers are divided into different groups that represent countries around the world. Each group has to create and act on a special performance which can include singing, dancing, sharing fun facts, games, etc. Some of the campers are charged with preparing samples of national dishes from different countries for all campers and staff to try before dinner.
Friday Finale - The evening starts with everyone dressed up for a special dinner. After dinner campers take turns in the PhotoBooth for their souvenir camp photo, and then go dancing at the disco party dance floor. At the end it is time for goodbyes, last hugs, and getting to bed early as some campers have to leave very early in the morning.
Evening activities are often run independently for each separate age group but sometimes are organized as all-camp events where the entire camp comes together for some of the spectacular and much-anticipated programme all-time favorites.
Excursions
On all excursions we ensure free time for cultural visits, shopping and walking around in small groups. On visits to places of interest admission fees are included.
Highlight of excursions that take place over the two weeks are:
Salzburg - After breakfast, campers pack their lunch and get on a bus for a day out. First stop is the Schloss Hellabrunn - a castle and a park, with magical hidden fountains which start working at the most unexpected moments, showering some of the campers trying to escape provoking a lot of squeaks and giggles. Later, campers visit the town center and have some free time for shopping and sightseeing.Krimml Waterfalls – This place is a very impressive natural wonder. Campers enjoy a hike to the top of the waterfalls. Dropping a total of 380 meters in three stages, all campers say it is worth the hike uphill!
Sigmund Thun Klamm Gorge – Campers walk the wooden platform paths inside the gorge, and the more adventurous ones then dare a quick dip in the cold icy waters of the river below.
Mountain Hut Overnight – After an exciting hike through the scenic Austrian Alps, campers enjoy dinner and a campfire evening. They sleep in the comfortable traditional mountain hut before having breakfast, and trekking down the mountain back to camp.