Ultimate Camp Visiting Day Guide

With soft trunks packed and buses loaded with smiling campers, the countdown to visiting day has begun.  While you spend the next couple of weeks scouring camp photos online, traveling with your husband, or gutting closets and restocking household essentials, take a few minutes to plan how you will make camp visiting day special this summer. 
Visiting Day is often a whirlwind of mixed emotions. Just when you have just gotten into a routine of being away from your camper, you’re suddenly back with your son or daughter but this time not at home.  You’ll get tours of the bunk, meet their friends, and enjoy a cookout but then you don’t get to bring them home.  It’s a tease! To help you navigate the big day seamlessly, we’ve put together the ultimate playbook on what to do and not do to keep visiting day smooth and emotions in check. 
 
Visiting Day Dos and Don’ts 

Do: Let your camper be the tour guide.
This is their summer home and they are the experts! Let them pull you by the hand to show you their favorite activity, their specific seat in the dining hall, and their bunk. Ask them to introduce you to their counselors and bunkmates and lean into their world completely. Try not to have too many expectations and throw an itinerary out of the window.  Go with the flow and enjoy living in the moment with your camper. From being at the waterfront to the tennis court, you will find whatever activity you are doing special, just because you are with your camper! 

Do: Keep the focus on their experience.
It’s natural to want to catch them up on everything happening at home, but try to keep the conversation centered on camp. Ask about their favorite evening activities, what they hope will happen for breakout, or what skills they are working on. 

Don’t: Linger too long during departures.
The end of the day can bring a sudden wave of homesickness, even for the happiest campers. When it’s time to say goodbye, keep it swift, upbeat, and reassuring. A long, drawn-out goodbye often makes the transition back to camp routine harder for them.
 
 
What to Bring: The Essential Pack List
Food is always a major highlight of Visiting Day but be sure to check your camp for rules and guidelines about what you are allowed to bring. Our cabinmates from New York often had fresh H&H Bagels (they always shared!) and there was always a lot of candy and homemade baked goods. Beyond your camper’s favorite snacks, the best things you can bring are items that refresh their camp spirit for the remaining weeks. Adding thoughtful, custom details makes the day feel even more momentous. At More Than Paper, we have lots of personalized camp gear that make small gifts and practical essentials. 

By week three or four, your camper has likely burned through their initial stationery supply or lost a pen or two. Bring a fresh set of personalized stationery. More Than Paper has camp note cards, fill-in-the-blank camp stationery (perfect for younger campers who need a little prompting!), and custom return-address labels. It gives them an instant boost of excitement to write home for the second half of the summer. 

Camp life is tough on gear. Visiting day is the perfect time to replace lost water bottles or a towel. 

Surprise them with a personalized clipboard from More Than Paper featuring their camp colors or their favorite activity. It’s perfect for storing their stationery and writing letters home or to friends during rest hour. 

You can also consider a small gift like our new slippers, activity pads that will keep them busy during rest hour, or bunk pillow cases. 

The secret to a successful Visiting Day is balancing the excitement of seeing each other with the reality that they still have a wonderful summer ahead of them (without you!) You will feel mixed emotions, for sure. 

Before you leave, slip a hidden note under their pillow or inside their trunk. Use a piece of your family’s personalized notepad to write a quick, loving message. You can say something like: “We are so proud of your independence. Can’t wait to hear all the stories when you get home!" 

Finding that note at bedtime, after your car has driven away, is often the exact comfort a camper needs. Enjoy every second of the hugs, the camp cheers, and all the joy of Visiting Day!