Rustic Pathways

My week on Rustic Pathways’s turtle conservation trip was an incredible vessel in exposing me to conservation opportunities. My time in Costa Rica was mainly spent in Camaronal Wildlife Refuge, participating in activities to benefit the turtles who find themselves on their beaches. I have always loved marine conservation, and it was a dream come to to be able to safely interact with sea turtles through night walks. The conversations I had with the refuge guide as well as seeing the impact of the work we did solidified this commitment to conservation.

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Honestly I was so scared going into a country thousands of miles away from my family with people I never really met, but Rustic Pathways made the experience feel so safe. First they have group zoom meeting with the other kids going on the same trip, so kids like myself could feel less uncomfortable if we weren’t completely strangers. What stood out to me was that there was another kid who already did the trip, but helped us understand what we could expect making the experience more comfortable. The staff watching over us were so passionate about keeping us safe, educated, and having a fun experience. What also stood out was making sure that the kids with dietary restrictions still had food that was enjoyable. I remember when we ate at a restaurant the staff brought gluten free ingredients like sauces for the chef to cook with just in case they didn’t have a gluten free menu. The experience itself was so much fun that I never really was on my phone besides calling my family before bed. I remember when all us kids missed our pets so much, but couldn’t pet stray dogs or cats; so they somehow managed to fit a cat cafe into our tight schedule. The staff always check on us to make sure we are comfortable and having fun which made the experience so great. And they got to educate us about the kingdom, the religions, the forests/plants, the history of Thailand, the food, the animals, the beliefs, the language, and so much more. Honestly I wished that I found out about this program when I was 13, so I could go on more teen trips. It truly was my favorite memory of all time and I really do hope to have more experiences like I did for the future.

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My son participated in a program with Rustic Pathways in Costa Rica last year, and it was an incredibly positive experience for both him and our family. The counselors updates, looking at the photos and videos gave me a great sense of comfort and connection. He was able to keep his phone, so we stayed in touch throughout the trip. Hearing how happy and even on days focused on community service validated that I chose the right camp. The program was a wonderful balance between meaningful work and fun. He is super excited to go on a trip this year to Belize My son returned home more independent, and inspired to continue to connect with many cultures and see the world.

My son went to Belize with Rustic Pathways summer 2025. He said he had a great time and enjoyed experiencing new things. He said Snorkeling was a favorite. As a parent I felt well informed and I enjoyed the fact they uploaded pictures for us to see

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This past summer I traveled on the Hawaii Surf Snorkel and Service program and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. My group was with 11 other girls and 3 leaders from around the world. We saw an active volcano, sea turtles in the ocean, and many fish with snorkeling off of the catamaran boat... and so much more. We also did service in the farms which allowed me to learn so much about the Hawaiian culture. Not only were there hundreds of opportunities for amazing instagram photos, but most of the time we were so busy living in the moment that we didn't even think to take any photos. And it was okay because our leaders were always taking awesome photos! I met amazing people on this trip, people that taught me lessons about myself that I would have never been able to learn otherwise. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. Everyday we did multiple new and exciting things, but if someone wasn't comfortable one of the leaders were always there for help. Now after 2 months, I still talk with the girls I went on the trip with and they have become my best friends. If you are contemplating whether or not to go on this trip I tell you to 100% book the ticket right now, and that you will not regret it!!!

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I really enjoyed the service—teaching English to students and everything that came with it! I loved connecting with locals and learning about their culture. Huge shout out to Chang-Mo, Heeju, Yuri, Annabel, and Amy—they were amazing group leaders and made the whole experience even better!!!!!!!!

Initially, I was scared to go on this trip. Even once we got there I was still nervous. As soon as I met the group leaders and one of the students, I felt right at home. Everyone was so nice, and I genuinely had the best time ever. I loved being immersed in the Korean culture.

On my Korea trip, I met some really cool people, had life changing experiences and made so many new connections. I really bonded with everyone on the trip and the group leaders were so amazing. 10/10 would go on another trip!!

I had a great time there made new friends and had fun experiences. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………:::::::…….:.;.;..;…;………………………:::..:..:.::..::..:::::::..:::…..:….

So fun W trip I had a W time this trip so fun and bussin food I will be returning for the adventure maybe to a more wild location like the wilderness so I had a W time thank you rustic pathways for this

I went on the Rustic Pathways Thailand Adventurer trip, and it was the best experiences of my life. The leaders were absolutely fantastic and always there whenever you need them. The company itself was very well ran and organized. The people were all super nice making my time even more enjoyable! All the activities were super fun and I loved my time traveling, exploring, and immersing myself into the Thailand culture!

It was so much fun! I tried so many new foods and experiences. The counslers were all super fun and easy to talk to. The service we did was fun and hard work. Overall I loved it and would definitely recommend.

This was the best community service trip ever! I got to learn many new things and skills. I made many new connections and friends along the way. Got to experience white water rafting and zip lining as well!

It was super duper fun made so many new friends! Dani’s so cool and so is Dane, gabbi,Lauren. Dane always brings the dance party💃. I came by my self but leaving with so many new friends and experiences.

it was very fun and i had a great time. i would wanna do this again next summer.its cool exploring costa rica and learning the culture here and exploring with these new connections. dani is cool!!!!!!

I really enjoyed the experience of Japan! It was a big opportunity and getting to do it with my best friend was one of the best experiences. I would totally recommend it and it made me a lot more independent and confident person!

Going to Thailand was an amazing life changing experience! I met so many amazing people and had so much amazing food!! If I had to option to go back I’d go back any day, and over all my favorite thing was bathing the elephants!!’

My daughter wanted to travel the world, and I can’t thank Rustic Pathways enough for helping us make this possible! From the very first interactions, to the end, Rustic and their team were amazing to work with, while always communicating and keeping us informed every step of the way! My daughter stayed in a castle during her trip to Italy, made homemade pasta, went to lake Garda and volunteered by assisting with town cleanup!

Enthusiasm of the staff. Hike through the snow to the monastery & hiking in the national park. Sleeping in the Gers/Waking up in the ger. Being able to do different things everyday was so cool and got to experience a lot

I loved the service activities we did and learning about the fijian people, community and language. Connecting with the locals and helping the villages and womens shelter was one of my favorite parts