: The new summer holiday destinations for Indian kids are Singapore, Switzerland and France. And the best part is they travel without their parents
Looking at 12-year-old Devang Kumar one could hardly tell that six months ago he was an introvert and a fussy kid. But a summer vacation with friends to the snow-kissed peaks of Serbia and Switzerland made some remarkably positive personality changes in him. Now, he is more organised and his mother vouches for him “he keeps his room very tidy and makes friends with strangers.” Meghna Kamal, 15, who attended a summer camp in Switzerland, has since gained confidence and has become more independent. “I could not talk freely with everyone. As a result of the trip I have widened my friend circle and can approach anyone,” says Kamal.
These kids represent a growing trend among school children to undertake international holidays without parents where they get to play, learn and be kids. And they return with oodles of confidence, loads of memories and a healthy circle of friends of different nationalities. “I had never stayed away from home before. I learnt snowboarding, ice skating and visited the chocolate museum in Broc, Switzerland. Staying alone with friends was exciting and I never missed my parents because there was so much to do,” says Kumar who went to an international spring camp this year through Les Elfes, a travel operator in Delhi.
Tour operators are capitalising on parent’s lack of time to take their kids on a holiday, by packing off little ones to exotic locales. And including activities like skiing, paragliding, mountain biking, rock climbing, trekking, coupled with enhancing their cultural side by learning European languages, visiting science museums and chocolate factories.
“I had never done skiing before. At first I found it difficult but with the help of trainers I was able to grasp it. I learned to overcome my fears. My mother always wanted me to try it since it was something she could never do when she was young,” adds Kamal.
In 1997, when Switzerland-based Les Elfes opened its branch in India, little did it realise the challenges that lay ahead. “When we sent our first group to the Alps in 1997, there were only nine kids. Now we have more than 80–100 camps each year with 35 children each being held at Switzerland and Paris,” says Rachna Chawla, coordinator of India operations for Les Elfes, a 22-year-old company....
