Program Reviews

The two sweet weeks I spent in Fiji were beyond life changing. I always look past these cheesy posts after international service trips, but it’s one of those things where you have to see it to believe it. I don’t have the vocabulary to express how extraordinary my time there was, but to be honest I don’t think anyone in the world does either. The service did not even feel like service when you were surrounded by so much love and especially so many Bula smiles :) There is not a second of that trip that I will ever take for granted. Going into the trip I was extremely nervous to make friends, but I can confidently say that I am much better friends with the seven people that were in my group that I am with some of my friends back here in Canada. They are so amazing that we are all planning another Rustic trip next summer :). If you do plan on joining the Rustic Family, it will 300% be worth while. PS if you choose Fiji, say Bula to the crew for me :) - T dawg

My experience traveling with Rustic Pathways was the best experience of my life. I learned so many valuable lessons, made so many new friends (who I still keep in touch with to this day), had SO much fun, and learned so much about myself and the world around me. To be honest, I was nervous before going on this program. I've never traveled without my family before, and I wasn't sure if i was going to connect with the other kids going on my program. But as soon as I met everyone in the airport, I immediately became comfortable because everyone was just so kind and welcoming. I ended up having the best week of my life, did some really meaningful service, and had so much fun. One of my favorite parts of the trip was skydiving, which was absolutely incredible. I still look back on my experience to this day and smile, because I've never been happier than I was on that trip. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything!!

The Life in the Bateyes trip in the Dominican Republic was my first experience with Rustic. I went alone in the hopes of meeting some new people, as recommended by Rustic itself. We had 13 people, a group of 4, 2 groups of 2 (one of the groups of 2 knew the girls in the group of 4) and 5 people who came by themselves. With so many sub groups, it made it difficult to bond as a group as well as talk and connect with individuals. One of our trip leaders actually complained about it numerous times (not to us of course). Our base house was amazing! It was a NGO that worked to provide documentation to undocumented immigrants as well as legal representation for laborers. Meeting the nuns and learning what they do was extremely enlightening. The building itself was very nice and was beyond what I could have hoped for (minus warm water though it was so hot it didn't really matter). The service work was my favorite part. At some points though I didn't always feel that we were making an impact. All the work that we did though was sustainable which assisted in making us all feel like we were making a lasting difference on the bateye of Monte Coca. The packing list was pretty accurate for this trip. I did tend to wear more pants (blue jeans, capris, cargo pants) but I wasn't quite as effected by the heat as some of my fellow group members. Our trip leader were very conscientious of our health and always made sure that we drank lots of water and checked in with students to make sure that we didn't get any of the common illnesses that foreigners tend of get in the Dominican. When I got a splitter from a shell in the water on beach day, Angelica (one of the trip leaders) immediately put antibiotics on it and took out the piece that was lodged in my foot. Rustic is also very conscious of the many ways it can leave a minimal impact of the environment. Our base house was powered by solar energy and all the food that we ate was grown on the property. On our last few days in country we stayed at what is called an ecolodge, which is a whole mini resort if you will that has zero impact. Energy from solar panels, food from property, recycled rain water for sinks, toilets, etc. All in all I would recommend this trip to any high schooler as a way to practice some Spanish, learn about a different culture, and make a positive impact on someone life.

this rustic pathways trip changed my life. Before i came
to costa rica, i was someone who was fairly entitled. after completing this trip, i learned so much about how fortunate i am, and how grateful i need to be for this. in addition to this the staff were always supportive, even in emergencies. the service felt incredibly impactful, especially when you were able to see results. we were lucky enough to have the community show us their gratitude, and every single bit of hard work is worth it. you feel the impact of all of your service.

I cannot rave more about my trip to Cuba with Rustic Pathways. I have been fortunate enough to do a photo exhibit in my high school to share my Rustic experience. I have been able to share my story many students, faculty, and people in my community. I get so excited talking about the program because it has impacted me in so many positive ways. From adapting to a new culture and trying new things, to meet so many new faces, I have had endless opportunities on my journey through Cuba. I highly recommend this program, and the leaders made the trip even more exciting.

I had the best time ever on my trip to Fiji this summer! We completed 60 hours of community service on this trip, which sounds like a lot, but every hour was well worth it. Some of the service activities we did included working in an animal shelter, building bathrooms in villages, making dinner for single mothers and their children, planting mangrove trees, picking up waste on the beaches, and painting a house. With so many different service activities, everyday is different so it never gets boring. There is also an opportunity to do a weekend side trip, and I highly recommend going on the highland side trip because you get to do a home stay and get really close with your host family. I unfortunately got sick on my program, but I am only mentioning this to recognize how wonderful the doctors were at the medical clinic. My doctor at home was in complete agreement with how the doctor's in Fiji were treating me, so you should have no concerns over sending your children to Fiji, they are in very good hands. Overall, I learned so much on my trip to Fiji that I never could have even imagined. Fijian culture is one of the most warm and welcoming cultures I have ever witnessed, making it all the more difficult to leave their beautiful country. Even though they may not have much money or material possessions, they are the happiest and most loving people I have ever met, which was something truly great to experience. If given the opportunity to come on a Rustic trip to Fiji, I would strongly encourage you to go on the trip.

I was so excited to go to the Dominican Republic, I had been counting down the days for almost a whole year! I went on Mountain Air and Village service and the experience was life changing. My group was the third group to work on the aquaducts in the community and we finished the project and got to see the running water! It was such a great moment to see the running water and see how happy the locals were. The ranch we stayed at was so nice although I wish we had time to spend more time there. In the middle of the trip we went to the beach for a night and I had a great time! The ride there was certainly really long but worth it! I only had wished we had more time to spend at the beach and had left the base house earlier. For anyone looking into the trip I HIGHLY recommend going. I already cant wait for my trip next year with some of the same friends from this year!

I went on the Heart of the Jungle trip in early June. I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The activities we did were so fun and exciting. I learned so much through working with some of the locals and the people we met were the nicest people and the country was so beautiful. I met some of the most incredible people through Rustic. I would highly recommend this trip and Rustic Pathways to anyone.

When the time came for me to go on California Rush, I did not realize how much of a focus there would be on the environment. That absolutely was not a bad thing- I was just pleasantly surprised! I found that the trip was a place for me to put everything I had learned in APES to practical tests. Whether it was volunteering with Keep Tahoe Blue or Friends of the Inyo, decreasing my waste so that it would neither interrupt wildlife nor reenter the biosphere; overall my environmental consciousness increased. I would like to say the same about my peers, but I'm not so sure. At times I felt like the only student who cared about where my plastic goes. Eventually though, our team got to a level of environment consciousness. However, it lacked social consciousness. They were unaware of the privileges they carry. White, cis, straight, able-bodied, wealthy privilege. I struggled to bond with other campers, specifically male campers. We all came from places of privilege, but these kids... Man, they were the most privileged people I have EVER met. And it absolutely went unaddressed. I spoke with and confronted the other students about their racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, rape "jokes." And for most of the two weeks, I felt like I was the only one out of the group (including staff) who noticed. The guides did not become aware of the situation until one night, when half of the group was talking about me and my concrete beliefs behind my back. More specifically, outside of my tent. After bringing notifying the program leaders, they began to address the situation with individuals. By that time though, the trip was almost through.
It was a once in a lifetime experience, definitely. I traveled completely by myself, and I discovered how my experiences differ from others living in the US. I absolutely fell in love with California. With the Inyo National Forest, with Santa Cruz... I know now that that is what I want to do with my life. I am certain that I want to take a gap year so that I can go and do right now, just go and be with nature. I want to see more of the US, and to then travel with world. For that, I am grateful to Rustic. For those who are like me, and don't conform to heternormativity, to the gender binary; for those who care more about the biosphere than the Kardashians, this may not be the trip for you. All I know is that I spent my own time and money on this trip. I had been looking forward to traveling with Rustic for nearly 4 years. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I do not regret it. I would not take it back. I would not travel with Rustic again.
It is so important for kids, teens, people to push out of their comfort zone and discover how they want to make an impact. I am not telling you whether or not you should go on a Rustic Pathways trip. What I will tell you is this: if you decide to travel with Rustic or any other company, do not compromise your values and beliefs. Be strong. Be amazed. Stay present. And please, come back here and tell the world about your trip.

This program genuinely changed my life. The counselors were amazing and helpful. I made many great friends from around the country that I still talk to and visit. The activities that we did were top of the line and very fun. As for the service, I feel like it was unorganized and not helpful towards the community. We did do work that the real workers didn’t have to do but I feel like we barely did anything. The whole experience was amazing. I will remember it forever and I can’t wait to do another one. I know I will be doing rustic for every year possible. 10/10