Program Reviews

Traveling to Peru was an amazing cultural experience. For our service, we helped bring potable water to a community in the Sacred Valley. We did manual labor to dig trenches and lay down the pipes, with the help of the homeowners and members of the community. Seeing the whole community work together to bring water to their neighbor’s house was so interesting to me, because even though I am friendly with my neighbors at home this was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The community brought us in and treated us like family, and seeing how grateful they were that we wanted to help them was a truly humbling experience. The food was probably the best food I’ve ever had, mainly chicken or beef with vegetables and soup. I also had the pleasure of trying alpaca, which was amazing, even though I was hesitant to eat it at first. Overall, the relationships I made with not only my group but also with Peruvian citizens is not something I could have ever experienced at home.

Traveling on the Big Fiji Explorer program was a remarkable experience that will never leave my heart. Fiji itself is filled with many charms such as beautiful mountains, crystal oceans, wildlife you name it (see pictures)! Another charm is the amiable nature of the Fijians: From the moment the flight lands in Nadi, the Fijians will welcome you like family. To the people of Fiji, you are not a stranger; we all bleed red so we must be family right? If you reciprocate this point of view, you will immerse yourself in a culture that is so distant from home and even learn about how you can enhance your life at home.
On the trip, day to day there was something new, exciting, and surprising. Those surprises will have to wait until you travel to Fiji. But something that lays beyond the charms of Fiji is the people you traveled with. Those are the people that will impact and inspire you. Going into the trip, my mind was locked on how beautiful this place would be, which it was. But I didn't even think about the people I would be meeting, and quite frankly, the people I met made this experience 10x more unforgettable. Rustic Pathways ensures that this happens, your group leaders will take you under their wings as if you are their own. Rustic Pathways allows their students to be themselves, which establishes an environment of pure happiness.
If you are hesitant about enrolling on a Rustic trip, don't be! It will forever change your life!

This past summer I took part in Rustic Pathway's BriBri Indigenous Culture and Service trip. The experience was truly unforgettable. While in Costa Rica I met new friends, went on adventures, and was able to give back to a native community. The trip provided the perfect balance of adventuring, learning, and helping. By going on a Rustic Pathways trip I was truly immersed in the pura vida lifestyle and got to learn local insider knowledge from my leaders. While on my trip I went river rafting, surfing, boating, and hiking. Additionally, we learned about medicinal plants, the unique Costa Rica ecosystem, and how to make cocoa butter and jelly. The service work that we took part in was centered around helping a native Costa Rican community, the BriBri. While staying in Yorkin, the town where the BriBri live, we helped paint a house for their school teacher to live in and we helped to build a greenhouse for their school. Although the service work was rewarding, the best part of staying in Yorkin was getting to know the locals. Their positive energy and acceptance was inspirational and their simple, community-driven way of life opened my eyes to a fresh perspective. If you are looking for a summer experience of adventuring, growing, and stepping outside of your comfort zone, I would highly recommend this program!

The time I spent in Cambodia and Thailand for the Critical Issues Summit was the best three weeks of my life. I never thought I'd meet such an amazing group of people and be able to actually make a difference in what we did on the trip. It was really enlightening learning about the problems that Southeastern Asian countries face, and to get to meet with NGOs and local governments and to be able to interview them was amazing. In the end, my group ended up winning $2,000 to continue our project that we started, which will hopefully help better the lives and economies of the floating villages of Cambodia. Overall, I couldn't have ever asked for a better trip, and the memories and friends I made will stay with me forever. If asked, I wouldn't change a thing about my experience with Rustic Pathways.

I loved my trip with Rustic Pathways. They allowed me to enjoy so many life-changing moments. I was able to become friends with people that I would never have met without them. I still keep in touch with these people very often. The leaders were nice and made the trip so much fun. It's crazy to me to reflect on some of the amazing memories I made on my trip. From playing cards with friends in the Amazon rainforest to sitting on the roof of a school in the Andes, my experience was amazing. I am so happy that I went on this trip, and I cannot wait to go on another one with Rustic Pathways. I got to meet so many new people and learn about different cultures. I enjoyed playing with the little kids at the school while they taught us all the new words in Spanish.

The people of Fiji are truly the most interesting people you will ever meet; they are kind, funny, and welcoming. You will also never meet a Fijian who cannot sing. Even though I was on the opposite side of the world, I always felt surrounded by my family. My program leaders made my experience even more special, as they became my family over the course of two weeks. Traveling with Rustic Pathways provided unique opportunities that would not have been available to me if I traveled with my family. I got to stay in remote villages and know the locals. I made many friends and I enjoyed getting to experience the lifestyle of many Fijians. We went to Somosomo, for instance, where I befriended many Fijian children. The people are not the only beautiful part of Fiji, however. Fiji's waters are the clearest I have ever seen, and the marine life is truly unique. Almost every single day we were swimming in the ocean, and we got to swim alongside manta rays and other extraordinary marine life (even though we got stung by many jellyfish). I cannot wait to return to Fiji and make more memories with the place and the people.

This experience was really fun and overall a great place to learn different cultures and travel the world. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is open to becoming culturally involved and would like to experience the beauties of nature. This trip was life changing for myself and I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else. This program really changes you and changes your perspective in many different ways. You will create special bonds with people and will never want to leave them. The locals in this country are very kind and caring and you will never meet anyone else as inclusive as they are. If you love the ocean and seeing cool varieties of marine life, this is another place to discover many interesting creatures the oceans have.

This past summer I traveled to Tanzania on Rustic Pathway's Culture and the Crater. I was nervous about the trip, questions such as "what if I become homesick, what if I am too young for this, should I have brought a friend?" raced through my mind as I drove to the airport. As soon as I met my flight leaders and the other kids on my flight, my nerves began to fade. Once we arrived in Haydesh village and met the elders and students, it felt like another lifetime that I was nervous and apprehensive about the trip. I couldn't feel nervous about things like homesickness because the village soon felt like home. My other fears such as being too young also faded. I was one of the younger kids on my trip since I was only 15 and most of the others were around 17; however, the group you travel with becomes a family as you partake in this once in a lifetime opportunity together, and I never felt too young. As for bringing a friend, I couldn't have been happier that I traveled alone. Most of the kids on my trip were sole travelers and it allowed all of us to become closer. It also allowed me to immerse myself in the culture more since I didn't have any attachments to home. The hardest part of my trip was leaving. As cheesy as it sounds, Haydesh became my home and the villagers, my family. Leaving it all behind was one of the most difficult goodbyes I think I will ever experience. That is why, when I got home I became an impact ambassador, and I encourage anyone who is considering getting involved with the Rustic Pathways Foundation to do so. The foundation has allowed me to still feel connected with Haydesh even if I can't be in direct contact with the amazing people who call the village home.

In the summer of 2019, I went to the Dominican Republic on the “Life in the Bateyes” trip. Learning about Dominican and Haitian relations and how the sugar we buy is actually processed was truly eye opening. We visited and worked at a batey called Monte Coca. There we were welcomed with open arms by the whole community. We also learned about the lives of Haitian sugar cane workers. Working almost 15 hours a day, they get paid less than three dollars without healthcare and proper work attire, most of them being undocumented. Even faced with this difficulty, they were willing to talk to us and teach us how to cut sugar cane. Hearing everyone’s story was truly eye-opening and inspiring. This trip has taught me a lot about foreign relations and a different way of life.

I absolutely LOVED my experience with Rustic Pathways. I was fortunate enough to go to Australia for the "You, A 'Roo, and the Australia Zoo" program. I was super worried about going on this trip because I had never been away from home for longer than a few days, and this trip would be 16 days. Not only were the educational opportunities on my trip amazing, but so were the accommodations as well as the staff and activities. I cannot express how incredible this trip was. I grew so much. I gained lifelong friends and memories I will never forget.
The base house where we stayed felt very safe and had a very homey feel to it. The other accommodations were hostels and were very clean and safe as well.
The activities were adventurous enough that I probably would have never done them myself (kayaking, hiking, boat 'thrill ride', nature walk, campfire under the stars) but not so adventurous that I was uncomfortable.
The educational amenities on this trip were insane. I learned so much from working with zookeepers and from informational sessions at the zoo. I feel so grateful I was granted that opportunity.
The staff on my trip were so welcoming and accommodating. Whenever anyone on the trip fell ill or needed anything that their peers couldn't provide, the leaders jumped to help out. I learned a lot from them on my trip.
All I can say is that the trip was not long enough. I thoroughly had an amazing time.