Most Latvian refugees lived in camps in the American and British Zones. Nearly 300 Latvian DP camps existed between 1945 and 1950. The bigger camps such as Esslingen am Neckar, Amberg, Geesthacht, WŁrzburg housed thousands of refugees.

The biography of a typical Latvian refugee includes at least four or five DP camps. The camps were of varying sizes: sometimes they existed only for a few months, sometimes for several years. The smaller camps were eventually closed and their inhabitants transferred to bigger ones. Young people went to camps where it was possible to attend a high school and obtain education. Families tended to consolidate and find missing relatives. People never knew how long they would be in one place; they always had to be ready to pack up, get onto a truck and go somewhere else.

The refugees were most likely placed in old army barracks, abandoned factories or schools. The camps were separated from the surrounding communities, but the inhabitants were not prohibited from moving around outside their territory.

It was very hard for people to organise a private life because in many cases only blankets separated several families in the same room.Camp food was sufficient to live on, but monotonous and usually not too tasteful. People were obliged to search for additional food by bartering with the local German farmers or keeping their own animals. Cigarettes were the best bartering items. Many ex-refugees remember the welfare parcels with used clothing and shoes.