Rustic Pathways Reviews

As a rustic pathways alumnae, I was looking for a program that would challenge me more than my previous programs have. When searching for one, Off The Map Cambodia seemed the perfect fit. The website promised a service trip that would be full of adventure and impacting service activities. The program definitely met what expectations I had for my trip. I had an amazing experience that challenged me socially, intellectually, and physically. As always, I made some friends that I became closer with in three weeks than some of my best friends back home. The leaders were supportive, and the service experiences were amazing and inspiring. Whether we were in the village, at the elephant sanctuary, or in the floating village, both the local and american leaders supported all students through both emotional and physical struggles. Over all this was an amazing trip and I would recommend it to any student who is looking for a trip that will help them grow into a more confident leader and have the experience of a life time.

I went on my second Rustic Trip this past summer to Fiji and it was as amazing as the first. I met a lot of people from all over the United States in my group and was able to make new friends. I really liked the Rustic leaders especially since they were so kind and caring and made all the projects very fun. The food was really good with a lot of options and there was also a snack shack with all sales going to the Rustic Pathways foundation!! I also especially liked how there were many days for volunteer service as well as spending the day in town. There’s also an option for a day activity such as skydiving or island hopping and the last weekend of the two week trip has a option for a weekend getaway. I chose to go skydiving and it was the most exhilarating moment of my life.

My experience with Rustic Pathways was unique and will never be replicated. Rustic Pathways impacted me on how I view the world and others from different cultures and cities. Being able to accomplish two things in one sitting is very effective. With Rustic Pathways, you get to travel as well as help out others in different communities that aren’t as fortunate. Costa Rica itself holds a huge spot in my heart because I was overwhelmed with happiness every moment I was there. If you chose to go on a service trip to Costa Rica with Rustic, you should expect a lot of fun activities, bonding with new people from all over the world, and lots of smiles on people’s faces. My favorite part of this trip was being able to see the gratitude expressed by the Costa Rican’s after seeing all the help we provided during our community service. I would extremely recommend ANY of Rustic’s trips if you want to travel, help others, and have fun!

It’s going to be difficult to sum up this incredible and unique experience, but hopefully I can do it justice. I went to Costa Rica on the Summer Camp Leadership program and was given the opportunity to run an authentic camp for Costa Rican children. The connections I made with even the youngest of the group were so valuable, even with a language barrier between us. In a sense, we were able to find common ground because we didn’t quite understand each other, and that brought the counselors and campers all the more closer. I benefited so much from this trip by truly experiencing what life is like for so many people in the world. My outlook on life as a whole is much deeper, and I felt a greater sense of self immediately after returning home. I grew confidence and leadership that will stick with me forever, just like the beautiful memories from the program altogether.

My life was changed by Rustic Pathways. I met people that live life in a completely different way. I changed my values and have looked at my daily life with different perspectives. I learned about new cultures and gathered different ideas. I made connections with people across borders and developed deep friendships that I will carry throughout my life. I loved how it took me out of my daily life and immersed me in an educational environment. I made a connection through true friendliness and compassion. I have traveled to many places around the world, but Fiji brought me to tears because I made connections I have never made before. While in the highlands, I met some of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. I stayed with a family that immediately called me one of their own. They were always smiling and happy to adapt their culture to make us more comfortable, even though we were in their village. In the house I was assigned to, I paticularly bonded with the 2-year-old living there. He would fall flat on his face and cry. But whenever I said "it's gonna be okay" and smiled at him, he smiled right back and would call me "yalewa" (sister in Fijian). It still makes me smile. Even though we didn't speak the same language, we made an immediate connection that I will never forget.

I was a little bit hesitant in the beginning coming on this trip knowing no one, but after getting to the airport and meeting everyone going on the same program as me, I knew I would have a good time. This program was educational and fun. I had a great time and I hope to go back for more years to come. I made some great friends that I hope to keep for a long time and the service I did here had a great impact on me. The food was phenomenal, having a home cooked meal basically everyday 3 times a day was great. All of the hiking and swimming we did was super fun and the service we did really helped out the people in the communities that needed it. We also learned about many different things and about the culture. This has by far been my favorite trip that I have ever been on and I highly recommend it to anyone that is thinking about it.

A unique aspect of my Rustic Pathways trip over the summer of 2019 was not just meeting teenagers from across the United States, but in other places such as Vietnam and Hong Kong. I was very glad to meet two people that were from outside of the US because on my previous Rustic trip, everyone was from the States. It’s not often that you get to meet some really cool people from across the world. As the program progressed day by day, I learned about the Vietnamese and Hong Kong cultures and what their lives were like back at home. These topics lead to lengthy and intriguing conversations. So all in all, I was learning about the Hawaiians, the Vietnamese, and the people from Hong Kong, all at once! Establishing friendships and connections around the world, whether that be Texas, Chicago, New York, California, or Vietnam, etc. can be beneficial to have in the future.

If someone is considering this program, they should keep in mind that it did rain just about every day in Hawaii. However, it depends what areas of the island you’re on and at what elevation. For example, within the lower level elevation areas by the beaches, it was always hot and sunny, but up in the mountains where the base house was and where we camped, there were frequent yet light rain showers. That didn’t keep our spirits down, it’s just something to keep in mind.

I will always choose Rustic for my travels as a highschool student, thats why for the past 3 years I have chosen to spend my summers with them. I chose this trip super last minute and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I was pleasantly surprised by the activities and Rustic always outdoes themselves with a great combo of service of fun. The zoo was very organized but kind of inconsistent. They would split us into groups and some groups didn't get to experience things that others did. There was a lot of downtime on this trip at the zoo and after because once you are done with the zoo for the day, they don't really have anything else planned. The accommodations were probably the best I have experienced with rustic in comparison to Fiji and Costa Rica. We stayed at a nice house and super nice hostiles. The food was great because most of the time we cooked and could recommend dishes or places to eat to our program leaders. I highly recommend this trip for animal lovers!

Over the past summer, I got the opportunity to join a Rustic Pathways Trip to the Dominican Republic. This trip was an extremely valuable experience for me and allowed my to come more out of my shell. Before attending this program, I was just a shy high school student who was a little too afraid to put myself out there. When offered the opportunity I was scared but ready to try and enact positive change in the world. This experience has offered me the opportunity to meet and work with new people and collaborate with others in an efficient way. Thanks to this program I have now become more open and I have been able to take more leadership in day to day tasks. I am forever grateful for this life changing experience and I hope this review helps you decide whether or not to join Rustic Pathways.

I went to Morocco with Rustic Pathways the summer after my sophomore year of high school. Having been to China with them previously, I was worried that nothing could compare to that amazing experience. However, I was proven wrong very quickly. My group was small for the program, as we only had 10 students, but I think that made us all much closer than we would've been had we been in a larger group. The students and leaders were amazing, and made my trip so much more special. The leaders really cared about us, but were also genuinely interested in being with us, and even befriending us. That was a huge perk, because it made us all more comfortable with each other. The things I got the opportunity to do were amazing as well, like riding camels across the Sahara Desert, or teaching English to small town kids. The program helped me face some of my fears, but I always felt safe and cared for. The places we stayed were beautiful and well thought out. Everywhere we went was chosen perfectly and genuinely fascinating. My travels with Rustic Pathways have been the best experiences of my life, and I am so grateful to be able to do them during the summer.