When we started looking at day camps in New York City last year for our 5-year-old son, we discovered that many would cost nearly $10,000 just for one child, and we weren’t even considering overnight camps.
This high fee typically includes transportation to and from camp, breakfast and lunch, daily activities, swim lessons, etc. But at many day camps, we drop our kids off around 9am and pick them up around 2:30 or 3pm, when my partner and I are still working, so in some cases the camp fee doesn’t even cover full-time childcare during working hours.
Instead of dealing with the lottery system and the costs of day camp (which average $87 per child per day in 2022 and $96 per child per day in 2023), my husband and I, both US-based remote workers, decided to spend the summer in Zurich with our son and parents-in-law.
Renting accommodation overseas was significantly cheaper than sending my kids to summer camp, and it came with perks.
Long-term Airbnb rentals in Zurich were cheaper than many U.S. day camps
We explored quaint towns in Austria and neighboring countries. Jordi Lippe Magrau
We found that renting an Airbnb in Zurich with three bedrooms and an office was more cost-effective than sending our kids to summer camp from June to August.
Our stay ran from July 9 to August 18 and cost us about $6,000. The owner offered a long-term stay discount and arranged a room for us to fit our living situation.
We could have booked a cheaper, smaller home, but because our in-laws were coming along to help care for our son, we opted for a larger home with a washing machine and two bathrooms. With the extra space to accommodate our in-laws and the cost of a week of soccer camp in Zurich, it was still less expensive than day camps in the tri-state area.
We also kept expenses down by paying for most of our flights with points and splitting food costs with my in-laws.
Living abroad with your family has benefits beyond just the financial benefits
We took the train to Geneva, Switzerland. Jordi Lippe-Magrou
Beyond the financial benefits, the experiences and lessons my son gained while living abroad have been invaluable, exposing him to different cultures, foods and lifestyles.
Staying in Zurich all summer also gave the family a chance to explore places less visited by tourists. They planned trips to places they would never have explored otherwise, like Feldkirch, Austria, and Vaduz, Liechtenstein. They also enrolled their kids in a local soccer camp in Zurich for a week, which cost about $300.
Plus, my son is a train buff, so we built some train trips into the itinerary, and he wanted to see Big Ben, so we also planned a weekend trip to London, which is only a 90-minute flight from Zurich.
My husband and father-in-law are big cycling fans, so living here gives us the opportunity to watch the Tour de France at the French border. The memories made on these trips are priceless.
Because my husband and I are able to work remotely, we were able to spend this summer abroad without disrupting our jobs or our paychecks.
My husband’s company is based in Switzerland and I work with an editor on the East Coast, so our schedules allow us to take turns looking after our son, and when we were both working, my parents-in-law helped look after our son.
I’m thinking of making these big family trips a tradition.
This summer was a bit of an experiment – I’ve always wanted to live abroad for a short period of time and may even extend my stay over the summer in the future.
If possible, it would be great to rent a different base so we can explore other areas in depth. We also saw an interesting camp called Alpine French School that combines French lessons and activities. We want to give our son the opportunity to learn a new language and make friends from all over the world.
I don’t plan to forbid my son from going to day camps in the US as he grows older and develops stronger ties with the kids at his school. Maybe we could alternate between day camps and family trips every year.
Spending time together as a family and seeing new places is very important to my husband and I, and since we have limited time to travel during term time, summer is the perfect opportunity to explore.
This story was first published on July 20, 2023 and last updated on June 26, 2024.
