Thailand Summer High School Programs with Rustic Pathways

My trip to Thailand with Rustic Pathways changed my life. But I guess you really can’t to go on such an extraordinary adventure and experience so many amazing things from half way around the world, and expect to return the same as the person you were when you left. There is so much to learn from different cultures and people that I feel I have truly grown as a person from experiencing them. It has given me a love for learning that I never had before; I am so interested in the world around me and want to do all I can to make a difference in it!
I met many great people and made close friends from all over the world while on my trip, and I still keep in touch with them today. I didn’t know anyone going into my trip, and I’m so grateful now, looking back, that I chose to go alone. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and I made new friends that I wouldn’t have if I had gone with my friends from back home. It has been especially helpful for me this year as Student Body President of my high school because I’ve already learned how to meet and talk to new people and find ways to serve them. I have learned what true leadership is, and that I can accomplish great things in this life! Traveling with Rustic Pathways has given me confidence in myself and a passion for service. I’ve found that I’m much happier when I’m helping others and thinking of their needs rather than my own. This has been useful as President to get other kids involved in serving so that they can feel the same great feeling that I do. It has inspired me to find ways to have an impact on other’s lives through serving them and being a positive role model.
One of my favorite things about Rustic Pathways is how well they combine meaningful service with a vacation of a lifetime! My trip was a perfect mix of service and adventure. You see what life is like for the people who live there as you work and serve among them, instead of just watching it through the eyes of a tourist. Rustic Pathways gets you into the natives’ homes, planting rice with the local farmers, and cooking meals for the elderly and sick. I have a whole new perspective of the country and culture through serving the people. I learned more, felt great about the work I was doing, and made a difference in others’ lives. For me, a service trip was the best thing because I didn’t want to travel all that way without doing something meaningful. I left a part of my heart in Thailand and I feel more homesick for Thailand than I did for home!
I have to say that of everything I miss about Thailand, the thing I miss the most is a seven year old orphan named Pah. We had the chance to visit and teach at a boys’ orphanage and work with the cutest kids in the world! We gave them balloons, which were a big hit, but probably not the best idea because soon I was being mobbed by thirty kids whacking me with balloons! I still look back on that day and can’t help but laugh. Pah and I were best friends from the moment we met. He was either in my lap, on my back, or hanging on to my legs the entire time we were there. I still think of him and wonder how he’s doing.
My Rustic Pathways trip was well planned, and gave me unique opportunities that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else. It was organized, but not overbooked. I can’t believe all that I got to do in just three short weeks! Reading about places in a textbook can only get you so far, but experiencing them for yourself is unlike anything else. Rustic Pathways has the BEST leaders who truly care about each student! They go above and beyond to get to know each student personally and make their trip extra special, just as they did for me. They are responsible and fun and I felt completely safe the whole time I was away from home.
My trip with Rustic Pathways gave me a new found confidence in myself and opened many new possibilities. It just plain made me pumped about life! Whenever I get down on myself and think I can’t do something, I just remember, “Wait a minute, Emily! You went on adventure half way around the world without knowing anyone. You got this!” I absolutely loved my trip with Rustic Pathways and I promise you that you will too. Thank you, Rustic, for taking me on the greatest adventure of my life!

I went on the Thailand Come With Nothing trip this summer and it was literally the best experience of my life! I loved that we were truly able to immerse ourselves in the culture and live with the locals. I loved that we saw parts of the country that were not normally seen by tourists and that we were able to serve each village separate depending on their needs. I do wish thought that each service project in the villages were a little bit more organized. in our first village, we built something that resembled a bridge for the community and i felt that the community need something much more worth while. I also wished that we were educated a little bit more on each of the places we visited so that we could make every new experience worth while. I also spent 2 weeks at the Hill Tribe Orphanage! I loved that we were able to live amongst many amazing karen children from the surrounding villages and chat and hang with them in close quarters. the group dynamics were great and we were truly able to connect through team building activities. I don wish though that we had less down time and more scheduled activities with our Thai buddies, although I had a great friendship with my Thai buddy after the two weeks, it did take some time and since many kids are only at the orphanage for one session, it would be worth it to add some other activities to help everyone get to know each other. While I was at the orphanage, i was able to teach tap lessons to the kids at the school. That opportunity truly meant the world to me and I cannot thank David Elbot and the teachers at the Bann Rai School for helping me make that dream happen.

My trip to Thailand was the greatest experience I could have ever had!The Rustic Pathways staff were so funny and I felt welcomed by them. I made so many friends from all over! Age, size, and color did not matter on this trip. We were able to express ourselves.I've never laughed as much as I did in Thailand. In the program we did a whole variety of different things to greater the community.We helped plant rice in a rice field, helped deliver food to local Thai people, went to the local schools on many occasions to help teach English like signs on a road and little sayings. We also helped teach swimming and helped the school by painting a mural! The most exciting part was in the boys orphanage. I have never seen so many happy little boys in my life! They were right when when they said Thailand is the land of smiles.I learned a lot about myself as well as others and a lot about Thailand, the land of smiles.

For my Sweet 16 present, I got to go to Thailand with Rustic Pathways for 10 days and train elephants! It was the most amazing experience and I would recommend it to anybody! My goal in wanting to travel to a different country was to learn a new way of life and see how other people in the world live since I feel like we take many things for granted here in America. I got exactly when I was looking for when I got to Thailand and I loved every single minute of it. From the amazing new food and culture, to the elephants, which were absolutely amazing, to the living arrangements, which were cabin-style dorm rooms, I had the best time ever. I made lifelong friends and the counselors that were with us were all amazing and they all had great stories to tell. At the Elephant Conservation Camp in Lampang, we would wake up every morning at 7am, put on our mahout suits and go into the mountains to get our elephant and then would would ride them down into the lake to bathe them. This was my favorite time of the day because it was refreshing for us and you could tell that the elephant absolutely loved it too! We would then ride them to the main camp and we would do a different activity each day whether it was going to the elephant nursery or hospital, or even the elephant show to watch them paint and play music! Each day was a new adventure and it was the most fun I have ever had! I would do it again in a heart beat!
If anyone has any questions about the program or anything, feel free to email me at julz0896@aim.com! :)

I believe that RP has changed my life forever and those two years that I was able to experience the beauty of Thailand were the best summers by far. I'm proud to have gone on these trips and will cherish them forever. I would also like to add that our groups leaders, and our local staff were incredibly amazing. I was with Go Tha for both summers and he is one of the most funny and helpful people I have ever met. Also Kevin Connelly has been such an inspiration!!!!! Because of him, I've dedicated my time to taking pictures, mainly portraits, of people from all over the world. I would like to some day work at National Geographic and he is someone who will definitely have helped me get there. Thank you Rustic Pathways!-Eva Olaya

I traveled with Rustic all through my high school years and it shaped who I am today. Although, at times, I found it difficult to mix with other students, got bored of tourism, and wanted to interact way more with the locals, this program is amazing.
You will meet people from all over the world, and if you just listen they can teach you so much.
Chose your program carefully and make sure if fits to what you want and ask other people who have done the trip about their opinions.
Overall an experience that will change your life if you let it.
:-)

The program I went on was simply amazing. There are no other words to describe it. It changed my life truly. I got to meet so many people and got to explore such a different culture than mine. It just blows you away to see what life beyond the tip of your nose is. Yes, they are pricey, but compared to other High School Summer programs, they aren't at all. Plus, they have scholarships available. And in all honesty, the VALUE of this trip is way beyond a couple thousand dollars. It teaches you to be grateful and gives you a sense of global awareness. I'm so glad I went on a Rustic trip and I am so excited to go on one again this coming summer.

My daughter went on a Rustic Pathways to Thailand. Before the trip, I called to be sure it was safe & the owner called me promptly to reassure me. Subsequently, my 17 year old was on an excursion to visit a remote shrine & the 2 vans left without her!! They neglected to do a head count, and did not know she had been left behind. They had never given her any info on how to reach her group leader in an emergency. She did not have her passport with her nor even more than a few dollars. It was only because she kept her wits about her and found someone to take her to the police station in the next town that she was able to log on to their computer and ultimately re-connect and have someone come get her. They never even realized she was missing! This is absolutely a true story. As a parent, I was horrified when she called to tell me. Please note that when I called them to complain, the owner never returned my call. I counted the days until she was safely home, let me tell you.