Summer High School Programs in the USA with Rustic Pathways

There were times on my trip when we spent hours on the road going from one place to the other. One moment in particular is when we left one location (which I forget now) and we spent a good 4 hours or so just driving. During this drive, it was around 1 in the morning and most of us were asleep but for those who were up, saw that the sun was setting and wanted to take photos so when we stopped, everyone got up and took pictures for a good 30 minutes as we couldn't believe what we were seeing this late at night. After this moment, I couldn't have wanted to end my Rustic trip on a better experience than this.

This was a Great program. Very intense. Wasn't sure what to expect... Cool fellow students and nice experienced staff. Glad to have participated. I came from NYC and wasn't used to roughing it so it definitely was an unforgettable 2 weeks! I learned a lot about the landscape of Alaska and survival in general. I will definitely return to Alaska in the future on my own.
Thank you Rustic Pathways for fantastic memories!

Rustic Pathways is a fantastic company. I learned so much on my trip to New Orleans and it has become one of my favorite cities. Discovering NOLA was definitely my favorite aspect of the trip. It is a vibrant and eclectic city, full of Life and inspiring people. Helping the city recover was extremely rewarding and this trip helped me discover the value of service. However, if I had a choice I would've gone on another Rustic trip outside the US. It definitely was a very rugged or 'rustic' trip, we live in a very comfortable house and had access to any amenities. Some people there seemed to be volunteering only for university applications, something you maybe wouldn't find on more adventurous trips. Also, being able to use your phones took away from Rustic's 'unplug' philosophy. All in all, I had a great time and would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of going.

The trip was beyond my expectation. The vistas were out of this world and the community service that we did, gave impact to thousands of people particularly in the area of Flagstaff. Our group leader knew what's best of Arizona thoroughly. Would definitely recommend Rustic Pathways to all students out there.

My son just came back from Rustic Rebuilding New Orleans.
He has been definitely greatly impacted and in his own words says "things seem very different now" and he is rethinking many things.

The experience as a whole has been great, with very good organization, rich experience and a lot of good friendship and fun.

He says he would like to go back again with another program.

The service we did in New Orleans was just so amazing. My group did flooring and another group did mudding. My group was able to floor 2 rooms, a hallway and a big living room which was just such an AMAZING feeling. I think my favorite part part of the program apart from the service would be the Jazz concert at Preservation hall and the Airboat ride where we got to see some live alligators. Never did I think that I would be able to hold a baby alligator. It was AWESOME....

I had a wonderful time in New Orleans during the summer of 2012. I met so many amazing people (some I still talk to) and made many great connections. The supervisiors were helpful and made the most of everyday that was spent in New Orleans. I earned 72 hours over the course of the two week program, and I would have loved to go back on another trip my schedule has not allowed me to do so. I did this program to jump start my volunteer hours mostly but then once I arrived in New Orleans, I forgot about my college applications and just enjoyed my time there. Though a costly program, it was affordable because it includes housing, food, gas money, etc. I would not trade this experience for anything; I urge everyone to go on a Rustic Pathways trip! At some points of the trip, we would go to a jazz festival or to the French Quarter to do some shopping, which was really nice because you were able to see what the city has to offer! Absolutely amazing, strongly suggest that everyone does a volunteer programs like this during his or her life.

I went to New Orleans with Rustic Pathways and had the best summer of my life. I met great people, explored the unique city, and helped out the community. The leaders were amazing. They changed my life because of the lessons they taught us. They were so welcoming and made everyone feel important. As we worked in the houses we also got to hear the inspiring stories of how the hurricane affected their lives before and after. Rustic Pathways is a great program and everyone should get the chance to get the life changing experience i got.