Servas Youth Camp Germany 2026

From Lake Constance with love: five days at the Servas Youth Camp Germany 2026

Friedrichshafen, DE May • 21-25th 2026 • 21 Participants • 7 Nationalities

Servas members from the UK, Italy, Germany and beyond made their way to the Naturfreundhaus in Friedrichshafen for five days together on the shores of Lake Constance. A huge thank you to Servas Germany and Servas International for their financial support, which made it possible to keep the participation fee low and ensure the camp was accessible to as many young members as possible.

The event kicked of with some get-to-know-each-other games, which set the tone for the whole trip. They involved dancing to some very silly songs and moving around in concentric circles to meet everyone in the group. It was a lovely combination of silly, impromptu, and creative. And to top it off, we had a backdrop of one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen over the lake. We were off to a great start!

Food was a huge part of the long weekend, and basically everyone contributed in some way from cooking, cleaning, organizing games, or moderating several intense rounds of Werewolf. One day we walked around the lake with Servas members from the region who gave us insights into culture, history, and geography of the surrounding areas. From there we took the ferry back and had a great lentil and mango salad. But honestly, all the food the whole trip was amazing! Then one of them pulled out an accordion and a pile of song books, and the evening turned into a musical event. We sang many songs, including Der kleine Kaktus, Bella Ciao, and even learned a Yiddish song and dance which we danced as a group in a circle on the grass. It was so much fun.

Oh, and as we had many Italians in the group, we had several five-person games of Briscola (it's a card game :D). There was also a lot of UNO, lying on the grass, going swimming, and, almost most importantly... hanging out together in an amazingly easy way even if you've only just met many of the people!

We visited the Zeppelin Museum, which was fascinating, tried bouldering, and had a BBQ by the lake. Two members in the camp had recently done long bike tours across Europe and they are actually featured in our upcoming podcast, which we are so excited about. A few of us had wanted to start recording episodes where we share stories about travel and adventure, and we actually recorded two during the camp itself. We also dedicatedtime as a group talking through Servas topics: how people can get involved, how to contribute in various ways, and how to become an interviewer. It was really valuable to go through this together, and it sparked a lot of interest in getting more involved with Servas (4 new interviewers for Germany evolved from this Youth Camp in addition to 4 already existing ones who participated)!

By the time we said our goodbyes, it felt like we'd known each other for much longer than a few days. Some of us had met at previous camps, and had already traveled together and for others it was their first time and they came away with new friendships, travel plans, and big smiles! By the end of these days, we felt very close: it’s amazing what dancing, cooking, card games and singing together can do to bring people together!

We're already looking forward to next year's Servas Youth Camp Germany and welcoming members from around the world!

Text: Ingrid S. and Benjamin K.
Photos: privat