Alpengirl Camp Travel Information

This travel information is what to expect for a typical summer with Alpengirl.

Campers will be traveling from all over the world to attend Alpengirl this summer. For some, this will be their first time to adventure camp and perhaps their first time flying without a family member. Reviewing this information with your camper prior to travel will assist in making travel to camp a positive adventure before the real adventuring begins in the great outdoors.

Camp Arrival & Departure Schedules

  • Camps starting/ending in Bozeman, Montana (*EXCEPT for Wild & Scenic Raft arrivals - see below): 
    • Arrive between 12 pm - 4 pm on the first day of camp at Bozeman Yellowstone Int’l Airport (BZN). If arriving by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 2 pm at the baggage claim area (unless notified otherwise).
    • Depart anytime before 12 pm on the last day of camp from Bozeman Yellowstone Int’l Airport (BZN). If departing by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 10 am at the baggage claim area (unless notified otherwise).
    • *Wild & Scenic Raft arrival: Arrive between 10am - 2 pm on the first day of camp at Bozeman Yellowstone Int'l Airport (BZN). If arriving by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 12pm at the baggage claim area (unless notified otherwise).
  • Camps starting/ending in Portland, Oregon: 
    • Arrive between 11 am - 3 pm on the first day of camp at Portland Int’l Airport (PDX). If arriving by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 3 pm at bag claim area carousel 10 (unless notified otherwise).
    • Depart between 10 am - 3 pm on the last day of camp from Portland Int’l Airport (PDX). If departing by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at TBD am at bag claim area carousel 10 (unless notified otherwise).
  • Camps starting/ending in Seattle, Washington (*EXCEPT WA LiL’S & Olympic Mini departures - see below): 
    • Arrive between 11 am - 2 pm on the first day of camp at Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport (SEA). If arriving by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 2 pm at bag claim area carousel 12 (unless notified otherwise).
    • Depart between 8 am - 11 am on the last day of camp from Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport (SEA). If departing by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at TBD am at bag claim area carousel 12 (unless notified otherwise).
    • *WA Lil’s & Olympic Mini Adventures departure: Depart between 12 pm - 3 pm on the last day of camp from Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport (SEA). If departing by car (or by air with a parent or other adult), meet at 10 am at bag claim area carousel 12 (unless notified otherwise).

Travel Arrangements

Parents are responsible for following information provided on this travel page when arranging their campers travel to and from camp this summer. We will do our best to review the travel information that you provide on your campers Travel Form (located in your online portal) and will let you know if we see an error. If at anytime an error is found, be it the day you submit your Travel Form or the day your camper is traveling, parents are responsible for paying for any additional travel fees associated with correcting the error. If you are in doubt or just have questions about travel in general, please contact us anytime to assist you.

Special Travel Arrangements

You are welcome to arrange air travel outside of of the listed arrival/departure windows if our staff is available to accommodate your itinerary; however, in some cases, a $100 fee will be charged for the special travel arrangement service. 

You MUST call Alpengirl before booking your flight if you'd like to request special travel arrangements.

Alpengirl Travel Form

The Alpengirl Camp Travel Form (located in your online portal) is due April 1 and is required for every camper regardless of mode of transportation. If travel plans are unknown on April 1, just let us know a date you will have plans in place so we can approve that date and make a note of it for reminders to you.

Alpengirl camp staff will use the information you provide on the Travel Form to make coordinated camper arrival and departure plans. So, if your travel changes, please be sure to let Alpengirl know about the changes as they occur.

Upon camp departure by car (or with parent/adult by air) Alpenguides are authorized to release campers only to legal Parents(s)/Guardian(s) or persons that are listed on a campers Travel Form. These persons should be prepared to present ID for camper release. Changes to the Alpengirl Travel Form names must be made in writing and approved by the Alpengirl camp director prior to the day of camper departure; making last minute changes will be difficult to approve. 

Unaccompanied Minor (UM) Airline Tickets

Many airlines require a special "Unaccompanied Minor" (UM) ticket to be purchased for minors traveling without an adult. Even if this special ticket is not required by your airline of choice, you may elect to purchase an unaccompanied minor ticket on some airlines.

Before buying a campers’ ticket to camp, camp parents need to make sure to check with their airline (and any subsidiary airlines used) and understand unaccompanied minor ticket rules, policies and procedures unique to each airline or airlines used.

Some campers have traveled a lot on their own, are of proper age to fly without an UM ticket (check all airlines, even subsidiary airline rules) and do not need assistance. These campers are able to check themselves in for a flight, go through security lines, find gates and baggage claims, and are prepared to handle travel delays, emergencies or flight cancellations on their own.

Campers that are required to (or elect to) travel on a UM ticket will be fully supervised throughout their travels and do not need to navigate airports, deal with travel issues or make decision on their own.

A good start to camp is so important. Airline travel should be a positive experience before and after camp. Before booking flights or deciding on UM tickets, camp parents should be familiar UM ticket rules, Alpengirl airport pick-up and drop-off procedures, and consider airport size, direct vs. connecting routes and assess their campers (as well as their own) comfort level with solo travel.

[Parent Tip: It can take a surprisingly long time to check-in a minor traveling on a UM ticket, so plan accordingly and arrive earlier than you normally would.]

[Note: United Airlines ONLY allows unaccompanied minors on direct flights, unaccompanied minors are not allowed on connecting flights.]

Alpengirl Staff Names for Unaccompanied Minor (UM) Airline Tickets

Alpengirl staff information (name, address and contact phone #) for unaccompanied minor (UM) tickets will be provided to you in our Alpengirl Pre-Camp Letter emailed to you in late May. If necessary, you may use "Alpengirl Camp Representative" with phone #406-570-6312 for UM tickets purchased prior to receiving the Alpengirl Pre-Camp Letter. Then, when you receive the Alpengirl Pre-Camp Letter with staff information, you MUST change to the correct staff information before your camper's flight (note, some airlines REQUIRE name changes be done on the phone rather than at the check-in counter or at the airport on the day of the flight).

Parents, it is your responsibility to provide the correct Alpengirl camp staff name to your airline, so, please double check at airport check-in to see that the correct name is listed BEFORE allowing your camper to fly to camp. Double-check at the check-in desk even if you already did it when making the reservation (or if your travel agent did it), you could possibly avoid airline personnel/travel agent errors by doing this.

Airline Baggage & Unaccompanied Minor (UM) Ticket Fees

Campers can avoid carrying extra cash with them to camp if the return bag fee and the return unaccompanied minor ticket fee are pre-paid in advance of camp.

If you are able to pre-pay you MUST provide Alpengirl with a receipt of your payment and add it to camper Ziploc #1 for Alpenguides to collect from campers upon arrival. If no receipt is provided, add a parent note to camper Ziploc #1 indicating that the return bag fee and/or return unaccompanied minor ticket fee was paid AND ask the person who took your payment to add a “computer note” that indicates you paid. This will reduce the possibility of being charged again upon return flight. In some cases, airlines have made mistakes and not made a note that you have paid already in full and your camper will be charged again when we check her in for her flight home. To avoid this, please be sure to include a receipt of payment and ask that a “computer note” be made to show that payments were received.

If you are unable to pre-pay, add a parent note to camper Ziploc #1 indicating this and supply cash or credit/debit card for the return bag fee and return unaccompanied minor ticket fee for your campers return flight home.

Trip & Travel Insurance

Accidents, injuries, illnesses and other events or situations can occur before or during camp which may prevent a camper from starting or staying at camp with us. A camp family can incur costs and/or losses due to trip delay, cancellation or interruption or early termination, medical treatment or evacuation on a trip or otherwise, or costs incurred from cancelled flights, lost baggage, or other costs.

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND that parents consider purchasing trip and/or travel insurance that may include coverage for paid program tuition or other fees and cover some of the costs and/or losses as described above. NOTE: Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) plans may require purchase within 7-21 days of paying a trip deposit.

Camp families are encouraged to choose any 3rd party insurance program or company that they prefer in order to best protect their investment this summer. If you need a place to start researching plans, try Travmark Insurance - contact agent Mark Ceslowitz

Alpengirl’s cancellation and refund policy and insurance information is provided in the Terms of Agreement section of the Camper Application.

Communicating During Travel 

We recommend that campers traveling by air without assistance carry a cell phone (with wall charger and vehicle charger) for use during travel days (all camper phones will be collected, turned off and stored during camp.) Please note, Alpengirl cannot replace or be held responsible if a camper phone is lost, stolen or damaged. Call Alpengirl at 406-570-6312 if there are delays or changes in your travel schedule and parents should call at anytime for any reason during camp. Our camp staff will be checking the Alpengirl voice mail regularly during camp. Personal staff cell phone numbers are not provided to parents or campers.

Your Arrival To Camp

Once with the Alpenguides, campers that arrived by air to camp will call home to let their parents know they are with us. Campers are officially "checked-in" to camp while we wait in the airport for all group members to arrive. Check-in includes: making sure essential gear is packed, conducting health screening, and collecting medications, activity waivers, food, magazines, cell phones and personal music players. Once the entire group has arrived, we'll talk about van rules and basic camp rules, and drive to our first campsite for dinner and to set up tents and sleep.

Note To Camp Parents: Please try not to worry too much if you don't immediately receive a call from your camper upon flight arrival. We typically call you shortly after greeting your camper, however, this call may be delayed up to 2-hours if Alpengirl has many campers to pick-up at the same time in many different locations at the airport. Our staff's first priority is collecting all campers and gathering them in one place so that we can provide direct Alpengirl supervision in the airport. Calling parents is a very close second priority.

Flight Arrival Procedures (no Unaccompanied Minor UM ticket)

Once your flight has landed, go directly to your baggage claim and stay there until an Alpenguide is there to greet you and introduce you to the rest of your group. Most of the time an Alpenguide (wearing Alpengirl t-shirt) is there to greet you as you arrive at your baggage claim at the time listed your Travel Form (located in your online portal; provide Alpengirl with updated travel information in advance of your camp arrival date.) If you don't see an Alpenguide right away at your baggage claim, don't panic, don't wander, we know that you are waiting for us and we are on our way to get you ASAP, you are our first priority. Our delays in getting to you may be caused by having multiple campers to pick-up at the same time at different baggage claim carousels in the airport, last minute baggage claim carousel changes, or other unforeseen circumstances. But, rest assured, we are on our way, and most of the time, we are able to greet you as you arrive at your baggage claim.

Flight Arrival Procedures (with Unaccompanied Minor UM ticket)

Airline personnel will directly supervise you until the Alpengirl staff arrives to greet you. Once the Alpenguide is there, she’ll present ID to the airline and sign the airline supervision release paperwork. Then, you’ll meet other arriving members of your camp group and we hang-out together until all members have arrived. So, once your flight has landed, airline personnel will take care of you, you don't need to make any decisions or find anything in the airport. Most of the time the designated Alpenguide (wearing Alpengirl t-shirt) is there to greet you at your arrival gate as you walk off the plane at the time listed your Travel Form (located in your online portal; provide Alpengirl with updated travel information in advance of your camp arrival date.) If we are not at your arrival gate when you walk off the plane, the airline personnel will either continue to wait with you at your arrival gate until the designated Alpenguide is there to greet you, or they may walk with you to your baggage claim or to the airline check-in counter area to meet us. In some cases, you'll need to wait in the airline supervised "waiting room" for unaccompanied minors until the designated Alpenguide arrives to sign away for you. Again, most of the time we are able to greet you right away, but, if Alpenguides have many campers to pick-up at the same time in different locations at the airport, they may be delayed in getting to you. There is no need to worry, you are being supervised by airline personnel and don't need to do anything except wait in the airline supervised UM "waiting room" if necessary. We know that you are waiting for us and we are on our way to get you ASAP. Our delays in getting to you may be caused by last minute gate changes, unexpected high-volume security lines, other campers with unexpected flight schedule changes, or other more urgent needs that staff must attend to first, such as gathering campers without unaccompanied minor tickets waiting alone at baggage claim. There are a variety of unforeseen circumstances that may prevent us from greeting you as you walk off the plane, but, rest assured, you'll always be attended to on an unaccompanied minor ticket, and most of the time, we are able to greet you as you walk off the plane.

Vehicle Arrival Procedures

If you are arriving to camp by vehicle (or if you are flying to camp with a parent or other adult) the parent/adult must stay with their camper until the Alpengirl staff is there to greet them. Alpengirl will wait up to 1 hour for campers arriving by car (or by air with a parent/adult.) We make every attempt possible to contact parents before departing without a camper. If a camper arrival delay causes a disruption to the scheduled camp and/or Alpenguide itinerary, Alpengirl may charge fees to cover extra costs associated with the extended delay. This fee could cover additional transportation costs (car rental/fuel), food, hotel, and additional employee wage payment if an overnight is warranted.

Flight Departure Procedures (no Unaccompanied Minor UM ticket)

Our hugs and goodbyes to you will take place inside the airport at the correct flight check-in area about 1.5-2 hours in advance of your departure time. You’ll need to check yourself in for your flight and continue through to security and to your departure gate on your own. If Alpenguides have the ability, they’ll help you check-in and stay with you until you are in the checkpoint security line, however, this is not always possible due to other campers departure schedules.

Note To Camp Parents: It is important to understand that once a camper is guided by Alpenguides to their correct check-in area in the airport, Alpengirl no longer assumes supervision of the camper, the camper will be responsible for themself and will need to get checked in, board the plane, and make connections on their own. Campers will be responsible for calling you and being in touch with you during their travels home. If camp parents are not comfortable with this, purchasing an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) ticket is suggested.

In the extremely rare case of an unforeseen delay that would cause a camper to miss a scheduled flight back home due to a late airport arrival by our camp staff, our staff will be making new reservations for the camper to be on the next possible flight and calling to advise you of a new flight itinerary.

Flight Departure Procedures (with Unaccompanied Minor UM ticket)

A designated Alpenguide will check you in for your flight about 1.5-2 hours in advance of your departure time and will wait with you until airline personnel have completed their paperwork and have assumed supervision of you from Alpengirl. Once the airline has officially assumed responsibility for you, you (or the Alpenguide) will make a call to your parents to let them know you are on your way home. With a UM ticket, you won't need to make any decisions or find anything in the airport, you'll be constantly supervised until you are greeted by your parents as you walk off the plane back home.

In the extremely rare case of an unforeseen delay that would cause a camper to miss a scheduled flight back home due to a late airport arrival by our camp staff, our staff will be making new reservations for the camper to be on the next possible flight and calling to advise you of a new flight itinerary.

Vehicle Departure Procedures 

If you are departing from camp by vehicle (or if you are flying from camp with a parent or other adult), follow these procedures: If the parent/adult listed on a camper's Travel Form (located in your online portal) are not there to pick up their camper within 1 hour of the scheduled departure time, Alpengirl staff will not leave the camper; they'll plan a different pick-up arrangement depending on what the situation demands. If a camper departure delay causes a disruption to the scheduled camp and/or Alpenguide itinerary, Alpengirl may charge fees to cover extra costs associated with the extended delay. This fee could cover additional transportation costs (car rental/fuel), food, hotel, and additional employee wage payment if an overnight is warranted. Alpenguides are authorized to release campers only to parent(s)/guardian(s) or other person(s) that are listed on a camper's Travel Form (located in your online portal). These persons should be prepared to present ID for camper release. Changes to the Alpengirl Travel Form must be made in writing and approved by the Alpengirl camp director prior to the day of camper departure; making last minute changes will be difficult to approve.