Camp Prep #1: Transportation

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During the Passover Seder, we recount the exodus from Egypt and our 40 year journey through the desert. Unless you like long, hot walks, what could be more important than reliable transportation?

And with that, we begin Chapter 1…

Getting to Camp – Camper Drop Off

• On Opening Day each session*, we get hundreds of campers checked in, checked for lice and temperature, and introduced to their counselors and bunkmates in just a few hours' time. It sounds like a lot to do, but it gives us all afternoon to get settled and start the fun of getting to know both camp and each other.  

*Note this does not apply to our Mini Mensch and Nitzanim B campers who arrive at a later date.

• All campers will be dropped off by car on Opening Day. We have an arrival window from 11 am to 2 pm, and we ask that all families arrive during this time. 
• When you enter the CYJ gates, you’ll begin the drive-through check-in process. Your first stop will be lice checks and temperature checks. We don’t want to let in any critters or campers with fever. The next stop is drop-off and luggage unloading zone. This is also where you can drop off your camper’s medicine and meet the medical team. Staff will help move your luagge so you and your family can head into camp and enjoy our new and exciting Opening Day family activities. 
• Campers flying to camp: We will have an airport shuttle to pick up and bring campers to camp on Opening Day. Please schedule any flights TO camp on Opening Day to arrive between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm at Austin Bergstrom International Airport. If that is not possible, please coordinate with us BEFORE you book your flights.

NEW this year: Opening Day family activities!

This summer, we invite all our families to join us for Opening Day! We will have various family activities throughout camp that we encourage you to participate in. This is a great way to check out the facilities, enjoy our programming, and help settle any first-day jitters. We will also serve lunch from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in our Chadar Ochel (dining room), which families can enjoy together. 

During the family activities, we ask that parents/guardians NOT enter their campers’ bunks. There will be plenty of time for the campers to unpack their belongings later in the day with the help of their counselors. We want you to use your time at camp to participate in the activities, eat, and enjoy yourself, not worry about where David is going to store his socks! And although we’d love to say hi to your dogs, please leave any family pets or other furry friends at home. 

Going Home

• If a journey is half the fun (desert exodus aside), it’s fair to say that the camp experience actually continues on the bus. On closing day, we will send every child home on a bus*. Buses will drop off in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and the Austin airport for those campers flying home. Bus transportation will be included at no extra cost to you.

*With the exception of our Nitzanim A (10-day) and Mini Mensch (3-day) campers who will be picked up when their program ends mid-session. Nitzanim B campers and CITs will ride the bus home.

• Here are the bus times for closing day (Session One: July 4th, 2023, Session Two: August 1st, 2023)
• Those campers flying home should schedule flights from Austin Bergstrom International Airport between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Please DO NOT book a flight outside of these times without approval from the Camp office. Click here to read more about traveling home from camp by plane. 

Other important travel notes

• Please make sure that you complete your transportation form. You can update it up to a week prior to the start of the session, if anything changes.  You can find your transportation form along with the rest of the forms in your CampInTouch account.
• Rest assured, faster than the Pony Express, that CYJ will communicate departures, arrivals, changes, and travel delays.

For campers who cry on Closing Day, we will provide unlimited toilet paper (provided they register for Summer 2024).

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask:  info@cyjtexas.org or 713-723-8354.  You can also search our Knowledge Base to learn more about transportation and everything else you need to know to get ready for camp.  

Next up in Camp Prep series: Packing!