Why Adults Are Returning to Summer Camp
Loneliness and burnout are prompting adults worldwide to trade modern comforts for bunk beds and bonfires. At Camp Grounded, a digital‑detox retreat in Mendocino County, California, groups of adult campers gather to disconnect. After dinner, a circle of nurses and support staff from a New York City clinic settled around a fire, swapping childhood memories and stories about how they entered the health field while the upstate New York sky glittered with stars. For a few hours in July 2026, the titles and hierarchies that usually defined these professionals faded away.
Aleksey Aronov, chief executive of VIP’s IV, brought his team to Camp No Counselors for a four‑day weekend aimed at relaxation and bonding. “Many of my staff were new and some were quite shy,” he said. “After the camp experience, everyone felt comfortable, got to know each other better and bonded seamlessly.” Some groups arrive together, while other campers seek a community to belong to.
For many adults, the appeal of camp goes beyond nostalgia. Some view it as a networking opportunity or a way to combat burnout; others simply want to make new friends. Across the globe, an increasing number of people are discovering that the camps of their youth offer a perfect antidote to the pressures of modern adult life.
Mia Morin, 29, from Toronto, and her husband attended YMCA Camp Queen Elizabeth on Beausoleil Island in Ontario in May 2025 to meet new people. “We wanted to gather around interesting people, exchange ideas and do things together,” Morin explained. “Going to YMCA Camp Queen Elizabeth was easy because nobody there was random. Since everyone had already chosen the same thing, we had a starting point with something in common.”
What began as a niche getaway for nostalgic campers has exploded into a thriving market. Adult camps now offer weekend and week‑long retreats where participants trade screen time and comfortable beds for campfires, sports, arts and crafts, and shared bunks. Unlike traditional children’s camps, many adult programs include grown‑up perks such as open bars, wine tastings, chef‑prepared meals and wellness programming.
Yelp’s 2025 Trend Forecast reported that searches for “adult camps” rose 347 percent from September 2023 through August 2024 compared with the prior year. The American Camp Association’s online directory lists 85 adult‑camp programs in the United States, and although the ACA does not track year‑over‑year totals, it confirms steady growth in adult camp offerings over the past decade.
By 2026 the concept had spread well beyond the United States and Canada, with camps opening in locations ranging from the Swiss Alps to the United Arab Emirates. “The rising popularity of adult camps reflects a larger movement toward meaningful, in‑person experiences we’ve been seeing through Yelp,” said Yelp trend expert Tara Lewis. “People are looking to unplug and foster connections in shared physical spaces. These camps give adults the chance to go analog, rediscover favorite activities, focus on wellness and make genuine connections,” she added.
How much has the idea expanded? When founder Adam Tichauer pitched Camp No Counselors on Shark Tank in 2016, the investors passed. Ten years later, every Camp No Counselors date through 2027 carries a waitlist. Movie producer Joel Reisig launched Camp Forever Fun in Michigan after filming a movie about a group of girls at horse camp. Today, adults at Camp Forever Fun can choose to ride horses among many other activities.
Adults across generations—from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z—are turning to camp life as a remedy for two major modern ailments: loneliness and burnout. “Hundreds of millions of people every day feel a gap between their level of connection and where they want it to be, for a variety of reasons: social media and AI leading to feeling disconnected, not going into the office, living far from family, lacking connected neighborhoods,” said Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky, a keynote speaker and author who focuses on human connection and workplace culture. Poswolsky’s career grew from his time as an adult camp counselor at Camp Grounded from 2013 to 2017. “I think the idea of adult camp might initially produce an eye roll. ‘Why would an adult need camp? It’s childlike; we’re too old.’ But it’s the exact opposite,” he said, noting that he met his now‑wife, Ali, at Camp Grounded. “It’s the very thing many adults are missing most—the chance to play and connect with people not related to networking, career or title.”
In 2023, Melanie Kelly, 44, felt burnt out while leading marketing and communications for a solar company. A former painting major, she signed up for a week‑long art‑making camp at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado, hoping to rediscover the “flow state” she remembered from painting that she rarely experienced at work. Overnight, Kelly’s days went from being spent answering emails and starin