Guatemala Teen Travel Programs

Your Child’s Safety in Guatemala: What Sets Rustic Apart

Every Rustic Pathways program in Guatemala operates under the same safety infrastructure we’ve built over 43 years across 38 countries. Rustic Pathways has operated in Guatemala for 2 years.

On the ground with your child:

• 4.37:1 staff-to-student ratio, nearly double our 7:1 promise and 83% better than ACA standards
• Staff are 100% CPR/First Aid certified, with 40% holding Wilderness First Responder credentials
• Each program has at least one leader with 3+ years of field experience

When something happens:

• 8 minutes to full crisis team activation
• 27 minutes average to parent notification
• Updates every 3 hours during active situations
• 24/7 emergency hotline: +1-440-220-4565

Medical oversight:

• Full-time Medical Director Dr. William R. Smith, board-certified emergency physician, U.S. Army Colonel, 20+ years wilderness medicine
• Parents can contact Dr. Smith directly

Our track record:

• 55,702 travelers since 2014. 88% of all logged incidents are minor: headaches, scrapes, stomach bugs
• Only 9 in every 1,000 travelers experience anything beyond basic first aid
• We publish quarterly safety reports, the first teen travel company to do so

Read our full safety record, including 12 years of published incident data