Rustic Pathways Reviews

My daughter went on the Marine Life and Coastal Restoration trip in the Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathways this summer. She loves travel and service trips and the entire 'rustic' experience. Unfortunately she broke her thumb the week before and went on the trip with a waterproof cast, some pain and not a little anxiety. Although she was thrilled to still be allowed to do the trip, in the end she was not able to participate in the water activities, and was not really able to relax and enjoy herself, so she came home a week early.
I am writing because I wanted to remark on the DR staff members. I cannot thank Alexa, Nicole, Ben and Harry enough for everything they did. Alexa and Nicola took great care of Annie during the trip with her broken thumb and cast, and pain and anxiety. They are caring, warm, patient and insightful, and were wonderful to her and with her. Ben took her to the clinic to have her cast removed, after many conversations with us both, and then helped book her on a flight home. Harry drove her to the airport and made sure she got safely through security. I know they were both busy with other trips and students, but they still went out of their way to help us both. I was especially appreciative of their help and availability all the rest of that day when Annie's flight was delayed, and then delayed again, beyond the time of her Miami connecting flight, and I could not get in touch with her to talk to her about it. Harry and Ben both remained calm and assured me that they would get in touch with her and that all would be well, which it was.
So I highly recommend the Rustic Pathways trips because the staff are amazing, and they continued to be wonderful and helpful and calm even when things were not going as planned.
Sincerely,
Jane

I absolutely loved this trip. The local guides were so kind and open about their culture. The country is muslim, and I had so many questions that they were happy to answer, even the difficult ones! I improved my photography both by shooting, and by the interesting discussions we had about the morality of street shooting when some people don't want to be shot. While not everyone on the trip is going to be a life long friend, everyone on the trip was a pleasure to be with, and I am glad to have met. I highly recommend this photography trip in morocco, for explorers and artists alike.

My experience with Rustic in Peru was absolutely amazing. The country itself is diverse and beautiful, and touring with Rustic was a great match for me and what I was looking for in a trip. The group leaders were amazing people and I always felt that if I needed help with anything I could ask them. The group dynamic was unmatched even by the other Rustic Pathways trip I was on. We all meshed so well together and had a ton of fun- even on the planes and busses we had to take. The time spent in Perka Norte in the homestay was something I will cherish for my entire life, and I definitely couldn't have done that on a family vacation. The community service aspect of the trip was meaningful, and I knew that what I was doing was making an impact on the local community. The food was good, just a bit repetitive. I suggest bringing Cliff bars or another filling snack. On my trip we went mountain biking, hiked Machu Picchu, visited the floating islands on Lake Titicaca, cliff dove, and visited a ton of cities within Peru that we could shop and explore on our own. Overall, this Rustic trip was a great experience for me, and I liked it even more than my Fiji trip!

The most adventurous future of my trip was staying in different places, most memorable was stay at the Maleku village where I got to experience their indigenous culture, interact with members of the tribe. We got so friendly that their dog snuck into our bus as we were leaving, he was discovered and put outside. Sadly... he was jogging behind the bus for sometimes...as if he did not want to part with newly made friends.
Worth mentioning daily trips to different activities such as zip-lining, surfing, white water rafting. Food was delicious all along and I made lots of friends.

I did the marine service and adventure trip. This was my first rustic trip and it was a good one! The trip was a little disorganized at times which was hard, but overall it was good. I wish we did more community service, because what we were doing was really fun! Highly recommend if you're looking into marine biology because this trip really covers lots of that. The fiji people are the best people you will ever meet, and seeing fiji was really exciting because it's so beautiful there. The places we stayed were always right near the beach and usually we had beds or cots. The food was pretty good and the coral reefs were amazing!!! Anyone who chooses this will have a great time!

My daughter who is 16 years old and the third one of our children to do a Rustic Pathways trip when they turn 16. She thought the kind people, fun staff, learning about Thai culture and Budism were highlights in her 2 week Thailand adventure. Waking up in the morning to go and take of your elephant and the other students she became close with will provide lasting memories.

My son just came back from Rustic Rebuilding New Orleans.
He has been definitely greatly impacted and in his own words says "things seem very different now" and he is rethinking many things.

The experience as a whole has been great, with very good organization, rich experience and a lot of good friendship and fun.

He says he would like to go back again with another program.

My trip to Australia was truly life changing. I made so many friends. My favorite memory was from the outback. One night we all brought blankets and pillows to watch the stars and listen to a expert talk about them. I loved it because they were the same stars I have always seen but rustic helped me look at them in a different way.

If you are deciding between Rustic or any other teenage travel program, choose Rustic. Although I've never traveled with any other programs, I've heard stories about other programs that were not so impressive. Rustic has to be the most organized and well thought out travel program out there. From people greeting you at your home airport, to flight leaders, to someone greeting you when you land at your destination, Rustic Pathways values safety above all. Although it is total chaos trying to move over 100 other rustic kids through airports, customs, and baggage claim, Rustic really makes every effort to make sure no one gets left behind and everything is in order. Which is pretty impressive. So after you choose Rustic, you start looking at prices and program lengths. As a first time traveler, I knew I wanted a community service and adventure component, without spending a month in a foreign country. For what you are getting with rustic, paying $3,000ish dollars sounds like a lot, but for what you are getting, its an amazing deal. If you want to save money, book your trip early and pay in full (I think it's like a 15% discount). For me, I ended up choosing Sarapiqui, which ended up being one of the best choices of my life. I traveled alone (which I recommend if you really want to have a new exciting experience) and I met some of the best friends I will ever meet. Our program leaders all were amazing and we made such strong bonds with them as well. What is really cool about Rustic is that they have connections with local people and tribes all over the world, so one of our team leaders was actually a local that got us the coolest "ins" such as taking us to a hidden waterfall, arranging soccer matches with the locals, and showing us to the best shoppes in town. You won't follow the iternary necessarily because Costa Rica weather will be unpredictable, but don't worry! Your team leaders do their best to make sure you are having a blast, and if you want to do something, just let them know and they will do everything to make sure its arranged. As for lodging for this trip, you stay in "eco-tents" If you want to learn more, you can just go on their website and look at the tents and their bathrooms. For being immersed in the rainforest, it is the perfect balance of luxury and rustic (which is what your trip should be based around). This will seriously be the best week of your life if you willingly let go and enjoy being in such an amazing country. I found that everyone on our trip was being super real with each other, which only made our bonds stronger. Don't be afraid of getting wet, making new friends, or speaking spanish, because I promise that if you step out of your comfort zone you will have some great benefits! If you have any questions about Rustic or specifically about Sarapiqui, please email me at kkunkle4@gmail.com because I would love to tell future Rustics about my trip or help them find a trip to suit them!

There are many things that made my jaw drop and my heart race during the Sarapiqui program, especially the white water rafting and the ziplining, but I honestly think the best part of it was the service work we did. At least it was for me.
I can honestly say it was very humbling experience. Especially when we had to mix cement ourself, mainly because at home we take that for granted. To do it yourself is back breaking work. It takes maybe 30-45 mins to make a batch, so don't even get me started on if they need more batches after you've made about 3.
It was also quite neat that we got to work with some of the locals on the project. I wish I understood them more, but that added to the amazing experience. The language barrier was tough at first, but soon you seem to comprehend everything they're trying to tell you, even if you only know obvious phrases and saying.
The trip was an eye opening experience, it makes you realize how fortunate you are. I would strongly recommend Sarapiqui to anyone that wants to have a perfect balance of adventure and service. Pura Vida everyone!