Overall this program was amazing. The staff was very aware of safety while at the same time letting us explore. In all honesty, the DR ended up not being my favorite place. But my experience with Rustic Pathways was near flawless. I didn't sign up for the trip with friends, I choose to go alone and I was so glad that I did. The program was set up in a way that everyone got to know each other quickly and deeply. I met some great people on my trip.

I found the service on this trip to have been very meaningful. Rustic really emphasized the importance of making a lasting difference, instead of participating in voluntourism.

I'm signed up for another one of their Australia programs in summer 2016, because I love how Rustic runs them.

My experience with rustic pathways was great. I was apart of the Intro to Public Health trip with around 15-16 kids and 4 counselors. All of us bonded immediately even the counselors and we all got along extremely well, even though most of us didn't know each other before. The first days of the trip were spent in Santo Domingo touring hospitals and listening to NGO's privately speak to us which was so interesting. Then we went to Hator Mayor and spent the majority of the time there traveling 45 minutes each day to Batey Botecito to do community service. There we were able to bond with the kids and adults while building latrines and cement floors and talking in Spanish. After two days of service we took a beach break and then 3 days of Wilderness First Aid Classes that prepared us to create health lessons for the kids in Botecito. The next two days we hosted workshops for the kids teaching them hand washing, wound care, trash clean up and built them a DIY sink. It was very life changing and i would love to go back again. The way of life in the bateys is so different from my life at home and opened up my eyes. After all community service (30 hours) was completed we took a ferry to Samana and hiked to El Limon Cascada which was beautiful and then the next day we spent time at an island beach. The flight from JFK is not bad at all and is a great way to meet new people.

This was the best two weeks of my life. I met some amazing people and the experience was so eye opening. The leaders were super friendly and it being my first trip like that and going alone I felt very comfortable. I felt safe and I felt I made an impact on the people that we met there. The service was hard so be prepared to work but it's worth it.The friends I met I still talk to every day. I would 100% recommend to anyone who loves helping people.

Mountain Air and Village Service in the DR was an overall good experience. It's a pretty basic and introductory program so it's perfect for first time travelers and for people who just want to get their feet wet. The councelors were really cool and gave us a lot of freedom. The only part of the program I wasn't crazy about was the fact that some of the people can be very exclusive and cliquey really fast. Obviously this depends on the people on each program, although since it is a very introductory program, a lot of students' parents made them go so they may not be the most passionate people that want to get to know you. This varys because there were plenty of cool people on my trip as well. Otherwise, it's a good time and a good experience to have. It would help to know a little bit of Spanish beforehand but you don't need to. I came in knowing nothing and learned as I went but learned so much. I would recommend this program to anyone.

I had been impressed with the experience from our initial decision to send our daughter. She was signing up with a friend who had previously been on a Rustic pathways trip. Me, being the nervous mother, packed many items to insure that they would be comfortable. Aleve, pepto bismal, tums, etc. However, four days in to the trip my daughter started to have an allergic reaction on her face that she occasionally gets during seasonal allergies. I didn't think to pack that medicine. I was able to text my daughter the name of the prescription and they had it for her within an hour. It would have taken me longer to get that prescription here. I was very impressed.

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

Even though I was the only freshmen with people that I didn't know, I still felt welcome. The people that go on trips like these are always nice and willing to make friends. Also, the instructors were just as nice. The trip itself was half fun and half work which for me was the right amount. Before going to the Dominican Republic, you should learn just a little spanish so you aren't lost all the time... Overall, this was a great experience for me.

My experience with this program was pretty good. I was very exited to go one this trip however, I did not know much about it! I was disappointed to some degree because I was very exited to speak lots of Spanish, talk to tons of locals and learn about the government of this country but that was pretty limited.