Mulit-Country Rustic Pathways Gap Year

When I first found out about this program I looked at the schedule and was immediately excited. Even then, the trip exceeded my expectations. Rustic Pathways does a great job of keeping you busy with activities while still giving you time to socialize and explore on your own. The activities are diverse so you are guaranteed to love lots of them and push yourself in other areas. The program doesn't just guide you through Fiji and New Zealand, it's a trip during which you'll experience lots of firsts and leave with lasting friendships. I definitely recommend it!

I did only the second block of the program (Highlights of the South Pacific), so I unfortunately can't speak to the entire semester. However, I had such a wonderful month in Fiji and New Zealand.

Fiji was paradise. From the idyllic retreat locations to the kindness of Shalini at the eco-lodge, from the zip-lining to the snorkeling through coral caves at Dolphin Bay, Fiji was definitely a welcome place to begin my block.

However, New Zealand was even better. I think I enjoy the mountainous and lake-filled environment a bit more, and by this part of the block the group was comfortable with one another. Highlights were doing the AJ Hackett bungy jumps, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Taupo, and especially Wanaka.

The friendships were indispensable, the people drawn to this program are incredibly fun, big-hearted, positive. And, the 3 instructors (Julie, Alejo, and Kayla/Freshie) for my program had a definitely love for the areas we traveled to and were so eager to learn more about our lives and interests.

Definitely recommend the program!

My experience with Rustic changed my life and will continue to change me forever. I had always been a unconfident individual and a bit of a introvert and scared to push myself into new experiences. Rustic changed all of that. Yes we travelled to beautiful places and had unforgettable experiences abroad but what was most beautiful was the change I experienced within myself. I began to feel confident, accepted, and truly appreciated for the first time in my life. In my opinion you get the most out of the experience if you give it everything you have and fully invest your mind. Travel is such a valuable form for growth and you don't know who you have the potential to be until you have seen what the world has to offer you. Rustic helped push me outside of my comfort zone and gain the confidence I knew was inside me all along but couldn't quite reach. I have made friends that I will love forever and experiences that words can not even do justice. If you want to go abroad, you go Rustic. Its as simple as that.

The South Pacific Odessey trip was amazing! From bungee jumping, to swimming with sea turtles at the Great Barrier Reef, to hanging out with locals in a remote Fiji village located on an island you can only get to by a four hour long ferry ride, to helping cook meals on a gas stove under the stars. This trip was full of excitement and unique once in a life time experiences.

I traveled to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and India with Rustic Pathways during the spring semester. I am at a lost for words when describing the trip and the overall experience. The combination of the rich Eastern culture, passionate trip leaders and fellows students, and fantastic local staff enhanced my love for each country.

Rustic Pathways fulfilled my wanderlust. I was able to travel to 6 countries in three months and I do not know how I would have done it otherwise if I were not on a program like Rustic Pathways. The local staff told me everything I wanted to know about their specific country. Being a big foodie, my appetite was satiated from all the local cuisines. Whether it was sipping on Pho on the streets of Hanoi to enjoying a seafood feast on the beaches of Cambodia, I ate every last morsel! Not only did we eat copious amounts of food, but we saw so many famous sites and landmarks. Angkor Wat, Death Railway, Shwe Dagon, and the Taj Mahal are just a few of the incredible sites we were fortunate to visit.

This review can not sum up my three months in Southeast Asia. Go and experience it yourself. You will not regret it. I promise.

If you are soul searching this is one of those trips that'll help beyond belief. This trip helped me find out new things about myself and overcome obstacles on the trip and in my life. This trip was emotionally trying, mentally trying, and physically trying at times but I walked away what i thought was a much happier guy. I owe my trip leaders so much for helping me get through what i though were tough times. Aside that the trip takes you to places that will blow your mind and leave you speechless at times. If you take this trip bring a camera or something to capture all the run you have because i filled over 100gb worth of camera cards trying to get everything I wanted. The South Pacific trip is a trip for the ages, something you wont forget, trust me if you can go on the trip DO IT!!

I spent a month in India with Rustic Pathways during my gap semester and it was the trip of a lifetime. The service work was fulfilling and always interesting, and I had the opportunity to interact with incredibly moving individuals -- I even got to hear the Dalai Lama speak! My trip advisors were two Rustic employees from the U.S. and two from India, and all four made me feel extremely comfortable and safe, while making sure that we were always smiling and having a great time. (Side note: they were also all hilarious and the best entertainment during long bus rides.) I participated in three home stays throughout the month, and all three families welcomed me into their homes as if I was their own child. I was so moved by how each family treated me and how close I grew to each of them in such short amounts of time.

I've always dreamed of going to India, and I couldn't have picked a better trip to live out the dream through. I honestly feel as though I got to see all that India had to offer -- and I mean all of it. Rustic's itinerary was so well balanced, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an adventure that will open your eyes to new cultures and take you off the beaten path to life changing places.

I participated in the Helping Hands Gap Year Block.

Laos:
I traveled in Laos for two weeks as part of the Helping Hands gap year block.

I think that Laos is an incredibly beautiful country, and each of the cities we were in were stunning. There are a lot of outdoor activities which we participated in (kayaking, hiking, swimming, etc.). In addition, we visited temples, caves, night markets, and other cultural attractions which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, many of our night time group discussions were focused on personal reflections which meant that we did not get to learn as much about the history or culture of Laos as I would have liked.

The service project was a disappointment. We were meant to be building two public toilets but lacked the technical skills required to do much of the actual work. There was not enough work to do to occupy fourteen, unskilled teenagers so many of us spent hours sitting around waiting for the work day to be other. At points, the villagers would grab the tools from us and take over. It felt as if the construction project would have been more of a success if done entirely by the villagers, as opposed to with our half-heartedly attempts to assist.

In addition, two volunteers taught each day at the village school which was a touching experience as they had never received English instruction before. As we were extremely untrained teachers, it's not clear how much we were able to teach them but they did pick up a few words and those who like being around children enjoyed the experience.

The two local staff were pretty good, although one was much easier to interact with than the other. Between them and the Western staff, we were always safe and healthy. At times staff did show questionable judgment however (for example, encouraging us to put whole raw eggs in our mouths as part of a group Olympic event, despite the risk of salmonella). There was a great deal of supervision, perhaps more than I personally would have liked or required, which meant that many of the decisions such as what to do or what time the lights would be turned off were made by staff instead of students, despite the fact we were all adults and could have been trusted to be a part of the decision-making process.

Two final notes about the gap year program was that although this was never explicitly stated, Rustic only covers two meals per day and participants are expected to pay the third from the spending money they bring, and, although it is marked as a gap year "block" because this was a part of the greater semester program there were only three new students for this month and the remaining eleven members had been together for one or two months already.

Laos was an incredible country so I'm thankful I had the opportunity to visit, I am just not sure that this was the right fit of a program for me. There were some really great memories but overall, the trip was a disappointment for me.

Cambodia:
I spent two weeks in Cambodia this November on the Helping Hands gap year block. Overall, I felt the experience was okay but not great.

I started off the trip with being forgotten at the airport and desperately trying to get ahold of someone to pick me up. I was shocked upon arriving into the group to realize that although it is marketed as a gap year "block" since it is a part of the larger semester program, only three of the fourteen students were new. Everyone else had spent one or two months together already and although they were very nice and welcoming, they already knew one another and were established in their friendships. One of the local staff members was great and the other one was very sweet but spoke significantly less English so it was difficult to communicate with him. The leadership from the Western staff was at times lacking, although all staff always made sure we were safe and healthy.

I enjoyed all of the "touristy" things we were able to do in Cambodia, from visiting the killing fields in Phnom Penh to exploring Ankor Wat, and taking a boat ride to visit the floating villages. I thought there was a good mixture of activities that helped me learn about the country and its history/culture.

I was not as excited however by our service project which was building a brick wall. We, as American teenagers, do not have the technical skills required to do construction very well, even as simple as building a brick wall. As a result, our van driver ended up doing a significantly larger portion of the work than our entire group combined (including tearing down a section we had already completed to re-do it since it wasn't straight or steady). Thinking about the materials wasted, it would have been a larger benefit to the community if we had used our expensive fees to hire local technicians to do the work in half the time.

And finally, I was disappointed that Rustic Pathways never informed Gap Year program participants that only two meals each day were included in the already hefty program fees you pay. This meant that each day we had to purchase one meal, often dinner, on our own. In addition to creating hectic situations at restaurants when our group had to pay the bill, many students had not budgeted one meal a day into their spending money since Rustic never disclosed that they were not purchasing all meals (and although dinners were not particularly expensive, it does add up over the course of a month or two or three).

My feelings about this program were extremely mixed-- there were some great moments and some not-so-great ones too. Overall, I have to admit that I was disappointed but I think for the right person this type of program could be great. Like I said, you get to see and learn a lot about the country but you do not get to participate in a community-driven project for which you are actually needed.