The Rustic Story

Rustic Pathways was founded in 1983 as an overland touring company in Australia. Back in those early days, the only trip we ran was an eight-week adventure through the Australian Outback. Our organization has changed a lot since then, but our programs still embody that pioneering rustic spirit.

Over the years, more and more people joined Rustic from different parts of the world who wanted us to expand to their home countries and communities. That’s how we grew our operations across Asia, Central and South America, Africa, and the United States in the late 1990s and 2000s. Without them and their relationships there’s no way we could have grown to operate in nearly 20 countries, offering more than 100 programs.

We wanted to give more students the opportunity to have life-changing experiences with Rustic. Gap year programs, which we introduced in 2007, allowed us to expose high school graduates to experiences that last up to three months, which provide important learning and growth opportunities before they head to college. Creating Group Travel in 2012 gave us the ability to partner with teachers who wanted to provide immersive educational experiences to their students as a supplement to traditional classroom learning.

Our vision is to create a world where travel is accepted as an essential part of every education. We are committed to expanding financial accessibility and inclusion on Rustic Pathways programs. Travel provides students with hands-on learning experiences which lead to personal growth, an increase in life skills and an expanded worldview. Each summer, we award students financial aid and scholarships to travel on Rustic Pathways service programs.