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Featured Post
What You Need to Know About Your 2017 Rustic Pre-Departure Package
- April 29, 2017
- By Brielle Friedman
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Featured Post
Rustic Refugee Program in Baltimore Now More Important Than Ever
- February 17, 2017
- By Jack Weinstein
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Featured Post
Is it safe for my child to travel abroad this summer? And other common concerns from parents
- February 15, 2017
- By Emily Greiff
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How a Group of Rustic Alumni is Educating the World About Myanmar A group of Rustic Pathways alumni returned home from Myanmar in June where they participated in Dreams of Nation and wanted to do something to share what they learned. They... -
Filtered: How to Experience Another Era… No Time Machine Required Ever wanted to be a time traveler when you were growing up? Ancient architecture might be the next best thing to a genuine time machine. It’s hard not to feel... -
Filtered: Exploring Travel Programs for Animal Lovers At Rustic Pathways, we believe one of the best ways to give back is to help a country’s native species thrive. Many Rustic programs focus on conservation efforts around the... -
A Mom’s Story of Preparing Her Teen for International Travel Janice Croze, one of the co-founders of the blog 5 Minutes for Mom, wrote about the process she used to prepare her 15-year-old son for his first high school volunteer... -
USA Today Features Rustic Pathways Rustic Pathways was featured in USA Today. Rustic CEO Chris Stakich said having a global perspective is now more important than ever for high school and college students. “Look at... -
Filtered: 5 Moroccan Memories to Last a Lifetime Offering programs uniquely suited to trailblazers, photographers, and service-oriented students, Rustic Pathway’s students in Morocco are finishing up their final week of travels. From riding a camel through the Sahara,... -
If You’re Not Watching Rustic’s Instagram Stories, You’re Missing Out If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens on a Rustic Pathways program, we’ve got you covered. Tune into our Instagram Stories where just about every day you can get get... -
Filtered: Experiencing the World Outside Your Comfort Zone In contrast to the adrenaline rush of extreme activities, some of the most humbling and meaningful aspects of a Rustic Pathways program include opportunities to step out of your comfort... -
Filtered: Calling All Adrenaline Junkies There’s nothing quite like a true adrenaline rush. At Rustic Pathways, we know adventure can take you to new heights (sometimes literally!) and become some of the most memorable moments... -
Introducing New Rustic Pathways Programs for 2018 While some of you have only just returned from your 2017 programs and others are still traveling, it’s never too early to start thinking about your next adventure! Rustic Pathways’... -
How Rustic Pathways Makes Programming and Operational Decisions At Rustic Pathways, our mission is to empower students through innovative and responsible travel experiences to positively impact lives and communities around the world. Everything we do relates to that... -
Filtered: America the Beautiful When thinking about your next Rustic experience, faraway places probably spring to mind: terraced rice fields in Thailand, serene beaches in the Dominican Republic, or the wild outback of Australia.... -
Filtered: Celebrating Rustic BFFs Near and Far Showing up to the airport for your first Rustic adventure can be a little nerve-wracking for most of us—after all, you haven’t met the rest of your group yet! You... -
How to Teach Your Students to Talk About Development and Service Development is complicated. Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult to describe what you’ve learned (or what you’re preparing to learn) during a culturally-immersive travel experience to friends and family back home. It’s... -
Filtered: 10 Landscapes That Will Take Your Breath Away Some of the most powerful travel experiences happen when you just can’t help but admire a beautiful landscape. Those quiet moments of wonder speak the loudest and become lasting memories.... -
The Rustic Pathways Foundation Paves Way for Greater Impact As Rustic Pathways students embark on another transformative summer, the Rustic Pathways Foundation is pleased to share some exciting news about our funding strategy and—drumroll please—the projects we’ve prioritized with... -
Meet Some of Rustic’s Returning Program Leaders Over the next 10 weeks, more than 400 seasonal staff members will help students navigate airports, customs, and new experiences across 19 different countries and 100+ Rustic Pathways programs. This... -
Filtered: This Week in #sorustic This summer more than 5,000 high school students from around the world will travel with us to 19 different countries! From running summer camps for local youth in the Dominican... -
16 Books that Every Future Change Maker Should Read Inspired by our Critical Issues programs, which aim to help our students become future change makers, we reached out to Rustic Pathways staff to see what books they would recommend.... -
Top Pre-Travel FAQs Thanks to the hundreds of families who joined us recently for our online information session about preparing for summer travel with Rustic Pathways! We wanted to share the top questions... -
5 Things You’re Worried About (and Everyone Else on Your Rustic Trip is Too) You know that feeling when you’re excited and kind of terrified at the same time? That was me before my first Rustic Pathways program. When I was 15, I got... -
What Happened When I Put Down my Cellphone During my Rustic Trip Kayla Brown, of Millbrae, California, traveled with Rustic Pathways in 2016. She wrote about her experiences participating in the Rustic Pathways Children’s Home and Hill Tribes of the Golden Triangle... -
Everything You Need to Know About Tourist Visas Depending on where you travel with Rustic Pathways, you may be required to get a visa ahead of time. If you haven’t done that, the time to start is NOW!... -
Rustic Pathways Travel Experts Share Their Best Packing Tips Added together, Rustic staff members have visited thousands of countries and spent years traveling and living abroad. I asked these travel aficionados and packing ninjas to share their secrets. Keep... -
How to Get a U.S. Passport in 2 Weeks or Less If you are traveling on a Rustic Pathways program this summer, your current passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your arrival date in country. If it... -
What You Need to Know About Your 2017 Rustic Pre-Departure Package Each year we create a special pre-departure package for students who are traveling with us! Continue reading to find out what’s inside (and more behind why we designed and included... -
How Travel Helped Rustic’s Marketing Director Find Her Passion Brielle Friedman is Rustic’s Marketing Director. She’s also an internationally-ranked professional salsa dancer. And she’s managed to do that while figuring out how to balance her full-time job with her... -
Why Keeping a Travel Journal is So Important In the last three years, I’ve lived in a sorority house in Indiana, a rented room on Northwestern University’s campus, a dream of a first apartment in Chicago, and countless... -
5 Tips to Help you Keep a Travel Journal Two weeks ago, I thought I lost one of the most important things to me when my backpack was stolen—my journal. For the past four years, I’ve written a sentence... -
How a Group of Teenage Girls Is Tackling the Global Water Crisis You visited country X. You were impacted by global issue Y. And you returned home with fire in your gut determined to tackle that issue. Then…life got in the way.... -
What Rustic Alumni Wished They Would Have Packed for Their First Trip It’s OK if there’s something you don’t know as you prepare for your Rustic Pathways trip, or even if you’re nervous about traveling abroad. Everyone is thinking about something, and... -
Connecting Your Curriculum to Global Experiences The following post was written by Victoria Shanghai Academy Deputy Principal Les Millard, who has partnered with Rustic Pathways for four years to provide his students with transformative travel experiences.... -
What if Getting a Job After College Graduation was Guaranteed? Developed with executive coaching firm 6th Power, Leader Corps solves a number of problems recent college grads face as they prepare to enter the workforce. Leader Corps, an intensive three-week... -
5 Reasons Why Unplugging Will Improve Your Summer Did you know we spend about nine hours a day consuming some type of media on our phones? That number startled me until realizing I read this statistic on one... -
Introducing the first Rustic Pathways Foundation Alumni Advisory Board The Rustic Pathways Foundation is excited to announce our first-ever Alumni Advisory Board. This is an exciting new initiative aimed at engaging our most active alumni, providing exciting skill-building opportunities, and helping to... -
How an Epic Travel Experience Can Make You a Better Educator Trekking through the Himalayas is likely the last thing on your mind when you’re trying to find time to grade an Everest-sized stack of papers and still get enough sleep... -
This Video Will Remind You of All the Good in the World One of the most amazing things about travel is who you meet and the connections you make along the way. You learn that all people are basically the same. We... -
The Best Way to Prepare for College Gaining a global perspective should be something you do when you’re 18, not 67. Seriously. Think about it. Why wait until you’re retired to explore the world? If you travel... -
Experts Share the Most Popular Summer Travel Options The Rustic Pathways staff who operate our programs in more than 20 countries where students travel have a ridiculous amount of travel knowledge. Many have worked in multiple countries so we... -
Talking All Things Education Live with Thrival World Academies We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Thrival World Academies. Together we’re creating the largest network of publicly-funded travel abroad high schools in the country. The first class left Oakland... -
All Students Welcome on Rustic Pathways Programs With the latest news this week in Washington, we want to reassure families that Rustic Pathways programs are open to all students — including those who identify as transgender or... -
How Travel Helped me Identify my Academic and Career Path Ten years after traveling with Rustic Pathways, we caught up with Rustic alum Heather Lyon to find out how traveling as a teenager forever changed the trajectory of her life. In... -
Cyclone Winston: Looking Back on a Year of Recovery Feb. 20 was the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. The storm left a trail of devastation across many of Fiji’s 332... -
Rustic Refugee Program in Baltimore Now More Important Than Ever Last year, Rustic Pathways students completed 1,351 service hours with Baltimore City Community College’s Refugee Youth Project. Those students served 100 refugee youth, one-third of the 4 to 21 year-olds... -
Is it safe for my child to travel abroad this summer? And other common concerns from parents With the recent changes in Washington many parents are asking themselves “is it safe for my child to travel abroad this summer”? Watch our most recent info session to learn... -
The next generation of change makers is here! Ingrained in the mission of Rustic Pathways is creating a world where all people are connected through a shared humanity, and all decisions are made with a global perspective. In light... -
Why I Keep Coming Back: The Benefits of Traveling Abroad a Second Time Have you heard? Star Alumni is BACK and we’re beyond excited! We love providing our stand-out alumni with the ability to join us again because a second (or third, or... -
How Travel Changed Everything – An Email From A Rustic Alum Taylor Brennan, of Montclair, New Jersey, brought a smile and a beam of hope into our inbox and we think she’ll do the same for you. Read Taylor’s full email—and how travel... -
7 Ways You Know You’re a Rustic Parent How do you know you’re a Rustic parent? You know when… Have you heard the news!? Star Alumni is back now through February 14! Check your inbox for more... -
13 Ways You Know You’re a Rustic Alum We wanted to know what really makes a RP alum. So we asked the experts. You know you’re a Rustic alum when…. Want to submit your idea?... -
Rustic Alum Shares How Travel Taught Her to Stand up for What She Believes We got an email yesterday from a student alum named Carey Davis, a high school senior from Northborough, Massachusetts, and we had to share it with you. Carey told us,... -
Rustic Pathways CEO Answers Questions via Facebook Live Rustic Pathways CEO Chris Stakich joined Rustic’s Evan Morgan for a Facebook Live Q&A that included a short walk around San Francisco and a tour of the Rustic office. Check... -
From Rustic Alum to Executive Director of the Rustic Pathways Foundation If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with the Rustic Pathways ethos: Education, Travel, Philanthropy. We pride ourselves on being a leader in student travel and providing young people with life-changing educational experiences,... -
Why These Parents Invested in Summer Travel and the Impact it had on Their Teenagers As a parent, you want your child to succeed, not just in school but in his or her interpersonal relationships, post-graduation plans, and future career. Most of all, you want... -
Girls Unpack Their Best Advice About Traveling Outside of Your Comfort Zone The following quotes from Rustic Pathways alumni appeared in the Jan. 18 edition of Clover Letter. If you’re not familiar with Clover Letter, it’s a daily dose of perfection designed... -
Thrival Students Prepare for Three Months of Study Abroad in Thailand The first Thrival World Academies class is leaving for Thailand today. Since the school year began in August, the students from Oakland have been preparing for their three months abroad... -
Because Travel Travel has the power to connect us to other people and cultures. It exposes us to new ideas and helps shape who we become. It also reminds us that we’re all part of a shared... -
Closing the Millennial Skills Gap Are you ready for the real world? While a recent study indicated that 87% of college graduates thought they were adequately prepared for their first professional jobs, one-half of hiring... -
How One Student Became the First in his Family to Attend College, and Why he Took a Gap Year First Sharif Campbell was the first member of his family to go to college. But he didn’t rush off to Tufts University, where he’s currently a sophomore studying international relations. Instead,... -
So Much More Than a Summer Internship Mom and dad called. They want to know what you’re doing with your life. 😳 Our Leader Corps program in Peru creates the same opportunities for personal development as the... -
Best Places to Travel in 2017 As 2016 draws to a close, here’s a list to inspire your next adventure. We chose these destinations with the idea that unique experiences will always beat run-of-the-mill vacations. To... -
Looking Back on 2016 Rustic Pathways has a lot to celebrate about what our students, staff, and community partners accomplished in 2016—from the number of service hours our students completed to the results of our... -
Photos That Will Make You Start Planning Your Next Warm Weather Adventure With winter showing its cold ugly face, if you’re anything like this California kid, you’re probably already dreaming of warmer climates. As Rustic’s International Photography Manager, I’ve visited each of... -
Know Before You Go: Indispensable Tips for Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro “What’s your experience with high altitude climbing?” Only at Rustic Pathways does an email with this subject line come into your inbox, and it doesn’t strike you as strange. Were... -
Traveling Makes Us Better People and We Have the Data to Prove It It’s not hard to find anecdotal reports about the benefits of student travel. Knowing that students return from our programs having experienced some type of growth wasn’t enough for us.... -
The Research Behind Why Experiences Make Us Happier Than Things Experiences make us happier than things, according to science. “The good life, in words, may be better lived by doing things than by having things,” psychologists Leaf Van Boven and... -
How We Made an Impact in 2016 We’re excited to present our 2016 Impact Report! Every year (2015, 2014, 2013) we share findings about the impact our programs have on the communities where our students travel. In 2016, our programs... -
3 Easy Ways to Support the Rustic Pathways Foundation Today is Giving Tuesday and it’s never been easier to get involved! The Rustic Pathways Foundation supports locally-driven projects and programs in the regions where we travel. In 2016 alone... -
Gift Experiences for Teens Resources: Why You Should Spend Your Money on Experiences, Not Things Hill Tribes of the Golden Triangle Intro to Photography in Cuba The Refugee Youth Project Spanish Language Immersion Pacific... -
Rustic Pathways Is One of the Best Places to Work…and Outside Magazine Agrees Rustic Pathways is excited and honored to be named one of Outside Magazine’s Top 100 Best Places to Work in 2016. According to Outside, this list “showcases companies that make employee... -
Turning Your Gap Year Into a Career Alex Biddle, a Rustic Pathways program manager in the Dominican Republic, uses her Spanish on a daily basis. While she manages service projects and oversees adventure programs, she frequently has... -
How 3 Schools Customized Their Group Travel Programs We understand that every school, curriculum, educator, and reason for traveling is different. An itinerary that might be perfect for you may not be the right fit for someone else.... -
I Want To Fundraise For My Service-Learning Trip But Don’t Know Where to Start Creating a crowdfunding page isn’t the only way to fundraise for a service-learning trip (but it can be a great one). We chatted with a handful of alumni who have successfully fundraised... -
Photos That Will Remind You We Are All Connected Together we’re building a world that celebrates diversity, inclusivity, acceptance, and peace. These photos remind us that we live in an amazing world where diversity and a connected humanity should be celebrated. -
This is How We’re Fundamentally Changing Education Whenever I meet someone, the conversation inevitably turns to travel. But it’s more than just knocking countries off of a bucket list—we talk about the people we met, what we... -
So You Want to Change the World? Join us in Morocco — For Free! Introducing Rustic Pathways’ first-ever By Invitation Program! Designed to give future change makers the chance to tackle one of today’s most pressing global issues hands on, each year Rustic Pathways... -
Photos That Will Make You Want to Travel Back in Time I thought my first visit to Cuba would be like visiting a country down on it’s luck. I expected to see abject poverty and crumbling infrastructure, a country struggling to... -
5 Ways to Become A Change Maker Following current events can feel super overwhelming. Headlines splashed with violence and fear, climate change, political injustice, gender inequality… the world can look like a messy place. At Rustic, we’re... -
Malia Obama is Taking a Gap Year; So Should You Last Spring, Malia Obama announced that she would defer her Harvard acceptance to take a gap year. We’re on pins and needles to learn how she plans to spend her... -
Photos That Will Make You Want To Sell Your Belongings and Move to a Floating Village The following photo series from Rustic Pathways staff member, Mary O’Connor, depicts life in the Prek Toal floating village in Cambodia. The friendly faces of the villagers, the vibrant colors of... -
How To Fundraise For Your Service-Learning Trip: Tips and Ideas That Actually Work Fundraising is about bringing your community together in support of a goal to positively influence the world. Convince donors that travel is a powerful experience and you are committed to... -
Rustic Gap Year Joins AGA Ranks We are proud to announce our recently approved status as an accredited member organization of the American Gap Association! As gap years become more widely accepted by students and universities... -
Getting Your Students out of the Classroom is Easier Than You Think What you can expect from partnering with Rustic Pathways Group Travel. We understand that by planning a trip for your students you’re taking on extra responsibilities to provide an incredible... -
How My Gap Year Prepared Me For So Much More Than Just College Hannah Repke graduated from high school outside of Washington DC. She was accepted to the University of Virginia, but something about going straight to college didn’t feel right. Hannah recognized she... -
Coffee Connoisseurs: Add These Destinations to Your Travel Bucket List Happy National Coffee Day! Bravotv.com celebrated the holiday by highlighting the 8 Best Places in the World to Travel If You Love Coffee. Among them was Costa Rica. Many Rustic... -
How do you know if a Critical Issues program is right for you? Today’s world is faced with challenges that are exceedingly complex and difficult to solve. Human rights abuse, systemic inequality, environmental degradation — our global challenges cross borders, languages, and cultures,... -
How this 17 year old’s passion to end domestic violence led her to India Grace Wickerson is passionate about creating awareness of what a healthy relationship looks like. Her non-profit, Kickin’ Violence educates adolescents on respecting boundaries, healthy relationships, and self defense. The organization... -
The Reveal: Our Newest Programs for 2017 Summer is coming to a close meaning it’s time to switch gears, break out your fresh notebooks for the school year (Moleskines are our go to), and start planning your... -
RP Foundation Furnishes Nasivikoso School and Teachers’ Houses The Nasivikoso School in Fiji is now equipped with brand new furniture in the school and teachers’ houses thanks to the more than $10,000 raised by RP Foundation Development Ambassadors... -
Sacred Valley Project Expands Reach Our dedicated Development Ambassadors raised more than $16,000 in support of the Sacred Valley Project in Peru last year. The project provides a safe living space, nutritious meals, and supplementary... -
New Faces and Vocational Skills Program at RP Children’s Home In 2015, Rustic Pathways Foundation Development Ambassadors and donors raised more than $10,000 for the Rustic Pathways Children’s Home (RPCH). These funds provided meals, school supplies, transportation, clothing, and toiletries to... -
RP Foundation Constructs New Facilities at Nambark Ethnic School A lot of progress has been made at Nambark Ethnic School in the last year. The construction of a two-story dormitory, an indoor bathing room, and a new toilet block... -
RP Foundation Shows Commitment to Building Prek Toal Primary School Project The elementary school in Prek Toal, Cambodia, is sinking. In a demonstration of its commitment to this project, the Rustic Pathways Foundation has pledged $25,000 from its discretionary fund to... -
RP Foundation Provides 75 Scholarships to Cambodian Primary School Students We are excited to announce that 75 additional students in Kampong Cham, Cambodia will receive scholarships thanks to over $16,000 raised by our Development Ambassadors in 2015. We are proud... -
RP Foundation caps off 2015 with $120,000 fundraising campaign The Rustic Pathways Foundation is proud to announce that its 2015 end-of-year campaign was its most successful fundraising campaign in the organization’s history. Nearly 170 staff, alumni, and friends of... -
Sacred Valley Project Founder Highlighted Alongside Nobel Peace Prize Winner OLLANTAYTAMBO, Peru—Sacred Valley Project Founder and Rustic Pathways Peru Country Manager Alex Ball was recently highlighted in an article published by Matador Network. He was hailed as a “hero working... -
5 Ways to #traveldeeper If you check out #traveldeeper on Instagram, you’ll find a slew of beautiful, vibrant travel photos. But what does it mean to “travel deep”? What’s the difference between capturing a... -
Celebrating Independence Around the World Achieving independence is perhaps the most important milestone in any country’s history. It makes sense then that these countries’ independence holidays are characterized by large celebratory events (like fireworks parades,... -
Liner brothers rally support for Nong Khiaw dormitory In an effort to learn about the religion, culture and economy of Southeast Asia, Andrew, Matthew, and William Liner went on an educational trip to region with Rustic Pathways during... -
Advice from Gap Parents Supporting your child in their choice to take a gap year isn’t always easy. You might be worried they won’t return to school, nervous about them traveling abroad, or wondering... -
Costa Rica | A to Z From the land of pura vida, good vibes, and gallo pinto, this A to Z list will give you some insight and fun facts on what to expect when you... -
Fijian Prime Minister visits Nasivikoso Village School On January 16, the Prime Minister of Fiji, Vorqe Bainimarama, visited the Nasivikoso Village School Project to officially open the two classrooms, teachers’ quarters and bathroom facilities his office contributed... -
Gap Year Program Leader Highlight: Max Veenema Name: Max Veenema Gap Year Program Leader: South Pacific Service and Ocean Skills How did you begin working for Rustic Pathways? I started working with Rustic in the Fiji Islands.... -
The Impact of a Gap Year Why does someone choose to take a gap year? What do they really learn about themselves and about the world? Hear three of our alumni, Kelsey, Sharif, and Lance, speak... -
Advice From Alumni Last month, we addressed some common fears and worries that both first time travelers and seasoned travelers alike could relate to before embarking on a new adventure. We then took this... -
15 Great Ideas for Your Summer Bucket List Summer’s finally here and that means almost three whole months to get outside, dive into a good book, hit the road for an adventure of a lifetime, and explore! Check out... -
How to Talk to Your Parents About a Gap Year You want to take a gap year. You want to explore, learn outside the classroom, and gain real life skills. You’re ready to go, but there’s one small step left—you... -
Capture | Burma Although I have photographed all over the world, Burma continues to be a place of mystery, warmth, and beauty to me. The country and its people offer a unique view... -
Peru | A to Z Alpaca. Alpaca everything, everywhere. Alpaca socks? You bet. Alpaca leggings? Of course. Alpaca steak? Even better. A common cuisine in the High Andes, alpaca is similar to buffalo... -
Capture | Staff Travels in Southeast Asia In January 2015, I quit my job and packed my bags to trek through Southeast Asia. During this time, I led Come With Nothing programs in Laos and Thailand with... -
Revelations from the Road How I quit my job to travel through Asia: One year ago, after much apprehension, I stepped out of a comfortable career and watched a whole new world open up for... -
10 Things You’re Probably Worried About (and everyone else on your Rustic trip is too) When I was fifteen, I got on a plane by myself for the first time and flew to LAX from Ft. Myers, Florida to meet up with a group of... -
Our First Annual Rustic Pathways Summit! Two weeks ago 113 Rustic Pathways team members from around the world gathered in Ohio for our largest company gathering to date. The mission of the week was to bring... -
Donations: What to Bring and What Not to Bring on Your Rustic Trip Rustic Pathways supports sustainable development. We work with community partners to develop projects that address important social, health, and environmental needs, enabling our students to take a hands-on role in... -
How to be Rustic Being rustic is being your authentic self, putting cliques and stereotypes aside, trying new foods (and toilets!), and having an absolute blast while doing so. Being rustic is not being... -
An open letter to students with cell phones Dear Students, We are going to ask you not to use your cell phones on your Rustic Pathways program. Before anyone panics, we want to explain our reasoning and hope... -
Alumni Spotlight | Getting to Know Sasha High We want you to meet Sasha. Sasha traveled to Cambodia and India with Rustic Pathways in 2010 and 2011, and has gone on to become an epic citizen of the... -
An open letter to parents about cell phones Dear Parents and Family Members, Most of us working at Rustic remember traveling before smart phones and WiFi hotspots. We packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and disconnected from friends... -
Happy Earth Day! Happy (almost) Earth Day! This Friday, April 23rd, is the 46th annual celebration dedicated to raising awareness and demonstrating support for our beautiful planet and environment. Millions of people... -
Alumni Spotlights | Zoe and Camila This month, our Alumni Spotlights are two international Gap Year semester students: Zoe, hailing from north of Sydney, Australia, and Camila, from Mexico City, Mexico. In spring of 2015, Zoe... -
India | A to Z Aam: The Hindi word for mango—also called the “King of Fruits.” Summer is mango season, bringing with it roadside stands overflowing with these sweet, juicy delights and offering fresh juice... -
Key Clubber Spotlights Last summer, 34 Key Clubbers from across the United States traveled to the Dominican Republic to take their service global. During a one-week service trip, they immersed themselves in local... -
Gap Year Program Leader Highlight: Allison Kuney Allison Kuney has been a Program Leader for Rustic Pathways since 2014. She has led programs throughout Fiji and the South Pacific and is currently leading gap year students on... -
Capture | Morocco I’d like to introduce you to Lauren Dahlhauser, a talented photographer that helped guide students through Moroccan cities and deserts throughout our 2015 summer season and captured its magic and... -
Happy World Water Day! In honor of today, we’re highlighting a few of our high school summer programs that focus on water! Whether you’re scuba diving in Fiji, whitewater rafting in Peru, or laying... -
12 Ways to Conserve Water on World Water Day In 1992, the United Nations founded World Water Day as an opportunity for people around the world to learn about water-related issues. 663 million people are without access to clean... -
Why It’s Important to Take Time to Discover “I want to make it to 80 [years old] and be exhausted because I have been alive and awake every day.” That is exactly how I want to live my... -
Pandas, Glaciers, and the Importance of Conservation | SAS Interim Week 2015 Greetings from China! Recently, fellow program leaders Connor, Mary, and myself led a group of students and their teachers from the Singapore American School on their Interim Week program in... -
Our (not-so) Secret Formula to Exceptional Programs There are a lot of ways a Rustic Pathways program adds value to your students’ education. When traveling with Rustic Pathways, you can select from a menu of incredible and... -
Capture | Gap Year Costa Rica The role of Photographer Guide allows one to take a step beyond observing your subject, but experience and connect in the moment. Creating an image, freezing the moment in time,... -
Capture | Fiji On February 20th, the islands of Fiji were hit by the worst storm to ever strike the southern hemisphere. The devastating Cyclone Winston killed at least 42 people and left... -
Tanzania | A to Z Avocado: Thought you’d miss creamy avocados and guacamole while traveling in East Africa? Think again. Tanzanian avocados are delicious and abundant. Occasionally, trees drop avocados to the unsuspecting passerby below, so... -
Alumni Spotlight | Cailey Newton This month’s Alumni Spotlight is shining on Cailey Newton. She is a three-program Rustic veteran after traveling to Peru, Thailand and Laos, and fundraising for the programs on her own.... -
Alumni Spotlight | Development Ambassadors: Madi, Cate, and Sydney During this past winter of 2015, our non-profit organization Rustic Pathways Foundation launched the biggest fundraiser to date. Nearly 170 staff, alumni, and friends volunteered their time to fundraise for... -
How To Figure Out Your Life Through A Roadtrip If we had to guess, we’d say about 95% of high school seniors aren’t totally sure what they want to do, where they want to study, or what career path... -
Rehydration Expertise, And Other Reasons To Be A Program Leader Our application for 2016 Program Leaders will be closing on February 10! We could give you a hundred reasons why working with us this summer would be an incredible experience,... -
The Traveling Classroom It’s one thing to learn about a different culture and country from a textbook, and then it’s completely different to experience them firsthand. Hear about the power of service learning from Mark Pim, a teacher... -
Where will 2016 take you? On January 1st, you said 2016 was the year you learn something new, venture out of your comfort zone, and go on more epic adventures. January is almost over—are you still committed... -
5 Resolutions, One Way To Keep Them All 2016 is here! Were you one of the millions of people who made a New Year’s resolution? Well, according to Statistic Brain, only 8% of people who make a resolution... -
Alumni Spotlight | Eric and Besart Every month, we highlight awesome alumni that have made an impact in their community since their program, shared their favorite #sorustic memories with us, or have great advice to pass along.... -
Why We Travel The other night, my wife and I were talking about raising our three sons and how important we feel it is to take a family Gap Year. In 2022, when... -
10 Gifts on Every Traveler’s Wish List The holidays are quickly approaching, and if you’re not done with your holiday shopping, you certainly aren’t alone. But don’t panic—we have all the travelers on your list covered. Be... -
Alumni Spotlight | Nabilla, Sarah, and Maggie This month’s spotlights are shining on three awesome girls whose programs in Morocco, India, and Thailand far exceeded their expectations. Hear about their eye-opening experiences and the connections Nabilla, Sarah,... -
Giving Tuesday | 3 Ways to Give Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and we are going to do something radical—ask you to give. What is Giving Tuesday, you ask? It’s the philanthropic answer to Black Friday and Cyber... -
41,973 lives impacted in 2015 As 2015 quickly comes to a close, we wanted to look back on the past year and see how we impacted our global community. In collaboration with Sustainable Travel International,... -
New Beginnings in Baltimore One of the greatest aspects of travel is the feeling of a welcoming community in an unknown place and meeting people who will help you adjust to their culture, food,... -
Service in the High Andes with Morristown Beard In honor of Travel Tuesday, I wanted to share a post written by one of our program leaders in collaboration with the students and teachers of Morristown Beard School. The... -
Alumni Spotlight | Isabella, Cameron, and Maria This month, we’re featuring Isabella, Cameron, and Maria. These three awesome Rustic alum adventured with us this past summer and shared some thoughts about what it’s like to travel outside their... -
Travel and College Applications | 5 tips to make your essay stand out Traveling during your high school years is a fantastic way to broaden your perspective and grow and mature as a person. We’re especially certain of that here at Rustic Pathways!... -
Student Perspective: Photography vs. Reality Lance Oppenheim is a talented photographer and videographer who was awarded one of our Gap Year Global Ambassador Scholarships. While traveling throughout Southeast Asia and India, Lance was captivated by... -
Trouble in the Bateyes Photographer guide and Rustic Crew member Michelle Kanaar worked with us in the Dominican Republic last summer, where she spent time in the bateyes, marginalized Haitian-Dominican communities mostly populated by... -
In Search of Home | Refugee Stories Europe has been facing a huge refugee crisis for years, but conditions have worsened in the last few months. Millions of people are fleeing their homes from war, violence, and... -
Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon Here at Rustic Pathways, adventure comes in all shapes in sizes. Whether your adventure is teaching English in India, learning to surf in Costa Rica, or building a new school... -
10 Ways to Promote Your Program Promoting your trip is all about getting the word out to interested students and their families… not to mention, it can create some pretty powerful results! Below are 10 simple,... -
Alumni Spotlight | Christopher Regan The year was 1995. During a free period at his Chicago high school, 15-year-old Christopher Regan sat in the audience during a Rustic Pathways presentation. He was immediately hooked. CR:... -
What’s New at Rustic Pathways? Over the weekend, Rustic Pathways was recognized as the Best Youth Tour Operator by the 2015 World Youth Student and Educational Conference. We are honored to receive this award, and... -
6 Reasons Why You Need To Go To Burma Now We don’t want to brag, but we’ve been traveling to Burma for years, before it was the cool thing to do. Since the ’90s, we’ve been bringing travelers to this... -
Capture | Best of Summer 2015 It’s been a month since our 2015 programs wrapped and we are still going through the thousands of images our photographer guides shot over the course of the summer. While we... -
Alumni Spotlight | Dan, Sasha, and Molly It’s no surprise that Rustic Pathways students care about the world around them. This month, we’re highlighting three alumni who their passions for human rights, service, and travel on their... -
The Insider’s Guide to the New 2016 Programs The summer might be over, but it’s not too early to start thinking about Summer 2016, especially considering all the amazing new programs we have in store. From adding Cuba... -
Why You Should Take a Gap Year It’s probably pretty obvious how we feel about taking a gap year, so we thought for this post we would let a Rustic alum tell you why you should consider... -
Our Summer Story We had an incredible summer and it was all thanks to our amazing students, staff, and families. Thank you for trying new things, getting dirty during service, and stepping far... -
Alumni Spotlight | Nicole, Maddie, and Lena This month, we’re featuring awesome alumni Nicole, Maddie, and Lena. They shared stories about their Rustic experiences and how they stayed involved in service long after their programs ended. Read below... -
Capture | India Photography is a beautiful thing. We are able to put ourselves in places that we could never imagine being, gaze upon faces we might never meet, and experience emotions that... -
2015 #Sorustic Photo Contest | Enter Now! Enter Our #sorustic2015 Photo Contest Your program may be over but it just might be the beginning of your next adventure. Pick one of your photos from your Rustic program... -
4th of July Around the World We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! With so many of us around the world, we thought we would share some pictures of our unconventional, yet equally... -
Alumni Spotlight | Kaleigh, Tristan, and Allie Now that summer has started and our programs are under way, Rustic alum’s Kaleigh, Tristan, and Allie share how their Rustic programs impacted them. Their reflections showcase how traveling helped them... -
Gap Year | Ultimate African Explorer Rustic Pathways Gap is excited to share some highlights from our new Ultimate African Explorer program! Members of our Gap Year team recently set out on a MASSIVE road trip... -
The Threat of Nature Deficit Disorder It’s time to “rewild the child,” says the British writer George Monbiot. “Every child in every school in the country, every term, should have a week in the countryside. And... -
Alumni Spotlight | Maya This month we’re featuring alum Maya Elia! After returning home from her program to Thailand last summer, she started Elepants, a non-profit that sells Thai Harem pants and donates 100%... -
The Power of a Gap Year While the data on students taking a Gap year is sparse, one thing is clear—more students are choosing to take a Gap experience, and the number grows every year. It... -
Alumni Spotlight | Emma and Carolyn We are just a few weeks away from the start of our summer programs. As you start to pack your bags and get ready for your own adventures, we asked... -
Rustic Alumni Spotlight | Basil, Rachael, and Sloane Congratulations to our graduating seniors! As you finish finals and your high school careers come to a close, we hope you take a moment to congratulate yourselves on four years... -
How to be Rustic Please put your phone away. Your program leaders are going to tell you this on your program, not because they want to be controlling, but because they want you to... -
Capture | Peru Through our Capture series, we have seen some incredible images from Tanzania and Costa Rica. Now we go to Peru with Brooke Warren, one of our photographer guides who worked... -
Cambodia—A Rustic Love Story With only 55 days before the start of summer programs, everyone at Rustic is getting excited to welcome students to their countries and lead them on incredible adventures. Many of... -
Rustic Alumni Spotlight | Caroline, Molly, and Natalie We hope that students get a lot out of their Rustic Pathways experience—that the impact of our programs is long lasting and far reaching. We want students to gain appreciation... -
Rustic in the News | Rutgers Today Happy Friday! We recently had the pleasure of running a program in the Dominican Republic for a group of college students from Rutgers University. Women from the Africana House at... -
Advice from Parent Alumni With summer programs quickly approaching, anxiety about putting your child on a plane by themself might be building up. Did I make the right decision? Am I crazy sending my... -
Staff Spotlight: Wanalapa ‘Nan’ Loedbunlattana Editor’s Note: In an effort to spread awareness of our global projects and celebrate the passionate and courageous individuals that support the Rustic Pathways Foundation, we are launching a series... -
Alumni Spotlight | Nicho and Jake For most of our alumni, their Rustic experience doesn’t end just because their program is over. Our alumni return home and create clubs to help support their program’s community service... -
Vote for Rustic’s new USA program Fact: You don’t have to leave the USA to have an incredible adventure. There is so much to explore right here at home that we are going to open another... -
Capture | Tanzania Being a photo editor has its perks. Reviewing photos every day allows me to travel and see the world without having to pack a bag or find my passport. One minute,... -
Together, We Are Rustic Pathways Beyond the opportunity to engage with new cultures, step outside of your comfort zone, and go places you’ve never been before; what makes a Rustic Pathways experience so special, are the... -
Rustic in the News | Goabroad.com Happy Friday! Recently, our very own Brent Watkins, vice president of program operations, talked with goabroad.com about his experiences working with Rustic, his extensive travels in Southeast Asia, and about... -
Working for Rustic | Thoughts from our Program Leaders This is not your average job. In fact, working as a program leader over the summer for Rustic is about as atypical as it gets when it comes to work.... -
Shwedagon and Sunrises | Brooke’s Gap Experience Happy Thursday! Since our Gap Blocks and Semesters kicked off on February 1st, we thought we would check in with a former Gap participant and ask about their experience. Enter... -
New Video | A Traveler’s Manifesto Check out our new video, A Traveler’s Manifesto. Guaranteed to spark your wanderlust. If you need more awesome videos in your life, look no further than the videos section on... -
Staff Travels | Turkey To be quite honest, Turkey was not on my travel bucket list. If you asked me where I wanted to go next, I would say India, Colombia, Bora Bora, the... -
Capture | Costa Rica 861,571. That’s how many photographs we have collected from our programs over the years. Each summer we send photographer guides out on our programs to capture the stunning imagery that... -
Staff Travels | London People who work for Rustic are a unique breed; when we aren’t traveling for work, we often travel on the side for fun and a bit of adventure. As you... -
2014 Service Report As promised, the 2014 Service Report is hot off the press and ready for your viewing pleasure. For those of you busy preparing for the holidays and can’t read the... -
Service at Rustic Earlier this year, Ann Fuller, Rustic Pathways’ director of global community service, talked with our partner Kiwanis about “voluntourism” and our service projects, and we thought it was worth sharing.... -
Rustic Recs | What to pack this summer Even though summer trips don’t depart for another 200 days or so, it isn’t too early to get excited and start collecting the things you’ll need for your program, especially... -
What happens after a Rustic Pathways program? As a former Rustic Pathways student, I’m excited to share our newest video with you — and not just because I’m in it! Over the years Rustic Pathways has helped me, and... -
Sloth Bears Shouldn’t Dance Have you ever seen a bear dance? Outside of The Jungle Book, sloth bears aren’t meant to be dancing. That’s why Rustic Pathways and Wildlife SOS initiated a partnership designed to work with... -
Humans of Rustic | SE Asia Edition This summer, inspired by photographer Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, we began to collect photographs and stories of our students, staff, and community partners. The project facilitated interaction and dialogue... -
Why I Ditched My Friends and Traveled Alone Rustic Alum Dany G. traveled from her hometown of Monterrey, Mexico to join our Rebuilding New Orleans program. She did not know anyone enrolled in the program, and was nervous about... -
Travel Changes Everything Travel changes everything. It changes you. The things you see, the stories you hear, and the moments you experience, they change something deep inside of you. You can’t quite pinpoint... -
Traveling is Not Fun “Expect your heart to get a little bit broken, in fact shattered and scattered…but there’s something beautiful about how we’ll be changed by one another” – Jordan Edelheit Jordan joined... -
What 4 Students Learned From Travel This time of year, letters from students and parents fill our inboxes (and snail mail boxes!) with tales of extraordinary experiences and positive impact. They refuel us for another fantastic... -
#RusticReunion | Program leaders reunite in Tahoe! Rustic staff members have a knack for meeting up with friends in beautiful locations around the world. This past weekend, full time staff members Mary O’Connor and Casey Atchley, and... -
Why I Left My 9 to 5 Job for a Summer in Fiji As part of our summer internship program, seasoned Rustic alum Elizabeth Ronzio joined the team as our Fiji Communications Coordinator! Here’s what she has to say about her summer living... -
Returning to Burma: The Staff Stories Behind Our New 2015 Program If you’ve traveled with us before, you know that we’re all about the people. Our local staff are a huge part of what makes us. They are also the driving... -
Welcome! Hello and welcome to the Rustic Pathways Blog! We are so excited to launch our brand new website and online Rustic community. We’ll be sharing updates including new programs, videos, special events,... -
Staff Travels: An Adventure to Patagonia It isn’t surprising that Rustic Pathways staff love to travel. It’s why we do what we do. Outside of leading trips and planning community service projects, we also love to... -
From Outdoor Enthusiast to Director of Global Programming My whole life, I have had a passion for bringing people together on adventures. Outdoor adventures melded me into the person I am today, and I wholeheartedly believe Rustic Pathways... -
Our Community Service Philosophy | Meet Ann Fuller, Part 2 As director of community service for Rustic Pathways, I am passionate about working with our local partners to develop sustainable initiatives that have a positive impact for both the community... -
Preparing Students for Success in a Global Society When I wake up each morning, I’m consumed by a seemingly simple question: How can I best prepare our generation of students to address the emerging global issues that will...