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 about their gap journeys. Check out our newest video: The Impact of a Gap Year
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. So we created a framework to intentionally design our programs and assess what and how students learned from them. According to the results from our…
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 and working at our Eco-Lodge. “Just over three months ago I was at a point in my career where I wasn't learning enough, there was…
Travel with purpose. Learn how to minimize your environmental footprint and support local communities through responsible and sustainable travel practices. Responsible travel is all about positively impacting the destinations we travel to, something we are all about at Rustic Pathways.
Teens can develop cultural sensitivity on travel programs by practicing openness, respecting local traditions, adapting communication styles, and engaging with locals. These experiences help build essential skills for navigating diverse cultures
“Rustic” lodging can include camping, or staying in huts, or even boats. Here are some of the lodging differences
Stanford University professors have found an extraordinarily effective way to help people understand different points of view. This groundbreaking process will be shared with Rustic Pathways students from 25 countries who'll be participating in the Global Youth Climate Summit.
A special online program is being launched this July by the Stanford University Center for Deliberative Democracy and the Rustic Pathways Foundation. The Global Youth Climate Summit will challenge students in 7th-12th grade to design innovative solutions to environmental issues.
Mental health statistics show that the well-being of many teens drastically declined during the pandemic. Parents can help teens find their way back through international programs that are designed to build connections.
Find out how easy it is to enroll in a Rustic trip by following these three steps: 1. Pick your Rustic experience. Before you…
If you’re thinking there are new travel restrictions the United States government imposed on Cuba last year, that’s true. But they have absolutely no…
Each December, we start the four-month process of narrowing our pool of more than 1,000 Program Leaders candidates to just a few hundred. About…
Learn the answers to these important safety questions before sending your teen on high school travel programs.
Whether I’m going away for a long weekend or a few weeks on the road the staples in my carry-on are always the same.…
Learn how Rustic Pathways manages travel emergencies with crisis simulations and real-world responses to ensure the safety of students during their global adventures.
64-80 hours. That’s how long the average Rustic Pathways Program Leader spends training for their role leading service trips for high school students after…
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…
At Rustic Pathways, our mission is to empower students to positively impact lives and communities around the world…