This is the most amazing place. If you are the type who enjoys the outdoors and a genuine experience, SHP is the place for you. It is in the same style of "NOLS" and Outward Bound. If someone doesn't have a great experience, they are probably some spoiled kid who wanted to go to soccer camp or hit up the XBox. read more

Let me preface this by saying my problem was not the biking. I wanted to do this trip, and I was planning on loving it no matter the difficulty. I would've loved it for all of its imperfections, among the other things. However, I couldn't bare to love something in which everyday I would be disrespected. My lead counselor would constantly harass me, berate me, and even pass me while biking. I understand I am not the fastest person on a bicycle, however her job was to keep me safe. By passing me, if something were to happen, I could be in danger. I remember crying in private over how much this woman would yell at me. The other kids knew eachother from school, and her practically bullying me just alienated me further from the other campers. This woman screamed at me, in front of everyone else, when the tent fell off of the back of my bike and I went to pick it up. Talk about a bad leader and example. She also wouldn't wear her helmet when we were biking. She'd constantly complain about the trip THAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RUNNING. She also got mad when I asked if we could tour the Darthmouth college campus (it was in the itenirary), because apparently "College is disgusting". Speaking of the itenirary: we did pretty much none of the activities that we were supposed to. It said we were supposed to go horseback riding, swimming, and other stuff. The only things we did were the white water rafting and zip line- which were in Massachusetts, which is not where I bike trip even was. All imperfections aside, the counselor truly ruined all my chances of EVER trusting SHP again. She had no interest of what we were doing, and she'd fall asleep early (before everyone else) and eat candy in the tents (even when we were warned about bears). The other counselor (the guy) was incredibly nice, and did his best to help me. I hope this person is not hired back for any position at this camp, or any camp. She was not good at communicating with teenagers or anyone. This woman was 25 years old, I was 15 at the time of this trip (in July). I am disgusted by how she treated me. If she's reading this, you probably know who I am- but to be quite honest, you made those 18 days of my life complete and utter hell. You should've thought before you acted so harshly. If you are attending any trips with SHP, I hope you have fun, and don't get this counselor!!! read more

I truly cannot say enough about shp; i have gone on four trips over the past six years and each time had an absolutely marvelous time and come away with more wonderful memories, friendships, experiences and than i could ever possibly ask for. The leaders are incredibly smart, understanding, kind, wonderful, and fun people and the biking.....ohmygodsospectacular. I have learned so much about people, the country, nature, and myself on my shp trips and i shall always be indebted to them for it. If you are considering an shp trip, i recommend it with all my heart. read more

This outfit is run by Steve, who at first contact seems very accommodating and nice, but that only lasts as long as everything runs smoothly. Not being able to afford the full-price of one of his company's cross-country trips, I asked for some financial aid for my son - which he granted. But from there on, it went downhill. Apparently he does not communicate with his bookkeeper, because what he promised on the phone and in emails was not reflected accurately in what his bookkeeper billed. And when confronted with the discrepancy, his promises to correct the mistake were never carried out. Probably the most egregious thing he did was to cheat and lie to me. Since he never had a corrected invoice sent, I wrote on his invoice that I agreed for him to charge the corrected lesser sum of money to my credit card. They ignored that instruction and charged me the full incorrect amount. Then he proceeded to lie about various other charges in an attempt to bulk up the amount of the charges to the fraudulent amount that he took from me. A Hurly bike that he quoted me at $700 and which I paid him $700 separately for, he now claimed was $750, despite all the emails I had quoting the price at $700. Additionally he tacked on a $75 "contingency fee" and another charge for $90 that was never explained. I would strongly urge anyone considering a trip with this outfit to only pay with check (not credit card) as that way he will not be able to change the amount authorized. To this day I do not understand why the credit card company (to who I complained) would not reverse the charges - something about once you authorize him to use the card, he has control over the amount, no matter what you put in writing - it doesn't make sense to me. The trip my son took was a good trip and decently organized - except for the unfortunate bit that the female leader was a vegan and so she spent a lot of the trip's food money on food that SHE could eat, and there wasn't enough money left over for food that the rest of the participants wanted. Also, in spite of being told that they would see lots of "natural wonders" along the way, the trip evolved into one of "let's just rack up the miles the quickest, shortest way possible and get this trip over with." As my son was really there for the biking, and didn't care about the national parks, it was okay with him; but as a parent, I had wanted him to experience a bit more that just a grinding 3700 miles on the road. read more

As a parent of a former camper I would strongly discourage you from allowing your child to join an SHP program. The coordinator, Steve, is not particularly responsive. He doesn't return phone calls (regardless of whether you call and leave a message at the 1-800 number or call him on his cell), he doesn't have the answers and, as manager of the staff, he does not ensure that they follow through on their responsibilities. For example, I placed an order for trip related items via fax in early April and after countless emails and phone calls to staff members and Steve, I ended up receiving the wrong items in late June (after I had already purchased similar items for my son's other camp). Despite being aware of the need for the items in the second week of June, no one was able to do anything. I can't imagine a respectable retailer working this way and staying in business. Even when the items were sent, they didn't even meet SHP's own camp requirements (the packing list required a yellow rain coat and bright colored panniers and handlebar bag). When I finally received the box, after my son had already left for camp, I received a blue rain coat and a black handlebar bag. Not impressive. However, my biggest disappointment was the result of Steve's decision to combine two bike programs into one. The brochure and site specifically stated that the camps were limited to 8 to 12 students. My son's camp had 19 and the age range of students now included much younger campers. Steve should have called the parents and given each one of us the opportunity to decide whether we wanted to keep our child in the much larger group in advance of the camp. I found out when I dropped my son off at SHP headquarters in Conway, MA. Clearly, this is misrepresentation and had I been given the choice I would not have sent my son on this trip. The exceedingly large group destroyed its dynamics. The group dynamics prohibited my son from getting to know the other campers well and become friends with them as a group. As a result, almost everything, from games to conversations, were done in cliques rather than as a group. This also led my son to feel isolated, particularly on the bike, where he was often far away from other trippers. Even off the bike, he felt like he couldn't fully fit in. The group's large size also resulted in quiet times far too often not being enforced. The large group dynamics made him feel more like he was at high school than on an adventure trip. Perhaps the most telling statement came from my son who said he wouldn't do another SHP camp "even if for free." read more

My daughter has gone on four tirps with SHP and had the most wonderful time. She has grown beyond our expectations and I find the staff, the leaders and the people associated with SHP to be terrific. They do so much more then they promise. Thank you for helping our daughter to mature in a responsible, kind helpful manner. A great value! read more

I thought this was a very fun and wonderful experience I still remember five years back when I just finished my first year of high school. I went on the Cap Cod bike trip for two weeks and had a blast. You meet great people, make amazing memories and most of all have fun. read more

Before high school I participated in two of Student Hostelling Program's (SHP) trips. On both trips the groups where extremely inclusive and cohesive. 11 years later, I am still friends with another "tripper." I enjoyed the trips tremendously, but at age 12 i did not yet grasp their full importance. Looking back now with the wisdom of hindsight, I realize how deeply and positively those two summer trips with SHP affected me. Underneath the obvious values of exercise and appreciating the outdoors, they developed my independence, ability to make new friends, and, most of all, my maturity. I highly recommend SHP. read more

Such an awful, unorganized "camp". I was completely mislead and misinformed about the details and accommodations for my son. Stephen (the director) should NOT have anything to do with this business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is only available when trying to get your deposit, after that he is impossible to reach. His excuse us that he is a teacher also? I'm sorry, did I spend over $2,000 to hear excuses? Sure, my kid had some fun and learned a few things but was lumped with a larger group than i initially was promised and was with kids not so close in age, also promised. My son was bored, said the leaders seemed like they were barely trained and complained that he didn't have enough food money ( which i gladly would have given if budgeted correctly). I am not typically one to complain but a friends and I were planning a group trip for our kids this summer and was asked about SHP and literally groaned at the thought of ever ever ever wasting my money again. Hopefully no one else out there will either! I chose overland last year instead and what a difference! My son and his cousin (that lives in Texas and rarely sees) had the trip of a lifetime! They will be getting plenty of business from my family and friends! Anyway, i was encouraged to come on here and hopefully help out a few mothers who would like to spend money where it is worth it to a well established and organized business because this is NOT it. read more