Swiss Trip 1
Our Swisstrip is a special holiday camp that criss-crosses Switzerland. You will use various methods of travel during this fascinating touring camp and spend the night in many different places as you explore all over the country. In order to participate in the Swisstrip, you need to enjoy travelling, be physically fit enough to handle excursions such as all-day rafting trips or two-day hikes, and be enthusiastic about spending time outdoors in nature, e.g. sleeping in a tent.
Due to high demand, we have increased the number of spots for Swisstrips, and young Swiss Abroad and students from Swiss Schools Abroad can now participate multiple times in their lives.
Focus:
Southern Switzerland and mountain passes
Age group:
12 – 14 years
Start date:
25.06.2025
Registration deadline:
15.03.2025
End date:
04.07.2025
Free spots:
Summer camp information
Our summer camp features hiking, games, excursions and other indoor and outdoor activities that create a truly special holiday experience in Switzerland.
Registration
The FYSA opens registration for its summer camps at the beginning of January every year. Registration is only possible via the homepage directly for the advertised summer camp you would like to attend. We have provided instructions to assist you with the application process.
Age groups
Our camps are for young Swiss Abroad aged between 8 and 14 and are divided into two age groups: ages 8 to 11 and 12 to 14. If you are aged 15 or older, please contact the Youth Service of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. It has many exciting camp offers.
Languages
All of our camps are offered in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish. If you want to participate in a camp, you must speak one of these languages fluently.
Camp location
Our camps take place at different locations in different cantons each year. The individual camp offers indicate where a specific camp will be held.
Fees
The camp fee is CHF 950, except for the Swiss Trip and special holiday camps, which have a fee of CHF 1100. It covers the entire operation of the holiday camp, including all trips during the camp, meals, accommodation, and all scheduled activities. There are no additional costs incurred during the camp. For all our holiday camps, the costs for the journey to Switzerland and the return home are the responsibility of the parents.
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The only exceptions are the Swiss Trip and the special camps, whose fees total CHF 950. Parents are responsible for travel costs to and from Switzerland for all our camps.
Financial support
In keeping with our Foundation’s purpose, the FYSA wants to ensure that all young Swiss Abroad between the ages of 8 and 14 have the chance to experience at least one camp in Switzerland, regardless of their family’s financial situation. We provide financial support towards the camp fees and/or travel expenses. More information on applying for reduced fees is available here.
Meeting point
On the first day, all of our camps start at 1 p.m. at the train station at Zurich Airport. The camp councellors will meet you there, and you will all travel together by train to the camp location. On the last day, everyone takes the train together again to the Zurich Airport train station, where you will arrive at 12 p.m.
The journey back and forth from the meeting point to your home is the responsibility of your parents.
Young Swiss Abroad travelling alone
If you are travelling unaccompanied to and/or from the camp, our camp counsellors can accompany you from the airport to the meeting point and back. If you require accompaniment, you must arrive at the airport between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the first day of the camp. On the last day of the camp, your flight must leave between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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We charge parents a maximum of CHF 50 for this additional service. We would like to inform parents that if our camp counsellors provide accompaniment for your child, the responsibility of the FYSA begins when your child arrives at the airport in Switzerland and ends when they check in on the last day. Therefore, we strongly recommend that every young Swiss Abroad camp participant travelling alone (including those over the age of twelve) should fly as an ‘unaccompanied minor’ (UM). Please contact your airline for more information.
Participants
Our camps bring together young people from all over the world in a relaxed setting. Depending on the camp, the groups usually include between 24 and 42 young Swiss Abroad. You can participate if you are a Swiss Abroad between the ages of 8 and 14, regardless of your gender, religion, political views, financial situation or culture. What connects you with everyone in the camp community is - you are all Swiss.
You can make friends from all over the globe in this multicultural community. However, the success of the camp also depends on your cooperation and independent completion of daily tasks such as washing dishes, tidying up, cleaning the bathroom, etc.
Leadership team
The summer camp is planned and run by a leadership team of volunteers (with the exception of civilian service assignees).
Depending on the size of the camp, the leadership team consists of six to eight young adults from Switzerland and abroad. The leadership team is further supported by two kitchen staff. All camp counsellors are at least 18 years old and multilingual. The counsellors are overseen by experienced camp leaders.
At least half of the leadership team members have a federally recognised J+S youth and sports certification in camp sports and trekking. The summer camp counsellors share a love of the outdoors and supervise the camp community around the clock. They are also your contact point for individual requests or concerns.
Programme
The camp programme is put together by the leadership team in cooperation with the FYSA administrative office. The aim of the camp programme is for you to experience Switzerland in a variety of ways and get to know your home country better.
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Games, sports, hikes, excursions, city tours and much more are the main focus of the activities. We make every effort to provide a varied, age-appropriate programme. Adventure, fun and diverse encounters are guaranteed!
Insurance
Camp participants are insured against accidents during the camps (supplementary to their own accident insurance for those living in Europe). Expenses resulting from illness or damage to property are the responsibility of the parents. Therefore, we recommend that parents also obtain international insurance from their travel or insurance provider.
Accommodation
The majority of our camps are housed in simple but well-furnished camp buildings with dormitory rooms that offer enough space for everyone. The different camp offers tell you the location of the respective camp.
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Our Swiss Trips are the exception. Since the camp community is on the move all over Switzerland, participants spend the night in different types of accommodation (e.g. farms, tents, mountain huts). We also offer special camps with a themed focus such as music, sailing or the circus. The accommodation differs for these camps as well, depending on the theme.
Meals
The kitchen is staffed by people who have experience in cooking for larger groups and are passionate about their work. They put together a balanced, varied menu plan for the camp that includes traditional Swiss dishes so you can also experience Switzerland at mealtimes.