Summer High School Programs in Laos with Rustic Pathways

Laos was my favorite place I have ever been. Luang Prabang is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The community in this little town is so welcoming and the kindest people in the world live here. While I was here I gotta feed the monks, one day we took a boat to caves and got to explore them and learn about past history. It was amazing to listen to all of the history and how the caves where founded. In order to get to the caves we took and 2 hour private boat ride down the river and saw wild elephants on the side of the river. This river that runs through Laos in the Mekong River. Luang Prabang is in the mountains of Laos and is kind of like a little village. Not only did we get to experience the caves we also went to waterfalls and got to swim in them. The waterfalls in Laos are blue lagoons with crystal clear water with little fish. It was amazing to see the waterfalls and wildlife surround it. Our guide in Laos was so welcoming and introduced us to many different people in his community, every is welcoming here they feel like family. One night we hiked to the top of a temple and watched the sunset behind the mountain and it was the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.

I enjoyed every second I spent on this trip.
As a French student, I feared that I would not be able to connect with people but I was completely wrong : the very first moment I met someone from the group, I felt like I was part of a family and at the end of the trip, I was friend with every single student on the trip.
The community service was absolutely awesome too : we got to bound between each other and with the members of the community, and we got a grasp of our impact and how we could help.
When I came back home, I had this indescriptible sentiment of having found myself.

As a first time traveler to Asia, I had few expectations but an adventurous spirit as I took off for my trip around the world to Laos. Looking back, I am so unbelievably glad that I chose this trip. Not only did I build some of the greatest friendships that I've ever had, but I got to experience a culture that is completely different from my own (participating in cultural ceremonies/rituals, eating traditional foods, visiting temples, supporting local businesses, etc.) and provide service for people who truly deserved it. When working to build a fence around a school in a village, local children were always hanging around, being friendly, and offering to help. This was consistent throughout the whole trip with every local person we encountered; the atmosphere was always so welcoming of foreigners. There are countless amazing things about my experience on this trip of a lifetime!

This trip was absolutely amazing. I made friends that are going to last a life time! The community service is hard but so rewarding. Also the connections that you are able to make with the local village kids is amazing. We had dance parties with them which was so fun. The boat trip down the Mekong was so fun it was a really good experience to bond with everyone from our trip and to see Laos. The village people are so kind and welcoming, I didnt feel like an outsider at all. Overall this trip is extremely rewarding. I wish I never left!

I just recently got back from my trip to Laos on the Sticky Rice Service Adventure. It was truly one of the best times of my entire life. Everything about this trip was well planned and authentic. My leaders made sure we were safe but still gave us freedom to have fun. The Lao people are some of the kindest, most friendly people you will ever meet, and this trip gave me and my group personal interactions with locals. This trip is special because you get the feeling of being a part of a village, but you still get to move around and venture outside of the village to other cities. Also, what is great is that you get to do two completely different service projects during the trip. One is in the village, building and doing more hands on things, and then you move to Luang Prabang where you are able to help Lao people with their english, and work in a school. This trip was life changing, and I will never forget my amazing memories in Laos. Go on this trip!!!

I just had the best experience of my life. I just returned from Laos and absolutely loved it. Rustic Pathways never disappoints. Last year I went to Fiji with RP and thought I had the best trip ever until I experienced this last one. My older sister has also done two Rustic Pathways trips. She had the same reaction upon her return.
The balance in teaching, learning, hard work and pleasure is incredible.
I hope to even work with Rustic Pathways after graduation from College.

In the summer of 2016 last year I had a life changing experiences going on the Come With Nothing trip in Thailand and Laos. This was my first Rustic trip and service trip in general so I had no idea what to expect for the next 3 weeks of my life. The focus of this trip was to come, as you can guess, with nothing, or very close to it. We were allowed 5 personal items and a backpack with a change of clothes. The rest of what we needed for our month long trip was purchased in night markets with a small amount money provided from Rustic. The trip was long and challenging, but worth every second. We visited three villages, a new one each week, one in Thailand and two in Laos. The majority of our service focused on building and constructing various things for each villages needs. We built everything from dormitories for school, bathrooms and water tanks, and even walls for an entire school.

In addition to our service work, we were able to immerse ourselves in the culture by staying with local villagers, visiting museums and temples and trying new cuisine. We got to go on a beautiful two day boat ride through the Mekong river right when we got into Laos which stopped at villages and markets. In between our two villages in Laos we got to go on an amazing bike ride through the city we were stopping at and get authentic Thai massages. And at every village we got up at 4-5am to hike up and see the beautiful sunrise.

My favorite memory was at the end of the trip, we walked a three hour hike straight through a rain forest to one of the most amazing waterfalls I've ever seen. We brought bathing suits and it was an memorable and fantastic way to end the trip with friends.

This trip impacted my life because unlike some other trips, you really do get to experience what its like to live like a local. The community service is intense, but you never get tired when you know you're doing something that truly makes a huge difference in these peoples lives that you're sleeping in the same houses with.

I cannot recommend this and any Rustic program enough, they will truly change your life and the way you see things, just like it did to me.

I went on the Southeast Asian Adventurer trip from July 4th - July 21st, and the trip to mostly Laos and some Thailand was more impactful that I could ever thought it would be. The trip to get there was long yet meeting and bonding with some of my future closest friends was well worth the time. Some activities we did included: kayaking, hiking through a dense jungle only to go zip lining and stay in a treehouse for the night, hang out in bungalows, relax on beaches, bike through cities, and drinking a whole lot of Oreo milkshakes. My trip mates and leaders made these unbelievable activities even more special. One of the things that brought my mates closer together was the group mindset of disconnecting from technology to connect with people and this new country we're all in. I remember the deep talks we shared while voluntarily helping the staff of the Rustic Laos base house make dinner, and the lessons and experiences we shared together. I highly recommend going on these trips with an open mind and a relaxed attitude. Coming back I feel more adventurous and really try to put my phone away in a situation where you can be bonding with people and creating new memories. Some little things I wished I knew before the trip is just bring clothes, shoes, and a backpack you really don't care about because they get N A S T Y, trust me. Also, really don't worry about having no friends because you will make them. I swear I came in LAX thinking nobody would like me but from plane ride 1 we were already a squad. Anyways, the trip was overall a life changing experience and I highly recommend going if you are undecided. hmu on my insta if you have any questions @corybeizer. :)