There are three ways that we work to achieve our vision of creating a world where travel is a model of sustainable development that has a positive impact in the places where we operate programs: responsible travel, community service, and the Rustic Pathways Foundation.
Responsible Travel
We are committed to decreasing our environmental footprint, stimulating local economies, supporting community initiatives, and teaching our students responsible travel practices. We travel to locations where tourists rarely go, buy goods from locally-owned businesses, and respect local cultures and customs. Our programs provide direct support for education, infrastructure development, conservation, and other community projects.
Community Service
We believe through responsible travel and well-designed service initiatives, our students can gain an understanding of pressing social and environmental challenges at a global level and help combat these challenges at a local level by:
- Identifying and designing long-term projects with local partners
- Providing students opportunities to engage in meaningful service
- Working together to achieve community and student goals
- Monitoring and evaluating the process and impact of ongoing initiatives
- Ensuring projects are sustainable and have a lasting impact
The Rustic Pathways Foundation
The Rustic Pathways Foundation is a key piece of how we support the communities where we travel.
The foundation is a non-profit organization that was initially started because students returned from programs inspired and wanted to stay involved with the communities they visited with Rustic. Through the foundation, the Rustic Pathways community raised more than $500,000 since 2016.
Foundation Projects
- Global General Project Fund
- Australia Wildlife Fund
- Cambodia Education Fund
- Costa Rica Development Fund
- Dominican Republic Housing Fund
- Fiji Education Fund
- Laos Education Fund
- Peru Amazon Conservation Fund
- Peru (Sacred Valley) Education Fund
- Tanzania Education Fund
- Thailand Education Fund
- United States (Baltimore) Refugee Fund
- United States (New Orleans) Housing Fund