vancouver
L&E Canada Launched
9 February 2024
We are thrilled to announce the launch of L&E World Camp Canada, set to take place at the stunning Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island this summer 2024!
After months (years even!) of preparation and anticipation, we are delighted to bring the magic of Learn & Experience to the breathtaking landscapes of Canada. Our partnership with Shawnigan Lake School promises an enriching experience for campers, combining the renowned L&E ethos with the unparalleled beauty and adventure opportunities that Vancouver Island offers.
At L&E World Camp Canada, campers will embark on a journey of discovery, learning, and fun like never before. Surrounded by lush forests, crystal-clear waters, and majestic mountains, they will have the chance to explore nature, develop new skills, and make lifelong friendships in an immersive international environment.Whether it’s outdoor adventures, creative arts, sports, or cultural experiences, there will be something for every camper to enjoy. Our carefully crafted program will foster personal growth, resilience, and a global perspective, empowering campers to become confident and compassionate global citizens.
We invite you to join us in this exciting new chapter of the L&E story. Spread the word, mark your calendars, and get ready for an unforgettable summer adventure at L&E World Camp Canada! There will be 2 weeks available this summer with 4 weeks planned for 2025
21st July – 3rd August, 2024
Registration is now open. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us with any questions or expressions of interest.Let’s make summer 2024 an experience to remember!
Warm regards,
Sam Ridgway
L&E Founder & Director
Teen Travel Webinar
1 December 2023
Our recent Teen Travel webinar was a tremendous success! Thanks to the active participation and enthusiasm of each one of you, especially the wonderful Teen Travellers who joined to talk about their experience with us! We had an amazing time reminiscing about our trips and the fantastic times that we had, as you may have seen we shared a lot of laughter; we hope this provided you with more information you need about our one-of-a-kind program, to join us in the future!
We appreciate the time and effort you dedicated to being a part of this event. The success of our webinar helps us show the importance and the shared interest in promoting positive and enriching travel experiences for teenagers.
We appreciate the commitment to staying informed and involved in discussions surrounding our Teen Travel programmes. If you have any further questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to assist you in any way we can.
You’ve heard it first from our Teen Travellers
There is nothing you need to change, it was amazing
Pietro, Italy
The tutors were so great
Yogev, Israel
‘I loved all the activities!
Karol, Poland
Once again, thank you for being an integral part of our webinar. We look forward to connecting with you in future events.
Explore the World with Learn & Experience: Our Teen Travel Information Webinar!
Are you ready for an exciting journey of exploration, learning, and adventure? Learn & Experience is thrilled to invite you to an exclusive online information webinar about our incredible Teen Travel Programs!
- 📅Date: Saturday, 2nd December, 2023
- ⏰ Time: 1900 GMT
- 📍Platform: Instagram Live (@learnandexperience247)
Our Teen Travel Programs are designed to empower teens with life-changing experiences, foster cultural understanding, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it’s exploring ancient ruins, immersing in vibrant cultures, or undertaking thrilling outdoor adventures, our programs offer a perfect blend of education and fun.
What to Expect:
- 🌏 Destination Highlights: Discover the amazing locations our Teen Travel Programs will take your teens to.
- 🛤️ Program Details: Learn about the itineraries, activities, and unique experiences awaiting your teens.
- 🐴Horses Mouth: Hear past Teen Travellers and Leaders real-life accounts of their experiences.
- 🎓 Educational Focus: Understand how our programs balance adventure with educational enrichment.
- 🤔 FAQs: Get answers to all your questions and concerns about the Teen Travel Programs.
- 📢 Special Offers: Exclusive insights into any special promotions or discounts available for webinar participants.
How to Join:
- Follow us on Instagram: @learnandexperience247
- Set a reminder for the live session on Saturday, 2nd December at 7pm.
- Tune in to our Instagram Live for an engaging and informative session.
Why Choose Learn & Experience?
At Learn & Experience, we believe in providing transformative experiences that go beyond the ordinary. Our Teen Travel Programs are carefully crafted to instill confidence, foster independence, and broaden perspectives. With a dedicated team of experienced leaders and a commitment to safety, we ensure that your teens have the best possible adventure.
Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on a journey of a lifetime with Learn & Experience. Join us for the Teen Travel Programs Information Webinar and take the first step toward creating unforgettable memories for your teens.
See you there!
Best Regards,
The Learn & Experience Team
30 Day Challenge Blog
30 November 2020
What is the 30 Day Challenge for ALL?
Sam Ridgway, the founder of L&E, was challenged to 10 Adventures, 10 Life Skills and 10 Languages in 30 Days…Simple!
There were 2 main aims of the challenge:
- Raise vital funds and awareness for Save the Children who exist to help every child to reach their full potential.
2. To inspire young people from all backgrounds and cultures to broaden their horizons, step out of their comfort zone and try something new.
30 Day Schedule
10 Adventures
10 Life Skills
Day 1: Yoga
Completed my first life-skill challenge today! YOGA!! The lovely Harriet was my expert instructor and put me through my paces. Made me realise how un-flexible I am! A little stiff now but actually may try to keep it going as I’m not getting any younger!! 😜
Day 2: Wild Swimming
This wasn’t planned at all! Having a lovely dog walk with Rosie on the beach getting myself prepared for my language lesson later in the afternoon when an idea struck me! WILD SWIM! Only problem was…I didn’t have any trunks or a towel!. Oh well…I managed to protect my modesty and went for it! Very invigorating but very, very, very cold!! Literally took my breath away! First adventure completed! Language lesson delayed till another day!
Day 3: Spanish
Today was an incredibly wet & rainy day so the perfect day for an indoor activity. My lovely 82 year old Father used to be a French and Spanish teacher but for some reason I have never learnt any Spanish my whole life. He agreed to give me a Spanish lesson and it was amazing. I am so lucky to have such a great Dad who embraces all challenges including modern technology!! Only a few glitches…😂
Day 4: Ukulele
Enjoyed today’s session. It was very frustrating and I will certainly blame the quality of my my instrument but all in all I definitely learnt some chords and will be able to bring out the ukulele at campfires etc. (if only to pass it very quickly to someone who can actually play!!) Thank you Andy for the tutorial! 👍 (ps. remember to tune your ukulele and to know whether you’re doing it for left handed or right handed! 🤦♂️)
Day 5: GPS Art Run
An interesting challenge today. A friend mentioned the idea of GPS Art and how you can draw shapes with the route you run with your running app. It was fun planning the shape and putting it into action. It was an early start but worth it in the end. Pacific Spirit Park is an incredible temperate Rainforest near where we will live and was the perfect setting!! 🏃🌲 Day 5 done…what’s in store tomorrow!!? 🤔 Ps. I have some quite exciting challenges planned in the coming days/weeks but still need some more ideas to fill my schedule!?🤔
Day 6: Arabic
Today I had the privilege of learning Arabic from my wife, Randa’s mum. She was very patient and very kind. There’s some very difficult pronunciations and I apologise for some of the inaccuracies!😂 Enjoy! PS. Keep the ideas coming…really enjoyed some of the ideas so far! 👍
Day 7: Singing
What an amazing opportunity to have a singing lesson with an amazing professional like Kathy! (However I think I may have blown it!!😂) Thank you so much to Kathy for giving your time to teach me. I will have definitely been one of the harder students to get a note out of but, nonetheless I really enjoyed it and feel that now I have a technique I have no excuse for the sounds coming out of my mouth! 🤦♂️😂
I really recommend everyone to get a voice/singing teacher. It really makes you concentrate on certain things that will help throughout your life.
Day 8: Boating
I had a lot of fun today. My friend Mark treated me to a ride in his boat and even luckier I got to drive it! It’s a very different feeling to driving a car and the waves were certainly causing a few bumps! So much fun!
Day 9: Roller Blading
Oh my Gosh! I am NOT a natural skater/blader! Coupled with my tallness and fear of falling there is an incredible awkwardness when I have wheels or blades on my feet! However, I didn’t do as badly as I thought and really enjoyed the sunshine along the famous Vancouver Sea Wall!
Day 10: Sign Language
Sign Language has been on the list of things to learn for a long time. I was very lucky for Katie to agree to teach my some BSL (British Sign Language). The expressive(ness) of the language is so fantastic. I loved Katie’s passion for it and I have promised myself that I must carry on learning and if nothing else try to remember the alphabet by heart.
Katie mentions the Alphabet cards you can download from the National Children’s Deaf Society website
Day 11: Tree Climbing
Find a tree, climb a tree, have a coffee up a tree – simple huh!?
Who’d have thought it would be so hard to find a tree to climb IN A FOREST!!?? Well it was! Try as I might I could find an appropriate tree to climb for a long time but eventually found one on my next outing with outstanding view. All in all it was a successful challenge but just reminded me that even the best laid plans can come unstuck sometimes! 😂
Day 12: Japanese
Thank you so much to Mitsue for giving me her time to teach me some Japanese. It’s such a beautiful and polite language. I know I didn’t do it quite the justice it deserved but nonetheless I enjoyed learning and certainly will try to remember the basics!
Day 13: Cooking
Very fortunate to have Dan from Nourish Cookery School give me a lesson on how to make Japanese dumplings, gyoza! They were very yummy! 😋🥟
Day 14: Snow Day
Yesterday I heard the exciting news that our local mountain (Cypress) was due open early for the ski season. Every year I get incredibly excited by this news and this year (with everything that has gone on) I was even more excited than normal! Just being in the mountains with snow and trees around me is my special place! I decided not to go up the lifts as it was pretty busy and the season is long but I had a lovely hike and ski down and even made myself a coffee with my little stove! Fantastic day!
Day 15: Malay
Can’t quite believe I’m halfway through! 5 adventures, 5 life skills and 5 languages completed!
Loved learning Malay with Heng. He had gone to some effort to prepare and make it as easy as possible for me to learn and so I’m ever so grateful. Terima kasih, Heng!
Day 16: Turkish
Thank you so much to Eylem for teaching me some Turkish. I visited Istanbul a few years ago and had the most wonderful time. I would even go as far as to say it’s one of my most favourite cities. Where East meets West! So, I’m excited to go back and be able to use my new found skills. It’s a very interesting language and quite phonetic which makes it easier than other languages. I also loved the body language that is unique to Turkey.
Day 17: Card Skills
Who could imagine shuffling cards could be so difficult!? I’ve always loved magic tricks and playing card games but been slightly embarrassed by the fact I can’t even do a basic shuffle never mind anything fancy!
I decided to something about it! 🤦♂️
Day 18: Den Building
A great life-skill preparing for my adventure in a couple of days when I get to sleep out in my construction!
Beware of the coyotes!!
😜
Day 19: Norwegian
This was quite a special language lesson.
Randa and I met a lovely couple (Hans, from Norway and Zoe from Canada) 15 years ago in South Africa on a wine tasting tour. We hit it off straight away and had a really fun day together but haven’t seen them since.
Through the power of social media we’ve stayed in touch and amazingly Hans got in touch to offer to give me a Norwegian lesson. They now actually live in Canada as well so we will definitely see more of them sooner or later. Thank you again to Hans! 🙏
Day 20: Sleep Out
This was a tough one for lots of reasons. As well as to Save the Children please consider donating to Covenant House Vancouver who help young people who experience homelessness. https://www.covenanthousebc.org/ways-to-give/
Day 21: Pig Latin (Kids Secret Language)
Pig Latin (Kids Secret Language). What a brilliant teacher 9 year old Libby is! I learnt so much! She is sooo amazing at Pig Latin! Wow! 😃👏
Day 22: Foraging (for mushrooms)
I was incredibly fortunate today. Chef Robin Kort from Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures gave me a personal guide to foraging mushrooms. Her knowledge and passion is so infectious and I learnt so much! 
Day 23: Kayaking
I took a trip down False Creek, Vancouver. 
Loved seeing things that I hadn’t noticed before. I think waterways are such a great way to travel and see things from a different perspective. Also, it’s so quiet in a kayak so you have a great chance to see cool wildlife…I got lucky with a little friend!🦭
Day 24: Art Class
Day 24: Art Class (with my amazing Mum!).She taught me some cool watercolour techniques and produced an amazing snowy scene in minutes! 
Thanks to Dad for his stellar video work (not wobbly at all!! 
)
Day 25: Skate Skiing
I’m definitely not a natural Skate Skier!! ⛸⛷😩 Thought it would be similar to downhill skiing but it isn’t! Ended up having quite a bit of fun though! 😜😃👍
Day 26: Welsh
Thank you to my very good friend, Aled for teaching me some Welsh.🏴 I even got to hear the proper pronunciation of the longest place name in Europe – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!!😅
Day 27: Ice Hockey
Thank you so much to Coach Emily and Norbert for taking me to try out ice hockey for the first time. 🏒 It’s the national sport and obsession of Canada so it’s an essential life skill to have and I can tell you I was a little nervous! 😅
Day 28: Mountain Biking
North Shore Mountain Biking is famous worldwide and having lived here now for over 3 years I decided it was time to try it out…I wasn’t dissapointed! Awesome!😃 Thank you, James for being my guide!🏔 🚵♀️ 🏔
Day 29: Luganda
Thank you so much to Phyllis Kisa from Kampala, Uganda. Phyllis is a surgeon who we met during her year in BC Children’s Hospital. It was also lovely to meet little Adrien – what a sweetie! 🤗
Day 30: Sea to Sky Triathlon
THE FINAL ADVENTURE!!! 🙌🙌
From my home to the “Peak of Vancouver” Grouse Mountain by Kayak, Bike and Foot! Thank you to Dave for being expert guide up the BCMC! 🙏
Spring ’19 Newsletter
2 May 2019
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Visit to Amsterdam
-
New L&E World Camp & Teen Travel Films
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Congratulations to Julie & Hayley
-
Limited Availability for Summer 2019
-
New Teen Travel Tour for 2020
It ‘s been a busy couple of months with the L&E Office a hive of activity. Here are a few of the highlights…
Visit to Amsterdam
In April we were invited by a lovely parent to give a presentation at her children’s school De School van HIP in Laren near Amsterdam. We had an absolute ball and also took the opportunity to make some plans for our Teen Travel Euro Tour in the summer which will be stopping off in Amsterdam. Thank you, Yvonne for hosting us and to all those who took the time to hear us speak.
Julie & Sam in Amsterdam
New L&E Films
We’ve had a lot of fun over the past few months interviewing campers, teen travellers, parents and staff to help others understand what L&E World Camps & Teen Travel are all about. They are the best part of 10 minutes long so get a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits and enjoy…
L&E World Camps – what children, parents and staff say!
What is L&E Teen Travel? (in their own words)
Congratulations to Julie & Hayley
Julie & Hayley
Julie and Hayley are very special members of the L&E team and have been involved with us since 2014. They got married on 20th April in an incredibly emotional ceremony with many members of the L&E staff in attendance. It was a magical day and we are all so delighted for them both. Wishing them many years of happiness together.
L&E Team Wedding Guests
In honour of their special day L&E produced a music video to celebrate the small (though not insignificant!) part that L&E plays their lives…
Hayley & Julie’s Summer Story
Limited Availability Summer 2019
Summer is fast approaching and all our programmes are filling up nicely. We have no places left on our Teen Travel UK Tours and have only a few places on our Block 1 World Camp North. All other programmes still have places but will no doubt fill up very soon so don’t delay if you are still interested.
World Camps
- North UK: 7th – 20th July (A few place available):
- North UK: 21st July – 3rd August (Limited Availability)
- South UK: 28th July – 10th August (Limited Availability)
Teen Travel
- UK Tour: 30th June – 13th July (No Availability)
- Euro Tour: 21st July – 3rd August (Limited Availability)
Young Global Leaders Course
- North UK: 13th – 20th July (Limited Availability)
- South UK: 3rd -10th August (Limited Availability)
New Teen Travel Tour for 2020
We’re delighted to announce our new Teen Travel programme in British Columbia, Canada. For more details email: info@learnexperience.co.uk
British Columbia Adventure
L&E Ski & Board Coming!
8 February 2017
Some of you may know that Winter Sport is a passion for Director, Sam Ridgway and for a lot of the L&E Team and we’ve been working hard to include it in our programme for a few years. This past year Sam has gained his Ski Instructor qualifications (one more assessment to go!) and met a lot of fantastic people along the way who are very keen to work with us. Sam’s family will also be living in Vancouver, Canada for Winter 2017/2018 on a fact finding mission so please watch this space.
L&E SKI & BOARD IS COMING 2018!!
