If you're the parent of a 15- or 16-year-old, you probably know the problem: they've outgrown "camp", and a summer at home means too much screen time and too little life.
What you're hoping for
Something that stretches them, so they come back a little more grown up. And some reassurance about how much freedom is right at this age.
What your teen is hoping for
Freedom, people their own age, and something that feels real rather than organised for kids. And, if we're honest, a summer worth telling their friends about.
What makes it work
Real independence within a clear structure: experienced leaders, agreed rules, and real responsibility within that frame. For many teens it's the first time they manage their own time, money and choices, and that's often what they remember most. Every program below starts at 14 or older, so your teen is with people their own age.
Let your teen help choose: a summer they picked is a summer they'll make the most of. If you'd like a second opinion, Lucie Straková, kiDay's founder, is happy to talk it through with both of you.
Talk to Lucie on WhatsApp
FCO
14–18y
Small-group adventure
The Colosseum, the Vatican and Pompeii, then a boat around Capri and a beach day in Positano — Italy in eight days.
YYZ
14–17y
Language · English in the city
English lessons in Toronto's parks and markets, then Niagara Falls, the CN Tower and kayaking around the Toronto Islands.
PRG
14–18y
Small-group adventure
Prague's castle, Vienna's palaces, canyoning in the Julian Alps and sea kayaking off Dubrovnik — in eighteen days.
PRG
14–18y
Small-group adventure
Prague to Dubrovnik through Vienna and the Julian Alps — then Paros and Santorini to finish.
LIR
14–17y
Volunteer & conservation
Night beach patrols with park rangers, a sea turtle hatchery and hatchling releases on Costa Rica's Pacific coast — plus surfing and a zipline.
LHR
16–18y
Active teen tour · older teens
London to Rome for 16–18-year-olds: the West End, Paris, rafting in the Alps, Venice and a beach-club break in Rimini.
LHR
16–18y
Active teen tour · older teens
Four weeks of Europe for 16–18-year-olds — London and Paris, the Alps, Venice, Rome, Capri, Florence and Milan.
NAN
14–17y
Volunteer & adventure
A village water project, a kids' club and reef work with a marine biologist — plus manta rays, sand dunes and Fiji's biggest zipline.
NAN
14–17y
Volunteer & adventure
Village projects, reef work and manta rays in Fiji, then surf lessons, Diamond Head and a luau in Hawaii.
CDG
14–17y
Small-group adventure · by train
The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, then summer skiing, rafting and fondue in the Alps.
CDG
14–17y
Small-group adventure · by train
Paris, the Alps and the best of Italy by train — four weeks, three countries, one backpack.
ATH
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Naxos and Santorini, then canyoning, sea caves and surf school in Portugal — two beach countries in twenty days.
ATH
14–18y
Small-group adventure
SCUBA on Naxos, sunset over Santorini, then Florence, Capri and Rome — the islands and Italy in twenty days.
TYO
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Sushi with professional chefs, sumo, Zen meditation in Kyoto, rafting the Kuma River and a day at Tokyo DisneySea — Japan in a small group.
TYO
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Kyoto's temples, sumo and DisneySea in Japan, then ziplining, elephants and night markets in Thailand — two countries in one small group.
KEF
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Glaciers, geysers and the Blue Lagoon, a floating sauna in Oslo, a night ferry to Copenhagen and Stockholm to finish.
KEF
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Iceland's glaciers, Oslo's fjord, Copenhagen and Stockholm — then the Acropolis, Paros and Santorini.
OPO
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Waterfall canyoning near Porto, sea caves in the Algarve and a surf lesson by Lisbon.
BCN
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Gaudí's Barcelona, the Alhambra, flamenco in Seville and the Prado — Spain in seventeen days.
BCN
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Barcelona to Lisbon in four weeks — the Alhambra, flamenco, waterfall canyoning and surf school.
ORD
14–18y
Career experience · Sports business
A week of sports business in Chicago: classes with an NYU Stern professor and former NFL and NBA executive, behind-the-scenes visits to venues like Wrigley Field and the United Center, and a team capstone project.
ORD
14–18y
Career experience · Sports business
The business behind the game, taught by an NYU Stern professor and former NFL and NBA executive — behind-the-scenes visits to stadiums in Chicago and New York, industry speakers and two team capstone projects.
JFK
14–18y
Career experience · Sports business
A week of sports business in New York: athlete branding, sponsorship and media with an NYU Stern professor, behind-the-scenes visits to venues like Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, and a team capstone project.
GVA
15–17y
Leadership
Guest speakers flown in from three continents, team missions on a budget, rafting and canyoning — leadership training for 15–17s in the Swiss Alps.
BKK
14–17y
Volunteer & adventure
Elephant sanctuaries, a mud-brick eco-building project and a school playground makeover — plus ziplines, Erawan Falls and Muay Thai.
BKK
14–17y
Small-group adventure
Elephants and ziplines in Chiang Mai, rock climbing in Krabi, a Ha Long Bay cruise and lantern-making in Hoi An — Southeast Asia in a small group.
LHR
14–17y
Language · English in the city
English lessons at King's Cross, Battersea and the Barbican, then a day in Cambridge with punting, the Harry Potter studios and a West End musical.
LHR
15–17y
Leadership · Tennis
Debate, persuade and lead in the mornings, then tennis on the campus courts — for 15–17s with strong English.
LHR
14–17y
Sports · Golf & football
Golf Academy mornings on an 18-hole course, football in the afternoons — a late-July sports summer in the English countryside.
LHR
14–17y
Sports · Golf
Mornings on the 18-hole Ludlow Golf Club course with PGA pros, afternoons on the campus par-3 — a golf summer in the heart of England.
LHR
15–17y
Leadership · Outdoor & karting
Model UN, debates and a mock election in the mornings; outdoor leadership challenges, then a week at karting school in the afternoons.
LHR
15–17y
Leadership · Creative writing & film
Global Leadership mornings, then a short story you write or a film you make — two creative weeks in late July for 15–17s.
BOH
14–17y
Outdoor expedition · 14+
Coasteering, sea kayaking and wild climbing on the Jurassic Coast — the New Forest camp turned up a level, for 14–17s.
BOH
14–17y
Coastal expedition · 14+
Coasteering at Durdle Door, caving on Dartmoor, surfing in Newquay and sunset at Land's End — nine days along England's wild south-west coast.
LHR
15–17y
Basketball · Performance
The top basketball tier: professional-intensity training for committed club players, boys 15–17.
LHR
15–17y
Football · Chelsea FC · Performance
The most demanding Chelsea FC programme — a serious pre-season block for club players aged 15–17.
JFK
14–17y
Language · English in the city
English class in Bryant Park and on Brooklyn's piers instead of a classroom — then Broadway, baseball and a speedboat to the Statue of Liberty.
JFK
14–18y
Career experience · Finance
Two weeks learning finance from Wall Street professionals in New York — stock-picking and portfolio competitions judged by experts, guest speakers, a certificate, and summer evenings in Manhattan.
JFK
14–18y
Career experience · Finance
A week of Wall Street in New York: finance classes with NYIF instructors, a team portfolio competition judged by experts, guest speakers and Manhattan highlights.
So that a 15–17-year-old isn't the oldest in a group of much younger children. Teens open up most around people their own age, and programs built for older teens give them the independence that goes with it.
More than at a children's camp, within a clear structure of leaders, rules and agreed routines. Each program page explains how it works, including phone use.
Not necessarily. Programs that stay in one place, or shorter ones, are a gentle first step. If you're unsure, talk to us and we'll help you find what fits your teen.
Yes. At this age, a program they chose themselves is one they'll commit to. Look at the options together, and talk to us if you'd like a second opinion.
They can. Leadership, business and service programs give teens real experiences to write and talk about. What matters most is what your teen makes of it, not the name of the program.
Several programs accept teens up to 18. Each card shows exactly who can join.
See also: Teen trips in Europe · Business, leadership & career summer schools for teens · Mediterranean summer camps and teen trips · Summer camps in England
