Rustic Pathways Reviews

Rustic Pathways trip Serengeti to Zanzibar is an unforgettable experience. During the trip, we were able to see all the amazing wildlife Tanzania has to offer. We got to see these magnificent creatures up close. One of my favorite moments from the Serengeti was when a Cheetah jumped on a nearby safari cart and we were able to watch it up close. Then we traveled to Zanzibar I never wanted to leave. The island holds many great experiences for tourists to have. We went on a spice tour and we were able to indulge in many of the delicacies of the island. My favorite day spent in Tanzania was our sailing day on Zanzibar. We were able to snorkel in see the coral reefs. The glorious day we sent on the boat we travel to many of the outer islands of Zanzibar. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had. iI would totally recommend it.

My experience in Fiji was more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. Fiji is a beautiful country and everyone you meet is so kind and welcoming. From this trip I made lifelong friends and many memories. The service projects are community focused and works in partnership with the village on their specified projects.
The most amazing part is the immersion you have in Fijian culture, living in the village you become a part of the community. My host family warmly welcomed me and my host sister and were so generous to us, we shared many laughs and good times while I was there. Like they say you really do “experience the real Fiji”, learning about the culture, history, and traditions of the community. My favorite times were playing tag or dancing with the children, and playing cards each night with my host family. Some of the best parts of the day are tea time and sitting on the ground for delicious meals! This trip is amazing for everyone, you become connected to the community and become very close with your group.

While volunteering at Steve Irwin’s famous Australia Zoo as well as small wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers, I had the opportunity to engage directly with wildlife. Whether I was cuddling echidnas or feeding joeys from the palm of my hand, I felt so connected to the animals. I was so grateful to feel so trusted by the members of the staff, to have such independence, and to feel empowered to take risks. While at the Zoo, some visitors who had seen me working on habitat construction or cleaning would approach me with questions about the wildlife, and having the opportunity to spread awareness and share your knowledge is so meaningful. I am so appreciative to Rustic for giving me this experience in high school. I also had the privilege of being with a group of students who have become lifelong friends. We share such meaningful memories and we are always in touch. Every year, we travel on a new Rustic trip together, exploring new horizons.

What was the most fun on this trip? Perhaps it was running around the community late at night, playing Cops and Robbers with the local kids. Or, falling in the river one afternoon and laughing so much that it made swimming difficult. It could very well have been frolicking at the beach. One of the highlights was our third to last night. We were camping in the mountains, and it began to pour. So we rushed into our tents, mine stuffed with 6 people, and waited for it to end. Only, it didn't. So after half an hour, my friends and I recklessly left our tent to dance in the rain. It was freezing, and maybe a little foolish, but it was tremendous fun.
And what was the most impactful part of the trip? Maybe the long, informative bus ride through Santo Domingo and into the mountains. We experienced a completely different setting, climate, and culture. And the most unexpected impact was the bond our group built over those 9 short days. I cried the night before we left, and again at the airport when we all had to part.
But the definitive answer to both of these questions is service. It was during our service that we interacted with the community, learned about their lives and culture, and got to eat Dominican food!! Service is physically demanding, but insanely fun and a wondrous opportunity to learn.

When I left for my service trip in late July 2019 and I had no idea what to expect. I had never travel out of the country before let alone by myself! However, as soon as I arrived at the airport I immediately felt the sense of organization and control Rustic has over the situation. During my two week stay I never once felt unsafe. The program leaders were the only negative part of my journey as it was their last trip of the season and they were all a bit worn out. Not to mention our group was a little over enthusiastic at times. The service project it self was life changing! The children are nothing but amazing and kind and working with them was an absolute pleasure! The culture in Costa Rica is worth the trip itself! All of the people were so welcoming and excited to talk to us. The food was the best part!

My trip with Rustic to Cambodia was one that I will never forget. It was full of adventure, fun, and learning, not only about this amazing country, but of myself as well. The program was a perfect mix between tourism and service work. We spent one week in the Floating village where we built a house for a woman in need. This experience I am truly grateful for, because it was one of the most memorable! We stayed in a home-stay with a wonderful family who was so generous to us. The rest of the time in the country we spent learning about their history, from the founding to the Khmer Rouge, and exploring all the sites. We rode a bamboo train in the countryside while watching the rice fields zoom by, climbed to the top of a temple on a mountain, and explored the famous Angkor Wat temples at sunrise. I highly suggest this program because there is so much variety in it. I truly feel like I did and saw so many things in Cambodia, from the busy city to the countryside to the city of temples and the floating village. I will never forget the impact this trip had on my outlook and life. Thank you so much Rustic Pathways!

At 16 years old I wanted to travel, have an impact and experience the culture of other places. I was afraid of leaving the country for the first time by myself and not being safe. I found the rustic programs and was extremely excited to begin my rustic journey. Arriving at the airport I was scared about meeting people. Ten minutes after arriving all my fears disappeared. I met so many amazing people from all around the county and we instantly bounded. As we arrived in Thailand we were all amazed by the beautiful country. During the entire trip we were overwhelmed by the kindness that rustic staff and locals welcomed us with. It was also incredible to do service work in anitehr county. Volunteering within the states is very different. I felt like I was making more of an impact. Rustic pathways fouces on service projects that have lasting effects. Even after leaving the trip I know that the work I did will positively impact the community for years. Rustic pathways is an amazing way for kids to travel and learn. I would recommend rustic programs to everyone.

I have recently returned home from spending a month in China (I did two Rustic programs back-to-back), and I can safely say that it was the best experience of my life! For the first two weeks, I was on the Silk Road Service program, and I cannot recommend it enough, especially for those who love adventure, or want to get out of their comfort zones! We spent those two weeks traveling around the Yunnan province, learning about China's diverse cultures, and getting to experience a lot of them! From hiking up to Mapingguan (a very remote city) with my group to all of us hanging out on rooftops wherever the trip took us for that night, I will never forget the memories I made on this trip or the people on it! People I met at the airport only two weeks before soon became family, and I now have an incredible amount of love for Yunnan, and all of the people who got to see it with me! After a tear-filled goodbye at the airport, I knew that I had one day of rest, and after that was a completely new adventure. This second adventure was the Panda Conservation and Wild China trip, a completely different look at the country that I had now begun to call home. The panda trip is another that I can't recommend enough, although for other reasons. While there is still some adventure, this trip is a lot more laid back than the Silk Road one. We usually stayed in one place for a while and were not on the move as much as we were on the first trip. This was nice in some aspects, but we got to see a lot less of the Sichuan province than I had hoped. With that being said, the highlight of that trip was obviously the pandas, but also we took a bus ride to stay in a Tibetan Sichuanese village. The immersion of Tibetan culture for those few days made the bus ride 100% worth it! Since I have prior knowledge of the Chinese language, I found myself communicating with the locals, and understanding more about their culture. All in all, I can say without a single doubt, that both of these trips are incredible, and provided me with the best month of my life!

It was my first time traveling abroad completely on my own. At the time I was a foreign freshman in an American high school, and this trip to Fiji somehow felt more challenging prior to departure because I had to plan the whole trip and convince my parents without being completely sure about how this trip could go. Over the two weeks in Fiji, I had some of the best time in my life. For the first time, I was able to meet people outside of the state my high school was in that year(exciting! lmao). There were just so many cool things. As a boy, I was able to do all the adventurous stuff I wanted: I jumped over huge sand dunes, climbed up many many hilly mountains(challenge accepted!), and went scuba diving. I came to develop really long-lasting friendships over these times spent on the beach, community home, and service center. These memories still make me very happy, so just try and go enjoy it.

I attended the college summer travel program there. I personally have an Australian Passport, but so far before the trip, what I had known of Australia remained in Sydney. I stay in a lot of places with my family all around the world and therefore don't get to be in Australia much. The trip got me to see Australia as a whole, from the East Coast to the Outback to the North and to the South, from the city to desert to rain forest to ocean. Everyone is going to have their own unique experience. For me, it opened me up to walk out of the past and into the future. I signed up for the trip to move on and to reaffirm myself of what I want to become, and the trip helped me to do exactly just that. I still wear the Rustic Pathway bond wristlet to remind myself of the trip and what I learned from it.