Are you looking for a beach escape or a city break? Workshop-intensive, or relaxation vibes? What are your pole needs? What’s your budget? These are all questions you have to ask yourself before booking your pole camp, and we’re here to break it down for you.

There are many types of pole camps: beach getaway, city breaks, luxury escape, social/ community focused camps, budget camps, workshop intensive camps, heels focused, tricks focused camps with a little bit of everything. What’s your vibe and what are your pole needs? Some camps run level-specific camps, so make sure to check you’re signing up to a camp that can cater to your current skill level and needs.

Check out the workshops being offered during the course of the camp and be sure to check out the teachers’ social media to see if their style aligns with your wants. 

Where is it and what are the travel requirements for entry into the country. Don’t forget to check out travel and visa requirements for the country in which the camp is taking place, noting all countries have different requirements and regulations for entry.

You’re also going to want to find out where the camp is based, including the studio and accommodation. Are the studio and the accommodation on the same premises? If not, how far is the studio from the point of accommodation, and what are the local modes of transport/is transport provided?

Helpful hint – I find checking the weather during the time I’ll be traveling is always helpful when it comes to packing. So check out the weather before you pack! 

Most camps offer packages including accommodation, but this is not true for all camps – be sure to check that accommodation is included in the price of your package.

Is transport to and from the airport and the accommodation included in the fee, or will you have to source your own? And in the case the studio and accommodation are at different locations, is transportation provided?

When at a camp in a country which feels unfamiliar I always recommend looking for camps which have a transfer included not only for convenience but just so you feel safe. Many times as pole dancers we travel solo so to keep safe try to look out for camps which have made arrangements for you to get safely to the camp location. 

It can sometimes be tempting to book camps based on instructor line up. And many times we love certain pole dancers so much we will pay anything to train with them. But before booking a camp we always recommend reaching out to instructors to see what camps they will be teaching at as there will be many occasions where you will find the same instructor will be teaching at another event which might be in a better location or charged at a price that suits your budget.

While the instructor line up can be a big factor for why we book it’s essential to know that sometimes the instructor line up doesn’t always dictate how awesome the pole camp will be. So if there are some names you haven’t heard of don’t let this discourage you. Check out their social media. Maybe you will have a new favourite pole dancer by the end of the camp. And sometimes the less known pole dancers are actually better teachers. Just because someone is big on social media for pole dancing doesn’t mean that they are an amazing teacher. So give teachers you don’t know a chance and enjoy the process of being a student.

For many people the intensity of a pole camp will vary depending on what you want. If you want this to be a fun little beach relaxing holiday you might find that you want a camp with less classes so you have more time to be able to explore or chill at the beach. For others (usually pole teachers and advanced polers) camps are sometimes the only time you have to train so the amount of classes is a big factor in picking a pole camp.

Most camps will offer a minimum of 8-9 hours of pole over a 5-6 day period but in our opinion this is a little low. This equates to 1.5 hours of pole per day and remember that 20-30 mins of that will be a warm up. Whereas some camps will offer jam packed schedules where you will have the option to attend 16+ hours of classes over a 5-6 day period.

While there are camps that offer lots of hours of pole and it seems like a great idea at the time you have to ask yourself a) do you want a busy camp? and b) are you at a high enough level in pole to be able to do so many hours in a short period. We always recommend increasing your poling hours on the run up to a pole camp to ensure your body doesn’t burn out on day one. It’s also to try and help you stop getting blisters all over your hands within the first few hours of classes. Get them prepared early by increasing your training intensity 4-6 weeks before.

First thing you will probably want to know is what classes are being offered. Make sure to check out the class timetable and get a look and see what sort of classes are being offered. Is there much variation? Is it a lot of pole or is there also some off the pole options to break up the day? Is there spinning pole, static pole, flips, flexi or choreo workshops? These can sometimes be factors worth checking before booking as the worst thing would be turning up to a camp with 90% spinning pole classes if you get dizzy just looking at a spinning pole.

Another thing to check out is what the advertised level is. Bear in mind that studio levels can vary so it can sometimes be worth reaching out to the camp and checking that you are at a suitable level to attend. Some camps also offer levels at their camps so this can be nice to make sure you get a more catered experience in your class based off your level.

Some camps offer a mixed ability class option. While this isn’t great for some this can be a great option to people of an intermediate level as you will be in a position to have some challenges whilst also being offered some tricks and transitions which will be suitable for your level. For advanced or elite students it doesn’t mean it’s not worth attending. Many mixed level camps still offer options for more advanced students. Of course if the camp is levelled you will receive more benefit from the training and you will be challenged more but if you are attending more for the social aspect and want to just have fun, a mixed level camp can still be a great option.

Pole sharing is also a factor to consider at camps. It’s very rare to see but some camps do offer the option of classes where you will have your own pole. Now this is great but again depends if this is what you are used to as having your own pole at a camp can be intense for even the most advanced students. So should you discount camps which share poles? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Trust me when I tell you that if your camp has a good amount of pole classes you will be grateful for the break.

Ahhhh the big question everyone wants to know the answer to with not such an easy answer. Now this can get confusing as sometimes you can see camps priced anywhere from €500 – €2500+. So what’s the difference? Well, this depends on the length of the camp, the number of workshops/classes offered, as well as the accommodations, amenities and extras offered.

Don’t forget to factor in flights (and as mentioned above, visa/travel fees) as camp don’t usually include flights in the price. It is also helpful to budget for extracurriculars outside of the camps offerings also.

Price can become a minefield but for those on a budget it’s worth comparing between a few different camps to see where your money is better spent. Below is a table example for you between two camps based in Europe.

Now as you can see above there are quite a few big differences between the camps and you will find when you compare camps that the differences can be huge. From the examples above you will see camp a is offering double the amount of classes and at almost half the price of camp b. So sometimes it can seem like a no brainer but if you see the extras and other inclusions sections you will that there are some differences. For some students a boat tour and walking tour might be worth the extra cost and for others it might not. So remember to do your research before diving in and spending your hard earned cash.