Program Reviews

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.

As an avid traveler, photography pushes me to communicate with and capture the stories of locals in different countries. Photography empowers me to break barriers that language and different cultural norms put up and allows me to tell the stories of different countries to my community at home. I aim to showcase the lives of individuals throughout the world, to create less fear and more interest in differences. Eyes, expressions, and stories have the power to surpass the extremists shown through media and make connections between citizens of the world accessible to all. During my two weeks in Morocco, I was guided through the history and culture in a way that made my photos come alive. Not only did my photography significantly improve but I was able to humanize a culture that I only imagined before. Through Rustic, I made incredible friends and my trip left me wanting to learn, listen and travel to so many more places throughout the world.

This summer, I went on the Lake Titicaca Service Adventure trip with Rustic Pathways and I really enjoyed it. I decided on Peru because I always wanted to travel to South America. Throughout the trip, I was immersed in the unique and amazing culture of Peru. It was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life. Over my two weeks on the trip, we saw Machu Picchu, stayed in many different cities such as Arequipa, Puno, and Cusco. Along with this, we did service work in a small village on the beautiful Lake Titicaca. The trip was very fun, but my main reason for traveling was the service aspect. I love helping people out who really need it and Rustic Pathways really helps to connect you with the people who need it most. The village we stayed in was poor, but the people really enjoyed their lives there and were so happy to have us stay there because they knew they could trust Rustic Pathways students. Rustic Pathways, over the last few years, built a strong connection with this community and it was just amazing. Along with this, the leaders were awesome people. Both my leaders were people who I could easily go to for help. They seemed like less of authoritative figures to me, but more of friends. They really made sure that every student was enjoying the trip to the fullest. Also, I made many great friends with the other students on the trip. I found common interests with other students and actually hung out at home a few months after the trip. I enjoyed this trip to Peru so much and I wish I could go back. To anyone contemplating going on the trip, I would say to go for it. I was not very sure if this was the trip for me when I first signed up, but I stuck with it and it was one of the greatest times of my life. This trip opened my eyes to the world, gave me more independence, and overall helped me grow as a person

On this trip we traveled all over the beautiful country of Morocco, we met so many amazing and kind people who were so willing and excited to tell us about their lives and culture. We got to try some really good food and learn a lot about islamic culture. The leaders were incredibly friendly and helpful. I made lots of amazing friends along the way and grew so much as a person. This trip really gave me great insight into other ways of living and the service really impacted me and I will remember it forever. This trip was great for high school students because it was very active including camel riding and zip lining. It was packed full of adventure and education and really gave you amazing insight into the country that you wouldn't get elsewhere. I am very grateful to have experienced this.

This trip was absolutely incredible; the two weeks wasn’t enough. The friends I made were kind and supportive and our group instantly clicked. The trip itself was rigorous in travel throughout the country but utterly worth it. The people in Morocco are kind and caring, and the culture is beautiful and accepting. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone looking for a marvelous adventure and wonderful learning experience about a truly beautiful country. Overall this trip was unforgettable; both the country itself and the incredible people I got to meet along the way. Hearing the stories of the many people we met during the trip were incredible and so eye-opening, there were so many people that I will always remember and cherish. يلا حبيبي!

Traveling to Tanzania with Rustic Pathways was one of the best experiences of my life. The sense of community and friendships I made on the program are incomparable. They made the labor of building a kitchen from the ground up fun. Lifting rocks, mixing cement, and laying down bricks are some of the fondest memories I have from the trip because of the other students and the masons. Music was always playing when we worked and the Tanzanian masons ensured we were both safe and helpful. Another highlight of the trip was the Tanzanian children. Immediately after walking out of the bus, the children greeted us with smiles on their faces. All 40 of them shook our hands and greeted us. The relationship that I formed with 2 children in particular, Regina and Apiyo, were especially significant. Every day they would run up to me with the brightest smiles and ask me to play a game with them. Although it was always a simple game, it was so fun. The unique aspect of this trip was the cultural trips that we took. On the Culture and the crater trip, we were able to hunt with the Hazabe tribe, one of the last true hunter and gather tribes, go on a safari, cook ugali, a traditional Tanzanian dish, with local mamas, and see how the mud houses are made. Rustic pathways truly provided me with a truly unique experience.

Rustic Pathways does an excellent job in bringing groups together to have fun, learn, and ultimately give back to those who really need it. There service programs in Fiji help the country in a variety of ways. On the Sun, Sand, and International Service trip, there is a perfect combination of fun cultural activities and service-intensive projects across a sixteen day span. Your group arrives to Fiji as nervous strangers, but you depart Fiji not wanting to leave the memories you made with your best friends in the country you fell in love with. It’s a trip that will change your every aspect of your life, from perspective and the lessons you learn. This is now my second year being involved with Rustic, and I am going to Tanzania next summer, but there is a reason I keep coming back. The organization offers a rare chance to experience new things and learn about yourself. You learn to use the tools you are lucky enough to have to give back to others. These endless life lessons can’t really be achieved in other ways, making Rustic so unique. I highly recommend signing up for a Rustic program, whether it’s in Fiji or their other wide selection of countries, because it will change your life in unexplainable ways.

My experience on Rustic Pathway’s Moroccan Wanderer was one that offered self-reflection and discovery through adventure and learning about Moroccan culture. Jumping from city to city, we covered what seemed like all of Morocco in only two weeks. Being able to spend time in a different atmosphere every day allowed incredible adventure and experience. We stayed in incredible housing; each place had its own unique Moroccan authenticity and story. We are incredible food that was mostly very authentic, consisting of tajine and delicious khobz (bread). We met many local families and men and women who shared their stories with us and taught us the importance of Moroccan culture. Rustic Pathway’s Moroccan Wanderer is an incredible trip and I highly recommend it.

As a student traveling on the Marine Service and Adventure program I was immersed into the insanely beautiful marine world of Fiji and learned all about how the reefs function and what we as a society can do to help. Before each service project we had a lesson on our task and the impact it would make. The students I traveled with bonded quickly and developed strong friendships that lasted long after the trip ended. It was amazing to experience a different culture and partake in their traditions. Even after being there for a few days each night the sunsets were just as beautiful and brought us all together. This program allowed me to have experiences I would have never been able to do, like diving with bull sharks. From the time we stepped off the plane we never stopped smiling.