Downward angle icon Downward angle icon. The author and his family travel to Taipei from the United States because summer camp is significantly cheaper there. Provided by the author Almost every summer, I travel to Taiwan to send my kids to a local summer camp. It's cheaper than in the United States, and I can send my four kids to a week-long camp that includes lunch. My kids get to immerse themselves in my culture and practice speaking Mandarin with the locals.
Every year, the rush to sign up your child for summer camp seems to get earlier and earlier, with some highly competitive programs opening applications as early as January or even November/December of the previous year.
As a mother of five, that's too much for my cluttered brain, let alone my wallet. I try not to compete for anything, unless it's concert tickets for the K-pop band BTS, mostly because it makes my blood pressure spike and I hate the anxiety that it causes.
Instead, I send my kids to summer camp in Taipei because not only will they have fun while they learn, but they'll learn in Chinese.
Immerse children in family, language and culture
One of the main reasons I send my children to local camps is to force them to listen to and speak with native Chinese speakers. My children have Chinese tutors and can speak, read and write Chinese, but I know it is an artificial environment. Being able to speak and respond in a classroom environment is completely different from doing so in “real” life.
The author is able to send his children to a camp in Taipei thanks to the exchange rate and low costs.
I choose to place my children in an all-Chinese environment and communicate with them in Chinese out of necessity, and in fact, many Taiwanese people try to speak to my children in English, even though they understand Chinese just fine.
In addition to seeing their relatives, the children will be experiencing a whole new way of life for 4-8 weeks: trying new foods, living car-free, riding buses, subways, and trains (sometimes unaccompanied), and having far more personal freedom than would be allowed in the U.S. for safety reasons. They may also be venturing out on their own to buy food from local restaurants and convenience stores.
Summer camps in Taiwan are much more affordable
Every year the cost of summer camp in the US seems to go up. I want participants to be paid a fair wage, but with four kids the cost of camp is prohibitively expensive. However, with an exchange rate of about NT$32 to the US dollar and a low cost of living in Taiwan (on average 35.6% lower than in the US), I can send my kids to camp for very little money.
The author's children have been practicing their Chinese and becoming more independent.
For example, our town's Parks and Recreation Department charges about $300 per week for five days of half-day camp. A week of full-day camp elsewhere costs about $725-$1,200 (not including lunches). For a week of five-day, four-night overnight camp, the cost is about $2,000-$3,000.
But even in Taipei, Taiwan's capital and most expensive city, you can send your kids to fun camps you wouldn't even consider in the U.S. for the price. A week-long full-day camp, including lunch, will run you about $207 per child. If you want to splurge and send your kids to a Model UN-like camp for the same length of time, that will be $529 per child. For an eight-day, seven-night overnight camp for teenagers, the entire camp will cost you $711.
Not just summer camps, but holidays too
Admittedly, traveling to Taiwan is expensive (average round-trip airfare during peak season is $1,200-1,500). Of course, you have to pay for additional accommodation, but food is cheap and you don't have to pay for utilities. But we try to maximize our time in Taiwan, so our trip doubles as a vacation. After all, I would rather give my kids an international family summer than an expensive U.S. camp.
