My Rustic Pathways trip showed me a new way to look at the world. As the trip progressed, each day I started to put more and more into the tasks at hand. I realized how satisfying my hard work can be. Through the trip, I learned that even a little work on a project is a start in making a large difference. Although my trip was only 10 days, my perspective of volunteering changed. I was pleasantly surprised by the other teens’ commitment to our work helping the environment. My Rustic Pathways experience changed the way I view my carbon footprint and it has pushed me to make myself a better person and citizen of the world.

In Costa Rica not only did we get to play and care for several turtles but we also were enriched in the Costa Rican culture. Everyone in Costa Rica is so genuine and friendly, in the streets there is always music playing and people dancing, And don’t be surprised if a Costa Rican grabs your hand to dance as well. In the first half of the trip it was more community service based. We helped to clean up beaches from plastic and save/relocate turtle eggs. At night we would walk the beaches looking for turtles ready to give birth, and if so we would help them. The last week of the trip was all adventure we went to water falls and several different communities to meet people. Overall, this trip was life changing, I learned so much about the environment, the culture, and asking the way made life long friendships. I highly recommend this trip to newer travelers looking for fun and adventure.

The experience with Rustic Pathways doing surf and service in Costa Rica was incredible. The trip was a combination of watersports such surfing, kayaking and swimming along with doing service work helping to build a new sports facility for a local school. Every aspect was well planned out and the staff was amazing. Traveling there was somewhat complicated but the Rustic team too all the stress out of the planning and the journey was fun. Working with the local community opened my eyes to the world outside of Los Angeles and I feel we made a difference in improving the lives of the people we worked with. The surfing was world class and the instructors helped us improve while ensuring we had fun. It was such a great experience that we have signed up again for next year.

This past summer, I went on a Rustic Pathways teen tour to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. The program was a Spanish Immersion Program where the goal was to leave speaking much more Spanish than when the program started. Before I left, I was naive about what was going to happen while I was there. I was unaware of the amazing program leaders that would be there to help us enjoy ourselves, the other students that I would form long-lasting friendships with, and most importantly the lessons I would learn about life in general. We learned that there is a large difference between a traveler and a tourist. A traveler goes to a different country and learns the different customs and culture. A traveler tries new food and embraces the fact that they aren't in their home country anymore. A tourist goes on a vacation and acts as if they were in their own country with no changes. Rustic Pathways and their program leaders taught us that it was important to experience different cultures because we are more isolated than we think we are in the United States. We are in a bubble and it is amazing breaking out of that bubble and experiencing what life is like outside.

Within the program itself, we had a daily Spanish class for a couple of hours each morning. In the group, there were 4 travelers and a Costa Rican native Spanish speaker teaching us the language. It helped us practice our conversation to a point where we were comfortable using it to speak to the people around the city. After this, we did some activities such as white water rafting or visiting local coffee farms. During the night, we stayed with a host family and they cooked us a delicious dinner. It was very fun practicing our Spanish skills with them. I would certainly recommend Rustic Pathways to other students because it really changed my thinking about many things and burst the bubble that I was inside of.

I’m my group as all girls, and I was afraid it would be cliquey but quite the opposite happened. The first night all of us went into one room together and shared laughs and stories. I’ve never in my life felt so close with people I barely even knew! There was never a moment when I felt excluded because everyone was friendly with everyone. I initially wasn’t excited about the all girls part but it actually enhanced my experience! The group dynamics was a huge part of why this was my favorite trip. I did another rustic trip the year before which was still an amazing experience but the group dynamics really made the experience memorable. The group leaders also weren’t just adults to me but friends who I had fun and light conversations with because they treated me like a person and not a job kid to babysit.

I began my trip to Costa Rica with the mindset of saying yes to everything. I did not want to miss out on any opportunity I could have while I was there. I went on every hike, even hikes where only 4 of us went on in the rain, did every activity, and was always helping out. I think the best way to go into a trip would be by following that mindset. By saying yes to everything I got so much out of the trip and would not change it for the world. Also, I went in wanting to make new friendships that would last a lifetime. I made so many friends from all over the United Sates and even from other countries. I still keep in contact with these people all the time as well. It might seem scary to go away from your parents and go on a trip, but it was such a great experience and everyone there was great. The counselors are so fun and help you out with everything and anything and are always looking out for you. I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone looking for adventure and looking to make an impact on someone and something bigger than themselves.

This past summer I took part in Rustic Pathway's BriBri Indigenous Culture and Service trip. The experience was truly unforgettable. While in Costa Rica I met new friends, went on adventures, and was able to give back to a native community. The trip provided the perfect balance of adventuring, learning, and helping. By going on a Rustic Pathways trip I was truly immersed in the pura vida lifestyle and got to learn local insider knowledge from my leaders. While on my trip I went river rafting, surfing, boating, and hiking. Additionally, we learned about medicinal plants, the unique Costa Rica ecosystem, and how to make cocoa butter and jelly. The service work that we took part in was centered around helping a native Costa Rican community, the BriBri. While staying in Yorkin, the town where the BriBri live, we helped paint a house for their school teacher to live in and we helped to build a greenhouse for their school. Although the service work was rewarding, the best part of staying in Yorkin was getting to know the locals. Their positive energy and acceptance was inspirational and their simple, community-driven way of life opened my eyes to a fresh perspective. If you are looking for a summer experience of adventuring, growing, and stepping outside of your comfort zone, I would highly recommend this program!

The most amazing part of this trip was the service work. Every night we went on night walks to find turtles crawling up on the beach to lay their eggs. On the first night, I got the chance to catch the turtle eggs as the turtle was laying them. This experience was life-changing because I was able to interact with wildlife on an extremely intimate level. This provided a more authentic perspective than learning from a textbook.
Another highlight from the trip was learning about the Costa Rican culture and community. We went on side trips which allowed us to learn about native food, agriculture, and customs. My favorite part about the Costa Rican community was the Pura Vida lifestyle. All the people that we interacted with were so friendly, welcoming, and easygoing.