Rustic Pathways Reviews

I went to Costa Rica for the this summer and it was amazing! The volcano trip is a little more than half community service and half adventure. There is a bit of driving to the adventure activities but the zip-lining and rafting were worth it! I had a medium sized group and we all got really close over the course of the trip! The leaders are amazing and I wish there were more activities we could all do together. The service projects can get pretty strenuous especially with the humidity but it was very rewarding.

I went on the Giant Panda Conservation Project and absolutely loved it! I worked up close to pandas, feeding them and cleaning their cages, and also prepared the food. On the first day, we toured the conservation, and the following 4 days we woke up early to get to work! (We were given many breaks though). When we weren't at the center, we explored the city areas and shopped around, or hiked in the mountains. The food is great as well, and the people there were very nice to us.

I'm mom to twin girls that just completed our 4th summer traveling with Rustic Pathways. They started at age 14 having signed up for something including Meals on Flip Flops in Thailand. That year was the summer of unrest and demonstrations in Bangkok so trip was altered to spend more time in Laos. They had most exciting adventure ever. I suggested the girls never travel on same trip at same time so they would not depend on each other too much and make new friends. They had traveled the world extensively before Rustic with grandparents but had always stayed at 5 star resorts and safari camps. I spent a lot of time between college and marriage wandering around Africa and South East Asia with a backpack a friend and no itinerary learning about different cultures and I can say I learned more than all years of school combined. I wanted them to meet locals and somewhat live life of a villager which had never happened on trips when younger. They were both nervous about not taking a friend, hearing rumors of trips being "clicky" and having just turned 14 the month before travel. They both met lots of friends from all over US and are still in touch with some. They both had amazing summers and could not wait to go back. The next year they did Service in the Clouds and connected to something in Cambodia, can't remember exact name. After that, India was new favorite country an they are patiently waiting until out of high school so we can go during nice weather,November-March and I can introduce them to the friends and the India I know and love. Last summer they wanted something a little more "rustic" and chose Ghana. It was pretty hard-core but exactly what they were looking for. Last month was their last Rustic trip as they will be seniors in high school. We signed up for Burma trip but it got canceled in May due to ethnic cleansing and unrest occurring in most of the country. Changed to Frontier Photography visiting Thailand, short hop into safe area of Burma and Laos. They went together this time and had so much fun seeing local rustic guides they met summers before. Now to the point of my review! One of my daughters slipped, hit head, was unconscious for about 5 minutes and came to having seizures. She has no history of anything like this. When they tell you to buy evacuation insurance DO IT! I always have and nothing has ever happened so this year I bought cheapest $25.00 per kid from Frontier Medex. Rustic started calling me right after she fell asking for insurance info. etc. They happened to be a 3 hour van ride from Luang Prabang which had nearest hospital and landing strip. I cannot even describe the mode of professionalism and urgency Rustic went into. They had 2 western staff and 2 local staff with the group when this all started. Kevin Connally who is American but lives in Bangkok and speaks the different local languages was with her in van ride as she continued to seize, have difficulty breathing and hallucinate. Each trip has one or more staff trained as medic for these type of situations. Bryan Haggerty who is head of all SEAsia operations continued to call updating on condition, hospital arrival etc. They had a jet headed to Laos asap to evacuate her to Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok. No small feat considering permits, different countries etc. They literally called me to let me know when jet took of from Bangkok, landed in Laos, when Addie was in the air, upon arrival to ER. They have a global safety director named Gabe who took over and helped figure out fastest way for me to get to Bangkok. From what I gathered talking to all the staff with Addie in ICU when I arrived, this serious of an incident rarely if ever happened but they were extremely prepared and knew exactly what to do for her receive urgent care. The 3 young guys, Brent, Bryan and Kevin were there to help me out with everything. Brent was waiting for me at Bangkok airport when I arrived and took me to hospital.They gave me a local cell with their numbers programmed so I could call anytime. They would spend night with her when I needed a hotel break for some sleep. The trip was over and kids were back in US but they stayed in Bangkok helping us try to figure how to get her home. It took my Mom flying to Bangkok for my support, my husband in US working with Frontier, numerous amazing doctors and nurses and 15 days in hospital for us to finally get her home. So, my summary is I would trust Rustic staff with my kids lives any day and Frontier Medex came through like champs. This is what I got for $25.00- Medic jet with 2 doctors aboard for 3 hr. round trip to get her out of Laos. 3 days in ICU, CAT scan, 24hr EEG, and many more tests. 12 days in private hospital room nicer than any 4 star hotel, A neurologist, infectious disease specialist that is with World Health Org. that embassy sent and a psychiatrist that had excellent English skills. Frontier paid for 2 doctors, 1 nurse, Addie and me to fly Korea air business class to Dallas TX. where the Thai docs handed her off to docs at Childrens Medical Center. All I had to pay was 4000.00 deductible for entire bill. We just arrived back in US 2 days ago and she is still hospitalized but rapidly improving and Rustic and Frontier are still in touch checking on us. I love Rustic Pathways!

There is nothing negative I have to say about my Rustic Pathways trip to the Dominican Republic. I met countless number of people who greeted me with opened arms and big smiles. We did adventurous activities that the entire group really enjoyed. And we also did community service that gave me a different understanding of how the people really lived like in the Dominican Republic. I would recommend Island Living and Eco-Service to anyone.

I did "Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich," a Rustic program where you bring only 5 items in your suitcase and spend 3 weeks doing service work in villages. We bought all of our necessities in Thailand at the beginning of the trip. I was surprised to see how few clothes and toiletries I actually needed to last me the month. In the villages, we had breakfast at around 7:30 and worked at our service site all morning. The service work usually involved mixing cement (by hand) to build freestanding buildings or to lay ground. We took a break in the middle of the day (the hottest hours being from 1-3), and then worked into the evening. We ate dinner at around 6:30 with our group, the American trip leaders, and our 4 thai staff. Bedtime was usually early, as we were always exhausted. Being in the villages was spectacular. We got to live like and with the villagers, in some cases in a homestay! The children in the villages were charming and energetic; some of them helped us at our work site! In between villages, there was always a thrilling activity planned. We rode elephants, took a muay thai lesson, and hiked among many other activities. It was an unforgettable three weeks!

Whilst I believe the teaching service length was suitable (6-8 hours) I would have been happy to do an extra day of service at the Library we went to to help build it! But accommodation was good, food good and the whole experience otherwise unbeatable! Would be happy to do more service with less free time!

I went on two programs with Rustic this summer- Sarapiqui and BriBri and they were both great! I had so much fun and really made some great friends. Everything was really organized and we were always busy doing community service or fun activities such as white water rafting or zip-lining. The staff was also very helpful and they became really close with the students over the week. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who loves to travel.

This trip was like nothing I had ever done before. It was truley amazing to stay with a homestay family and learn how they live their lifes and I feel changed because of it. One thing I would say to anyone thinking about going on a Rustic Pathways trip to India is that it will push you to your limits, you will be dirty and tired and maybe sick but it is those challenges that you face that make this trip so rewarding in the end.

This two week program really changed the way I look at our world. Through our work in the community and the Bateyes, I realised how fortunate we are to have basic necessities such as a passport or running water.
The program taught me that there are people who cannot leave the sugar plantations because they do not own any documentation, which enables the plantation owners to exploit their people in a horrific manner. Through the service and the discussions we had with a local lawyer I learnt a lot about social responsibility.

The service itself was mostly physical labour, we were building a wall around a community centre and put cement floors in the houses of locals. Although this was very challenging, there is no better feeling than coming back after a day of hard work and realising what you have achieved. Besides, we were interacting a lot with the local children, who are incredibly grateful and welcoming.

The accommodations were a little bit rustic for the first week without air-conditioning, very few showers and of course no WiFi but this only improved my experience. The last part of the second week is spent in a resort, where you get to see the touristic and paradise-like side of the Dominican Republic, which is great because the contrast really makes you reflect on the previous two weeks.

The staff was always helpful and very nice and the security standards were high, as in any of the Rustic Pathways programs.

This was my second trip with Rustic and I would really recommend it to anybody who wants to experience this entirely different part of our world.

This was my second year with Rustic, but my first in Africa. Just like last year, I had an amazing, life-changing experience. One of my favorite parts of Rustic is that the leaders don't treat you like little children. They talk to you about anything from serious matters to book and movies and honestly feel like friends. The service is incredibly rewarding (you usually do about half a day on Faces and 6 hours on Culture) and the villagers are amazingly friendly. It's an awesome program.