Rustic Pathways has been operating student travel programs for 42 years. We offer summer travel for middle and high school students, customized teacher-led trips for school groups, and gap year programs for recent high school grads. Since our founding, we’ve developed exclusive relationships with local community partners making your child’s travel experience with us truly unique. The World Youth Student Education & Travel Confederation named Rustic the best youth travel provider three times. The International Travel Awards awarded us the Best Tour Operator in 2024 and the Skift IDEA Awards named us an Industry Innovator for Tour Operators. We’re a Gold Verified provider on Go Overseas, where we have a 95% student satisfaction rate. You can explore even more student and parent feedback on our reviews page. The Rustic Pathways Experience
Rustic Pathways is committed facilitating positive impact through transformative student travel experiences that prioritize meaningful community engagement around the world. Programs are intentionally designed to challenge students to think critically and experience personal growth. Last year, nearly 98 percent of Rustic students demonstrated growth in at least one of the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) our programs are designed to foster. Students contribute to community projects with local organizations and partners during projects that align with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Rustic students completed more than 187,000 community service hours last year. Impact at Rustic Pathways
More than 10,000 students travel safely each year with Rustic Pathways. Students are supervised from the time they arrive at a designated gateway airport, on international flights, during programs, and on return flights home. Skilled Program Leaders at Rustic Pathways are certified in wilderness medicine and/or CPR and receive extensive training both online and in-country. Rustic Pathways maintains a student-to-leader ratio that promises 7:1 but delivers a verified 4.37:1, providing greater supervision than industry standards. Each country where Rustic Pathways operates has comprehensive safety and risk management plans to address potential issues. Rustic Pathways also provides 24-7-365 emergency response coverage for students and families and partners with a leading provider of emergency travel services. In addition, a dedicated health and safety team at Rustic Pathways actively monitors all programs. Health and Safety at Rustic Pathways
Regions We Operate In North & Central America Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, United States South Pacific Australia, Fiji, New Zealand Asia Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam Africa Ghana, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania South America Argentina, Ecuador, Peru