Adults Are Flocking Back to Summer Camp to Fight Loneliness and Burnout
Michelle Bruton
Adult summer camps are booming worldwide as more grown-ups seek campfires, bunk beds and group activities to connect, unwind and escape modern pressures. Searches for "adult camps" jumped 347% on Yelp, and Camp No Counselors now has waiting lists for every session through 2027.
After dinner, the marshmallows come out. A group of nurses and support staff from a New York City clinic gather around the campfire, telling each other about their childhoods and the paths that brought them to their profession. Above them, the suburban New York sky is full of stars. For a few hours in July 2026, the job titles and workplace hierarchies that normally define this team of healthcare workers disappear.
Aleksey Aronov, CEO of VIP's IV, brought his team to Camp No Counselors for a four-day weekend retreat aimed at relaxation and team bonding.
"Many of my employees are new, and some are quite shy," Aronov said. "But after the camp experience, everyone felt comfortable with each other, understood each other better and bonded naturally."
His group came to camp together. Other campers came hoping to find a group they could belong to.
For adults who seek out summer camp, the appeal isn't just childhood nostalgia. Some see the camp experience as a way to expand their networks or ease burnout, while others are looking to make new friends. Whatever the reason, more and more people around the world are discovering that the summer camps of their youth are the perfect antidote to the pressures of modern adult life.
Mia Morin, 29, who lives in Toronto, went with her husband to YMCA Camp Queen Elizabeth on Beausoleil Island in Ontario, Canada, in May 2025 to meet new people.
"We wanted to surround ourselves with interesting people, exchange ideas and do something together," Morin said. "Going to YMCA Camp Queen Elizabeth was easy because no one there is a random person. Since everyone chose the same thing, you already have something in common to start from."
Once a niche vacation option for the nostalgic, adult camps have exploded in popularity, offering weekend and week-long getaways where grown-ups trade screen time and soft beds for campfires, sports, arts and crafts, and bunk beds. Unlike day camps and overnight camps for children, however, today's adult versions often come with "grown-up" extras such as open bars, wine tastings, chef-prepared meals and wellness programs.
Yelp's 2025 Trends Report found that searches for "adult camps" rose 347% between September 2023 and August 2024 compared with the previous 12 months. The American Camp Association's (ACA) online directory lists 85 adult camp programs in the US, and while the ACA does not track the number of adult camps year by year, it confirms that adult camp programming has grown steadily over the past decade.
By 2026, the model had spread well beyond the US and Canada, with camps launching in destinations from the Swiss Alps to the United Arab Emirates.
"The growing popularity of adult camps reflects a larger trend we're seeing on Yelp: a shift toward in-person, meaningful experiences," said Tara Lewis, a trends expert at Yelp.
"People are looking for ways to disconnect from their devices and nurture connection in shared physical spaces. These camps give adults a chance to live 'analog,' rediscover activities they love, focus on wellness and build genuine connections," she added.
So how far has the model's popularity grown? When founder Adam Tichauer pitched Camp No Counselors on the reality TV show Shark Tank in 2016, the investors declined to put money in. Ten years later, every Camp No Counselors session through the end of 2027 has a waiting list.
