Rustic Pathways Reviews

This past summer I visited Fiji on the sun, sand, and service program and going on this trip was probably the best decision I have ever made. Before making my decision to travel abroad to Fiji, I had my heart set on Laos. Unfortunately things fell through so my parents had forced me to pick another program. I chose Fiji as the country I wanted to travel to. Flash forward to embarking on my journey, The staff at the airport were super helpful. I did arrive 12 hours early for my flight, but in no time I found another rustic person rocking the green shirt.

Now for my time in Fiji. Fiji is a beautiful place with beautiful people and I hope that one day I can live there and help people with more time. The staff at the base house were great! I loved my program leader so much they became my favorite people ever. I had Sam and Wane. If you don't know if you like service or not, do not stop yourself from choosing this program with heavy hours. The website says 60 hours, but really it feels like 10, because you'll be having so much fun it wont feel long at all. There were only a couple of things I didn't enjoy while at the base. The food. I went in expecting that the food was not going to be like America but some days the food just looked so unappetizing I couldn't eat it, but I'm not saying that all the meals were bad. One day they made spring rolls and I ate so many. Another issue I had was when the water would shut off or we would just run out. The toilets, sinks, and showers wouldn't work all at once and somedays that really stunk. But many of the program leaders at the base say that the water situation never happens so I'm sure it won't happen to you. I stayed at the base house for two weeks and these were the only two things I could find wrong with it. For service in general, I really enjoyed every project I did. You have to be ok with getting dirty. The only thing I didn't like was how they split up the sun sand group into two, but in the end we all bonded and made really strong ties.

If you do choose to go on a weekend side trip I highly recommend Highlands. When visiting the Highlands the culture is extremely different than anything you're probably used too. I really enjoyed immersing myself in a totally different culture.

If you are thinking about going to Fiji in the future with Rustic do not hesitate to choose a base house program. You will meet people from everywhere. Another thing I want to tell you is to read the itinerary for your trip but just know that your trip is going to be very different than what they say on the website. Every day was something new and I loved it. Also the packing list. Follow it or don't. I personally followed it word for word and I felt like I needed more things, so bring whatever you think you will need. I have friends who didn't follow it and some didn't have the right clothes and others did so it's completely a you thing.

One last thing is go in and have fun. Meet new people. Sometimes your not going to like everyone and thats ok but if I were you, just keep it to yourself until the end of your trip. My Rustic trip was amazing and really impacted me.

This was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I met people who I would consider to be lifelong friends. I loved doing this type of program through Rustic because I've done travel programs through other organizations that have been nowhere near as awesome as Rustic is, which I have done two trips with. Besides the wonderful people I met, the activities we did were also really cool. I got to learn so much about Cuba through actual natives and experience something anybody would be lucky to do. Rustic is is just a wonderful company and it completely changed my life. I'm still in touch with my best friends from the trip. Even though not everyone on my trip was my closest friend, it was still really great to meet people from around the country and world.

I think I can speak for everyone who went on this trip, in saying that we had an amazing time, and we all had so much fun doing it. We were able to see things that people will rarely get a chance to see, experiencing new cultures, and the landscapes they have settled in. Future trip goers will be astonished by the rugged landscapes, and learn from the people who live in them. I wish I could stay there longer and would love to go back.

This trip was amazing and impacted me in ways I didn't expect. It was the perfect combination of learning, service, sight seeing, and activities. It was a great experience to be able to connect with children who don't speak your language, while also working to improve the lives of elephants. Our group recognized that the Sappraiwan Elephant Sanctuary did not provide the best care for elephants, so we changed our itinerary in order to fix that. It was cool to be able to do what we wanted by working on a project we all cared about. If you have the opportunity to go on this trip, I really suggest doing it because it changed my life.

I want to start by saying that Rustic Pathways has truly impacted and changed my life forever. I've traveled to both Fiji (I did the Sun, Sand, and International Service program) and Thailand (Ricefields, Monks, and Smiling Children) which were eye opening experiences for me where my perspective of the world completely changed. I highly recommend traveling with Rustic Pathways.
For my program in Thailand, I stayed at the base house in Udon Thani and it was unbelievable. It was absolutely beautiful, always clean, and I felt perfectly safe. Both in the mornings and afternoons, we had the option of 3-4 service projects, usually construction in the morning and a variety in the afternoon. I loved them all! The two that stood out to me the most were Welcome Homes and Teaching and Tutoring.
For the project of Welcome Homes, we built a house for a woman whose home had been completely destroyed by termites and was currently living in quite a small shack. I loved this project because I could actually see the impact I was making in the community. I got to see the improvements we were making on the house as well as see the expression on the woman's face as we were doing it. As I was talking to her, I could tell that she was truly grateful for what we were doing.
For the project of Teaching and Tutoring, we traveled to a local school and I had the opportunity to teach 3rd graders flowers in English. They were absolutely adorable! Although this was very challenging because the kids barely spoke English, I noticed how passionate they are for learning and how grateful they are for the opportunity to go to school.
I highly recommend this trip if you are looking to break out of your comfort zone, immerse yourself in a new culture, and experience incredible opportunities.

My daughter went on the Wonders and Riches of SE Asia trip in July 2017. In 2016, she went with Rustic Pathways to Fiji. I have been very impressed with Rustic Pathways - the education they provide, their safety-mindedness, the amazing experiences they line up for the kids.

My stomach was in knots when I dropped my daughter at the airport to fly to Fiji trusting others' opinions of Rustic Pathways ... she knew no one on the trip ... it was scary! As it turns out, her friends were right: the trip was an experience of a lifetime and she made a forever friend who lives not too far from us here in the United States. Seeing the villages and meeting the people there gave my daughter a different perspective and I was thrilled she wanted to immediately sign up for another Rustic trip.

The Asia trip was just incredible - breakfast with monks, cruises, a visit to an alligator farm. She sent me a photo of her about to eat a fried scorpion on a stick and another with a giant (live) snake. It's a real leap of faith for parents to allow kids to roam the globe, but I do think the kids' minds are expanded - and they appreciate not everyone has the same life experiences we have here in the United States. Parents of Rustic travelers can expect to see an increase in independence, self-reliance and self-confidence in their young world citizens.

AN AMAZING TRIP!!!!!!!! Got to see so many different parts of Peru -- from Maccu Piccu, to the homestays in Perka Norte, Taquile island, the floating villages, Colca canyon, Arequipe, and more --- loved every part of this program. Would reccommend to those doing their first rustic trip, or alumni. great for all types of travelers. Hotel accomadations were good, food was great, and friendships were amazing. Will never forget this amazing trip and the experiences it provided. Loved the service component of helping our homestay families at the lake. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Off the map was an exciting lively program, there was never a dull moment of the trip and all the leaders that work for rustic are absolutely amazing, this was my 7th trip with rustic (hopefully that says a lot about how I feel about rustic) and everytime I expect the best and I get it. Rustic pathways puts so much time and effort into every program not one is lacking. Off the map concludes in the floating villages which is a beautiful village that Is literally floating on tonle sap lake, I've been there twice now and it just keeps getting better.

I had the greatest experience on this trip. Every person I met was very nice and friendly. Service activities were for the most part fun. Teaching and playing with the village children was so much fun. Other activities like the greenhouse and chicken coops were less fun but it was still good service. The local staff are the nicest people you will ever meet. They know everyones name and are engaging. Overall, I highly recommend this trip. It is an experience you can't get anywhere else.

This trip is one of the most underrated trips Rustic offers. Cambodia is a country just people overlook, and do not really care about. This trip opened my eyes to a country I never really knew about. Everything about their history is facinating, and the things you do, and the sights you see are things everyperson should see. Completing this trip, you get to stay in hotels with AC which is nice, but you also get Rustic and live like a local and use a squattie pottie. It is the perfect combination. All of the food you eat is amazing, and all of the people who sign up for the trip want to be their, not just because their parents forced them to come. I 100% recommed this trip to everyperson in the whole wide world because it has changed me as a person, in every way shape and form, and has opened up my eyes to a country that will always be in my heart.