Program Reviews

During the summer of 2019, I took the “Sun, Sand, and International Service” trip to Fiji and the “Escape to the Fiji Islands” trip. I was in Fiji for a total of three weeks while doing these trips. I can easily say that these three weeks were the best three weeks of my life. While in Fiji doing the Rustic Pathways trip, I vastly grew as a person from the variety of amazing things that we did. For example, while in Fiji I did lots of community service (which felt great to do), I was immersed in a different culture in the Nausori Highlands (which was life-changing), I went skydiving, and I did much more that was all amazing. I would 100% recommend that somebody take a trip with Rustic Pathways because I can almost guarantee that you will have the same life-changing experience that I did.

In the summer of 2019 I went with Rustic Pathways to India and Nepal as a part of their mystery trip program. It's exactly as it sounds--you don't know where you're going until you check your bag at the airport and receive your boarding pass. I knew I had to spring for this opportunity when I saw it in the Rustic catalog, since when else in my life would I be able to go overseas and not know my destination?
I'm so incredibly glad that I chose this trip, and that India was my destination. The culture was incredible, the people were kind and nicely talkative, and the food was absolutely fantastic. These held true for all of the locations we stayed at: New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. My personal favorite was Jaipur. Even though the heat was pretty similar to living inside a pizza oven (and I'm from south Texas, so no stranger to heat here), it was just a minor inconvenience. Jaipur had such an interesting feel to it--smaller than New Delhi but still plenty big. The food was an absolute highlight, doesn't matter what restaurant. Everything was great.
Basically, the only way you could go wrong with India (and Rustic Pathways) is if you hate good food, rich history, and having genuine conversations with people who want to learn about your culture (and vice versa). But, if you are like that, I bet you aren't browsing travel websites in the first place.

This experience was unique for me because I challenged and learn many things, since the fact that it was my first time traveling alone for three days but I enjoyed every moment of the trip because I knew since the very first moment that it was a unique experience. Words are not enough to describe all the experience because it was simply magic, knowing young people like you from different backgrounds and realities comparing things and finding similarities creating understanding between us.
The places that we visited were very beautiful and full of story, sometimes these stories reflected a reality of the country that impacts yourself and makes you reflect.
In resume this experience is unforgettable and incomparable, places and friends.Gracias!

I traveled through Rustic Pathways on two programs in Tanzania, spending a total of three weeks in the country. From the moment I got into the airport to when I landed back in the US I always felt like I was in very capable hands. My first program was focused on building infrastructure for a school on total Tanzania.While there we were immersed in the culture and made amazing memories. We were able to enjoy a wide variety of cultural activities from making traditional foods to learning how to build with mud while also interacting with the children. My second program focused on sight seeing through safaris in mainland Tanzania and traveling through Zanzibar. I saw sights I never thought I would see in my lifetime and had amazing experiences.

Going on a rustic pathways trip encouraged me to travel and learn about other countries. Going to Australia and actually working at the Australia zoo just reinforced my love for animals and wanting to major in a similar field during college. I’ve also made friends on this trip that I will have for the rest of my life. I got to experience things that I couldn’t have anywhere else. Our program leaders were also really nice, engaging, and always made sure we were having fun. I had so much fun and learned so much on my trip to Australia that I’m going to China this summer with rustic. I’m going to carry all these memories with me for the rest of my life. If you do go on this trip remember to just have as much fun as you possibly can. You will only get to experience this once in your life.

My Summer in Peru with Rustic Pathways was incredible. I was able to experience so many aspects of the culture, environment and people. Living with Host families gave me the chance to really see and understand the way people live there and to see how kind and generous they are. Seeing the textile factory and the Market showed me how the people in Peru work and gave me insight into their economy. Hiking and camping to Machu Picchu was breathtaking. The key factor in all of these experiences was the fun time that I had during each activity. The Program Managers and the other kids made every day fun and interesting. I made life long friendships. I saw amazing mountains, rivers, sunsets and the most stars I have ever seen in a night sky. Rustic Pathways exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable. I cannot recommend this trip enough.

This summer, I went on my first service trip. I went to the airport, terrified. I was scared of meeting people, scared of leaving the country, and not knowing the language. I came back from my trip, excited, passionate, and ready to continue exploring. Throughout my trip I learned so many things that have improved my outlook on the world. From the first day, I started to fall in love with the country, the culture, and the people I was meeting. I quickly became close with everyone in my program through team bonding and leadership games, making all the rest of my fears a lot easier to handle. The amount of service was well balanced with exciting adventures. One of the most memorable nights was camping in the mountain town of Jarabacoa. We took a four-hour ride on a safari truck to get there and then spent the afternoon hiking to a swimming hole. When we got back, we played with the local children while their family cooked us a traditional domination dinner. Before spending a night in tents, we made a fire and sat with the family while they told us ghost stories. This experience was one of many that made me so thankful for this adventure.

This trip was essential for me in discovering the path I want to take in life. Working will incredible animals all over Australia showed me how fascinating they can really be. Not only that, but made me realize that all I wanted to do was find a way to help them. Whether I was working with kangaroos or koalas, I found interest in every aspect. The scenery of this land was also breathtaking and gorgeous. The ability to mix education with fun, and service, is such a unique thing. I got to experience Australians everyday life, while also partaking in opportunities most people never get to experience. The service aspect of this trip is also a very valuable component. We were able to immerse ourselves in a zookeepers life, where they excepted us with graciousness and generosity.

This trip was an overall amazing experience that hit all aspects of Cambodia, we drove lots around the country. Destinations we went to were out of this world such as the country side, beach, and Angkor Wat! Something very important about this program is the amount of service incorporated in this program which made me feel that I made a strong difference in the communities we visited. I would suggest considering this as one of the top program Rustic Pathways has to offers students over the summer. Rustic Pathways made sure that the students on the trip felt safe and comfortable with possible comfort-zones being pushed. Without a doubt the staff on the program knew exactly what they were doing and made sure the trip went as smooth as possible.

Aussie Surf and Service, the program that changed my life forever. Just in sixteen days I grew so much as a person. I fell in love with the places we visited, the culture, the people, every little detail about Australia. I meet amazing people that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Before this experience I thought that my life had one defined pathway, but this opened my eyes to a whole other reality. The reality of maybe not going to University right after high school and take a year to travel and find who I truly am. I experienced things that I have never done before and I'm so glad that I did. This definitely helped explore and discover a more adventurous and free side of me. I have no words to describe how amazing it was and how I will be always be grateful for going.