Rustic PathwaysReviews of rusticpathways.com

The Rustic Pathways program that I went on was the greatest 2 weeks of my life. I went to Costa Rica, and I instantly feel in love with the country. I loved everything about Costa Rica. Also, I grew great bonds with the people that went on this trip. I talk to them everyday now. I definitely recommend Rustic Pathways to anyone!

The whole experience was 5 stars all around i fell in love with the people the community and the animals. For first time travelers like me it was a big shock to step into a totally new culture and it was a long plane ride to get there but if you open yourself up to the experience it is truly a one in a life time experience unless you sign up to do it again.

My soccer and service program to Costa Rica was life-changing. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys playing soccer and wants to make a contribution. Highlights included my 6 days with a host family; natural hot springs and zip lining; and bonding with the counselors, Ticos (locals) and other students on the trip. Costa Rica is a beautiful place and the people are so incredibly friendly. I loved the RP staff and felt that they truly wanted us all to have an incredible experience and I most certainly did!

My experience with rustic was life changing. I grew so much as a person and met people that would become my friends for life. I know it sounds cheesy but I found a second family on my trip. We were able to come together from all different parts of the United States, and the world, and build two homes for struggling families. It was the perfect mix of cultural immersion and community service, and i couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and raw country to travel to other than Cambodia. My parents were worried about safety, but I have to say I never felt unsafe or in danger throughout the trip. My leaders were amazing and they were always making sure we were all ok, while giving us the freedom to experience the true Cambodian lifestyle. I can't believe I didn't do this earlier.

Traveling with Rustic Pathways was the greatest experience of my life. From the people, the community service, the activities, even the food, everything was incredible and I would recommend this program to anyone.

I have now done two Rustic programs. To say the least my second one, Come with Nothing: The Mekong, was life changing and far better than my first one, Marine Life in the DR. CWN was way more engaging and the labor intensive community service felt far more meaningful even through I am way more interested in Environmental issues. I highly recommend both programs, but if you are looking for a true “Rustic” experience, I would say go for a program like CWN. I learned way more about the culture, interacted with tons of locals (we stayed in home stays for the majority of the trip), and bonded with my group SO much. Rustic has amazing staff and connections! I never felt in danger. I was pushed out of my comfort zone perfectly. I would recommend Rustic to everyone!! Even though the costs are high, it was life changing and truly shaped how I want to live my life and explore the world.

I have traveled with Rustic Pathways for two summers and I soon realized that when you come home from your trip, your experience doesn’t end. The connections and friendships you made on your trip carry forward into life in ways you would never expect. I found that my trip not only made me a better traveler and roommate, but a more compassionate person and without going out of my comfort zone and doing Rustic Pathways I would have never taken away such valuable lessons from a regular vacation.

So amazing experiencing another culture. Very safe, well organized and fun!!! I will be taking another trip next summer!