Worth Magazine - April 1997
Site of the Month - Camping Out on the Web

Choosing a camp for your kids (or yourself) used to mean relying on an old fashioned network of neighbors and friends for recommendations. The problem with this method is that it undermines one of the chief reasons for going to camp: getting away from the same old daily influences. But that network of networks, the Internet, now allows camp shoppers to consider thousands of different possible escapes. The American Camping Association (http://www.aca-camps.org), a trade association that sets health and safety standards for member camps, sponsors a Web site that contains information on more than 2,000 camps. Want a camp that has a river bank? Or one with a bank of computers? Want a place that has lots of competitive sports? Or one that encourages social activism? Just search the American Camping Association's database for the camps that fit your needs. The ACA site also includes tips for parents - on packing for camp, for example, or on helping a child overcome homesickness.

To cast a wider net, try the Kids' Camps site (http://www.kidscamps.com), which has information on almost all the 8,000-plus children's camps throughout the United States and Canada. Its searchable database is probably the best place to find a camp that caters to a special interest or need. There are also links to other sites that contain information dedicated to family vacations and adult Outward Bound-type programs. But keep in mind that the Kids' Camps site does not screen the material from the camps, so users should check with the individual camps for references.