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 as part of our partnership with Thrival to build the largest network of publicly-funded study abroad high schools in the country. As part of that…
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 humanity. That's why we made this video, featuring the following poem written by Louis Bryant III, one of Rustic Pathways' program leaders. Although it seems as…
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 first Student Impact Evaluation. So we broke down 2016 by the numbers. We added operations in Cuba, including two new programs—of the nine…
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…
We're excited to present our 2016 Impact Report! Every year we share findings about the impact our programs have on the communities where our students travel. In 2016, our programs impacted 37,491 lives. That number includes our community partners, international staff, and the students who participated in Rustic programs this year. This year, we also…
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 we raised more than $250,000 to support 15 projects in 10 countries. We work directly with communities to identify high priority needs and then collect donations…
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 health and happiness a point of pride." Maybe we're biased, but Rustic exemplifies these qualities by allowing us to work from literally anywhere and providing free travel perks. Rustic also…
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 for their Rustic Pathways programs. They wanted to share the keys to their success. For more ideas, read our fundraising tips and tricks and get started! Make…
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 learned during these rich cultural experiences, and how they changed us. These are the same kinds of conversations Rustic Pathways students have when they return…
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 will select up to 15 students to participate in one of our Critical Issues programs, completely free. One hundred. Percent. Free. We believe our Critical…
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 constantly inspired by the students who travel with us, and from what we’ve seen, Generation Z is full of potential change makers. We're here to…
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 reach your goal no matter what. Before you get started, know the answers to the following questions. The more realistic, detailed, and personalized your action…
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 in the United States, Rustic Pathways Gap Year is especially excited to be one of the organizations at the forefront of helping students create purposeful…
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 learning experience beyond the classroom. Rustic Pathways will take all of the work off your plate so that you can focus on what truly matters,…
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 Pathways Costa Rica alumni met Matias Zeledon, owner of Down to Earth Coffee in La Fortuna. Matias, who harvests and roasts his own coffee, has…