<p>Hi Rebecca
I am in a similar situation.
My 14 yr old daughter wants to go on the Rustic Pathways trip to Thailand.
It seems well run and organised…also concerned about safety.
Did you get any replies or more info?
I would really appreciate your reply.
Regards
Polly</p>
<p>I have been on many Rustic Pathway trips over the course of a few years and I only have one piece of advice to offer prospective parents and students: Avoid Rustic Pathways! </p>
<p>The first matter that I would like to address is the western staff: in recent years, the trips have gotten much more strict, and the staff have adapted a “camp counselor” attitude, instead of a big brother one. There were a few incidents were the staff would actually become verbally abusive by berating the students. The local staff on the other hand are always fantastic and provide insight into the culture and are friendly, whereas the western staff are usually poorly trained and not friendly at all. Of course there are rare exceptions, but generally, the staff are extremely unwelcoming and abrasive. </p>
<p>As for the trips themselves, it’s really hit or miss. Some trips are packed with awesome activities and are very well planned, and others are awful - it really depends. I would say there is 1 amazing program for every 3.</p>
<p>Rustic Pathways is safety conscious: if you have any medical concerns, they will address them sufficiently. </p>
<p>While I had tons of fun with rustic in my first few years with the company, but the ending years were horrid. I have talked to people from this summer and last summer who unanimously agree: the company has gone down a very steep spiral. </p>
<p>Please avoid Rustic Pathways at all costs, their staff provide a hostile and unfriendly environment and the activities are fun ONLY if you go on the right program. Your summers fun depends entirely on if you have a good group of kids in your program. </p>
<p>I am just stating my honest opinion in this post, but I know other alumni agree with me.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Feel free to reply with any questions.</p>
<p>Oh My, My 15 year old son is going on the Costa Rica Service trip in two weeks. Can ou let me know what that trip is all about?
THanks!</p>
<p>Sorry, no idea</p>
<p>Daddy 100,
My son is going on the Aug 9 trip to Costa Rica through Rustic. What have you heard?</p>
<p>My son is interested in a gap semester program in the Spring of next year. Any suggestions? He can’t leave before March 1st, and is interested in 1-2 months. Rustic pathways sounded great for him as he is going off to college in the fall.
Was wondering how the trips went this summer, any better? How did the Costa Rica trip go?</p>
<p>Hey Anston and all, </p>
<p>My name is Connor and I’ve actually been employed with Rustic Pathways full time for the past three years. My title in the company is the Manager of Social Networking and Positive Energy, and in addition to running trips during the summer, part of my job is to create awesome connections between students, parents, and the communities that we work with. I’m sorry that you seemingly had a negative experience with RP in your last summer, I would love to chat with you sometime about the specifics of why you had anything less than a stellar experience if you want to email me. I can tell you right now that Safety is our #1 concern in the organization and anything we do while running trips takes this into consideration first and foremost. Following creating a safe environment for students the next most important thing that we focus on is creating positive bonds between our travelers and the communities we work with. </p>
<p>In response to a few of your comments (and a couple of previous entries), I am not sure how you are interpreting the difference between “camp counselor” and “big brother”, but the role of being a trip leader is much more difficult than a typical camp counselor. While our trip leaders are absolutely hired for their ability to connect with students and their capability to be awesome positive role models, it’s important to keep in mind that the trip leader’s first priority on every single program is keeping their students safe and secure. This means following everything from our safety protocols put together by Country Directors and our Safety and Risk Manager to the guidelines that some of our partner volunteer organizations put in place for safety. We have had incidents where staff members have said “no” to a hike because of rain that washed away part of a trail, needed to cancel an afternoon’s service activity because of inclement weather, and on occasion sent students home for breaking a rule on the Student Participation Policy (such as no smoking cigarettes). We dont say no or send a student home to be mean, it is just the job of the staff members to enforce all of our safety policies and guidelines for keeping every student on the program safe. So are we strict in our rules for the safety and health of our students? Absolutely. But by no means does that equate to an environment or a trip leader that is abrasive or unfriendly. I personally have run trips in India, China, and Australia and have led programs with some of the most wonderful people that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Again, I can’t speak to your personal experience or why you had felt something other than awesome, but I can assure you that if we had a staff member that didn’t keep the safety of your group at the top of their mind 100% of the time or was anything less than a positive role model, they would not be returning to a Rustic Pathways program. By no stretch of the imagination would we tolerate a staff member who was verbally abusive to their students, theres no place for that within our leaders in the organization and does not fit with our mission as a company. We literally get thousands of applications every year for Summer Employment (it is a pretty awesome job!), so finding wonderful employees with appropriate knowledge of the region or inspirational leadership qualities for our students is rarely a problem. </p>
<p>And I absolutely agree with you that Rustic Pathways is an amazing time if you find the <em>right</em> program. We’ve shaped our organization in a way that allows a huge variety of students with a ton of varied interests and a myriad of previous travel experience to find something that fits them. It takes some students a lot of guts to travel to Costa Rica because they’ve never left the country, and on the other hand we’ve got many students chomping at the bit to get to places like Burma. On top of that, even within the same country you will see a lot of variance. In Thailand for instance you can stay at the Ricefields base which has some amazing Community Service opportunities and chances to meet the local Thais from the area, but in the evenings you stay in our beautiful Ricefields Base House that has air conditioning in the rooms, a swimming pool to relax in, even a gym and soccer fields out back! On the complete opposite end of the spectrum in Thailand we have our Come with Nothing program where you literally fly to the country with just the clothes on your back and a passport in your pocket. You get $50 on your first day to buy all the supplies you need and then spend 3 weeks traveling to remote village locations doing intensive service projects, interacting with people from off-the-map locations, and sleeping in huts and living on mats. It’s just a very vivid example of the importance in finding the <em>right</em> program for the student. We’ve got students that can’t imagine traveling without access to a daily shower or a place to charge their iPod every night… they would definitely be more likely to find our Come with Nothing program a downright uncomfortable experience. And for another student, Come With Nothing is literally the trip that will change their life and perspective, inspire their college entrance essay, and mold their idea to major in International Development. We hold our programs to the absolute highest standard whether they are community service based, photo trips, adventure programs or Language Immersion experiences- but what I tell every single student and parent is that while these trips all have the potential to be life-changing and rewarding experiences, you do need to find a good fit and come into the program with a positive attitude that it in fact can impact your future and perspective. </p>
<p>As to the lower costs and shorter lengths of our programs, this is because Rustic Pathways is a leader in our field and can offer these things to be more accessible to students. It is in other companies best interests to force a person into 4-6 weeks of a program, but not necessarily is that in the students best interest based on what they want out of a travel experience. We know how different students are, so we want to give people the flexibility to travel one week with us, or an entire summer. We want students to mix their interest for community service with their desire to have a fun adventure program option afterwards. We want you to be able to do a trip in Cambodia, then visit nearby Vietnam the following week. Our programs and ability to connect them are as unique as our students. The costs are significantly lower than a lot of other companies not because they are lower quality, but because we believe so powerfully in the importance of these programs that we make it an active effort to make them as affordable as possible to families. This ranges from everything from building our own base houses so the housing is more affordable to developing long-lasting relationships with airlines and restaurants alike where we get better deals in small towns because they know how passionate our students are and are there to volunteer in their community. We are also such a highly trusted and reputable organization that we have trips running throughout the year on Gap Year programs for college-aged students, private trips for families, and customized itineraries for entire school groups. This helps us keep program costs low because we are in operation throughout the entire year, and allows us to keep such a high standard for safety because we are on-the-ground with staff members beyond just our 3 months in the summer. Additionally, we are one of, if not the ONLY company that believes so much in accessibility for as many people as possible that we have over 100 scholarships this year alone based on merit and need for 50-100% off the cost of a program, have numerous financial aid and extended payment plan options, and partner with NGOs to provide these trips as feasible options to underprivileged youth in the United States. </p>
<p>Ultimately, I know Im a bit of a biased voice as Im coming from Rustic Pathways but I have never worked for another organization where Ive seen such a focus to make the world a better place. Ive been lucky to work with some of the most amazing people on the planet, work with a ton of students with fervent passions for travel and community development, and have seen such amazing results from projects in these communities! Im more than happy to share more of my personal thoughts on RP, but there is also a list of about 500 parents whos children traveled with us just last summer and who volunteered to act as references for the organization because of their positive experience with our company. If you have any questions for me or want to talk to another parent who volunteered to be a reference, feel free to message me or shoot me an email at <a href="mailto:Connor@rusticpathways.com">Connor@rusticpathways.com</a> .</p>
<p>Bumping this thread even though I know its a little old. </p>
<p>I’m in college now but when I was in high school I did Rustic Pathways programs for three summers. The first summer was Thailand (“Ricefields, Monks and Smiling Children”), the second summer China (“Panda Conservation”), Thailand Laos Vietnam and Cambodia (“Wonders and Riches”, the Chairman’s program) and Cambodia again (“Floating Village Service”.) My last summer was Tanzania and Zanzibar (“Faces of East Africa” and “Safari and a Splash of Paradise.”) </p>
<p>Just some background information: I travel A LOT. Not to toot my own horn but I’ve been to 20 countries in my 20-year lifetime (many multiple times and no, I’m not a “military brat” just a lover of travel lol) and travel mainly by myself…anyways so I’d consider myself to be a relatively good judge when it comes to things like this. Anyways, I wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every trip I went on with Rustic Pathways. Granted, I went in 2006, 2007 and 2008 so it’s been a while and of course things may have changed a little since then. </p>
<p>Honestly the trips are what you make of them and because they ARE group programs the feel of the trip does often depend on having a relatively nice (…or not) bunch of kids in your group. Sometimes you’ll have hits, sometimes you’ll have misses. I made a ton of good friends with a lot of nice kids on my multiple trips and have stayed in contact with many of them to this day. But there were also not so great kids, really uberspoiled kids, celebrities’ offspring (one year on a trip I went on there was a Spielberg child and a kid of a well known rocker,) potheads, you name it. Anyways, travel isn’t perfect! You can’t let a few bad apples ruin a trip. For example, two (very wealthy NYC) kids in my Tanzanian safari trip were on their Blackberries the ENTIRE trip and were just SO AGGRAVATING I wanted to strangle them - it was clear they were just there because their parents made them. They were just complaining all the time and being total divas. How they got service in the fricken Serengeti is still a mystery to me. But anyways the other three kids on the trip and I made do, and stuffed those two kids in another safari vehicle so we wouldn’t have to listen to them b*tch and moan about being in Africa. For Chrissake to this day I haven’t met people so self absorbed and annoying like the Park Avenue Princes (our name for them.) So it should go without saying, you should want to go on these trips and not be there just because you’re forced by your parents - but that does happen and then situations like the above arise. At the same time, don’t let stupid kids bring you down. </p>
<p>There also may be random travel issues that crop up (a group of us got food poisoning from a nice restaurant in Bangkok one year which, needless to say, sucked, but honestly it’s a part of travel - there’s always risk! You get over it and now I can look back and laugh) and a girl in the same trip came down with Dengue fever because, again, it was a fluke but it happens (she recovered and is fine, if you’re wondering.) You can’t really plan for these things but you can take precautions and exercise common sense which will serve you well in all aspects of life. Some of the more “rustic” trips you won’t have electricity all the time, or have to sleep under mosquito nets for protection, etc. so if you’re someone who needs first world comforts then don’t choose a trip like Floating Village Service or Come with Nothing (or do it, and learn and experience it!) and instead go on a Chairman’s program like Wonders and Riches. If you’re realistic about your expectations of the trip you’ve selected, things should go relatively smoothly. </p>
<p>A good thing to note is that RP has a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol, or at least did when I was on their trips. If you’re caught doing any of that they pluck you out of the program and send you home on the next available flight at the expense of your parents. My first and second summers there were a good handful of kids who did stupid things like drink during the program, ate “Happy Pizzas” in Cambodia (pizza made with marijuana leaves which almost always gives you food poisoning) and they were sent home ASAP - with food poisoning for their 24 hour flight home if they had partaken in the happy pizza variety of stupidity. But I liked that the staff upheld those rules which really were in place for our safety - otherwise I didn’t feel as if the staff were overbearing by any means (then again, the people I may have had may not work at RP anymore, etc.) Perhaps a reason that the staff have had to become more counselorish and strict is because kids were doing unsafe things on a more regular basis (than when I was there) - especially when you’re in a foreign country like Cambodia where you don’t know the language, where there ARE sketchy people and areas of the country/city, you don’t want to be under the influence of anything at ANY time. </p>
<p>Safetywise I never felt like I was in an unsafe situation or anything like that. Again, common sense is crucial in all aspects of traveling and I always avoided doing things that would compromise my judgement, would jeopardize my trip, etc. Rustic also does a good job keeping activities/trips safe, etc. </p>
<p>I realize I didn’t explain much about what we did on the actual trips and sort of bounced around with different topics - if anyone wants details on anything I’ve mentioned just ask!</p>
<p>All in all, all travel comes with some degree of risk. The more you do it, the more you learn and can avoid pitfalls in the future. Live and learn. Things happen but it shouldn’t keep someone from exploring our fascinating world!!</p>
<p>I’m really glad I chanced upon this thread! Has anyone had experience with RP’s Language Immersion Program in China? If you could give information about the professionalism of the instruction and what Dali is like that’d be great.</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about going on the Rustic Pathways trip to costa rica this summer and I have a few questions and concerns and would appreciate help from anyone who has been on one of their trips before because I don’t believe the sales associates will give completely honest answers. </p>
<p>It’s a 16 day adventure trip and I would end up going alone because none of my friends are able to go. I’m a really shy person so my concern is making friends. I’m scared that everyone’s going to bring a friend and I’m not going to make friends and i’ll have a horrible time. </p>
<p>And i’ve heard from a different yahoo question that the trip isn’t what it seems and it isn’t worth it. Is this true? How was your experience.</p>
<p>If you’ve been on a trip please help and advise me if you think I should go or not, I don’t have much time to make this decision.
thanks</p>
<p>My D is going this summer (Fiji, New Zealand north and south), and has also gone to the South Pacific the last 2 summers.</p>
<p>Rustic Pathways is pricey, but very well organized and specializes in having an escort from the US as well as a local escort in each location. They make a great effort to have the kids become part of the local culture, help out in schools and with service, and become familiar with local culture. This local connection takes years to develop, so they only have 14 sites, and do not plan on adding any.</p>
<p>They have been doing this for 30 years. </p>
<p>I was extremely impressed with the safety, sincerity and communication we received from staff. They really have this down. My D also loved the other campers, and the activities. </p>
<p>This is NOT a bus trip from hotel to hotel. You stay in large private residences that are like hostels, and get out amidst the local culture every day. </p>
<p>For example, last summer my D taught dance to Aboriginal children in Australia (it was their winter vacation). There were wallabees all around the private estate where the Australian campers stay.</p>
<p>My daughter went last year. She went to Surf & Service and had a great time. That being said, I think there was more surf , rappeling & boating than service. Not what I expected but OK. Their organization at the airport was excellent, but they were to make a “confirmed we are there” call and they did not. I knew the plane landed but could not reach them. All was OK but communication could have been better. Her counselors were excellent in that they kids liked them, they were experienced and astute at local customs & business. They were also attentive as they caught two kids drinking & sent them home.<br>
My daughter is going to DR this summer. They are less expensive than most and by all accounts the counselors and escorts are on their game, but they could communicate better.</p>
<p>I’m mom to twin girls that just completed our 4th summer traveling with Rustic Pathways. They started at age 14 having signed up for something including Meals on Flip Flops in Thailand. That year was the summer of unrest and demonstrations in Bangkok so trip was altered to spend more time in Laos. They had most exciting adventure ever. I suggested the girls never travel on same trip at same time so they would not depend on each other too much and make new friends. They had traveled the world extensively before Rustic with grandparents but had always stayed at 5 star resorts and safari camps. I spent a lot of time between college and marriage wandering around Africa and South East Asia with a backpack a friend and no itinerary learning about different cultures and I can say I learned more than all years of school combined. I wanted them to meet locals and somewhat live life of a villager which had never happened on trips when younger. They were both nervous about not taking a friend, hearing rumors of trips being “clicky” and having just turned 14 the month before travel. They both met lots of friends from all over US and are still in touch with some. They both had amazing summers and could not wait to go back. The next year they did Service in the Clouds and connected to something in Cambodia, can’t remember exact name. After that, India was new favorite country an they are patiently waiting until out of high school so we can go during nice weather,November-March and I can introduce them to the friends and the India I know and love. Last summer they wanted something a little more “rustic” and chose Ghana. It was pretty hard-core but exactly what they were looking for. Last month was their last Rustic trip as they will be seniors in high school. We signed up for Burma trip but it got canceled in May due to ethnic cleansing and unrest occurring in most of the country. Changed to Frontier Photography visiting Thailand, short hop into safe area of Burma and Laos. They went together this time and had so much fun seeing local rustic guides they met summers before. Now to the point of my review! One of my daughters slipped, hit head, was unconscious for about 5 minutes and came to having seizures. She has no history of anything like this. When they tell you to buy evacuation insurance DO IT! I always have and nothing has ever happened so this year I bought cheapest $25.00 per kid from Frontier Medex. Rustic started calling me right after she fell asking for insurance info. etc. They happened to be a 3 hour van ride from Luang Prabang which had nearest hospital and landing strip. I cannot even describe the mode of professionalism and urgency Rustic went into. They had 2 western staff and 2 local staff with the group when this all started. Kevin Connally who is American but lives in Bangkok and speaks the different local languages was with her in van ride as she continued to seize, have difficulty breathing and hallucinate. Each trip has one or more staff trained as medic for these type of situations. Bryan Haggerty who is head of all SEAsia operations continued to call updating on condition, hospital arrival etc. They had a jet headed to Laos asap to evacuate her to Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok. No small feat considering permits, different countries etc. They literally called me to let me know when jet took of from Bangkok, landed in Laos, when Addie was in the air, upon arrival to ER. They have a global safety director named Gabe who took over and helped figure out fastest way for me to get to Bangkok. From what I gathered talking to all the staff with Addie in ICU when I arrived, this serious of an incident rarely if ever happened but they were extremely prepared and knew exactly what to do for her receive urgent care. The 3 young guys, Brent, Bryan and Kevin were there to help me out with everything. Brent was waiting for me at Bangkok airport when I arrived and took me to hospital.They gave me a local cell with their numbers programmed so I could call anytime. They would spend night with her when I needed a hotel break for some sleep. The trip was over and kids were back in US but they stayed in Bangkok helping us try to figure how to get her home. It took my Mom flying to Bangkok for my support, my husband in US working with Frontier, numerous amazing doctors and nurses and 15 days in hospital for us to finally get her home. So, my summary is I would trust Rustic staff with my kids lives any day and Frontier Medex came through like champs. This is what I got for $25.00- Medic jet with 2 doctors aboard for 3 hr. round trip to get her out of Laos. 3 days in ICU, CAT scan, 24hr EEG, and many more tests. 12 days in private hospital room nicer than any 4 star hotel, A neurologist, infectious disease specialist that is with World Health Org. that embassy sent and a psychiatrist that had excellent English skills. Frontier paid for 2 doctors, 1 nurse, Addie and me to fly Korea air business class to Dallas TX. where the Thai docs handed her off to docs at Childrens Medical Center. All I had to pay was 4000.00 deductible for entire bill. We just arrived back in US 2 days ago and she is still hospitalized but rapidly improving and Rustic and Frontier are still in touch checking on us. I love Rustic Pathways!</p>
<p>As a former summer staff employee, I can tell you that not every trip has a medic trained for the situations. Luckily, both of the individuals you mentioned are incredible people and are trained. They advertise and recruit those with medical training, but this sometimes meaning hiring people who “used to” be certified but no longer are. More so, I learned that the in-house training/certification RP does for their full-times staff included passing everyone who took the course regardless of how they did. </p>
<p>One of the requirements of the program where I was stationed was being able to speak the local language. Every week I had at least one guide who couldn’t order off of the menu let alone guide students through a foreign country. </p>
<p>They put a lot of emphasis on safety, and I think they truly believe in its importance, but they don’t necessarily walk the walk. They start with big intentions of being safe and training their staff, but time runs out and they fill spots with whomever they can get. I personally watched Summer Staff smoke Pot and Drink while the students were sleeping. When I made a comment to my supervisor about this (including two staff member sneaking away to have sex), she said “good for them” and then hired them again for the next summer. </p>
<p>Again, the company seems to have good intentions, but their bottom line rules everything. The trips are great and everyone seems to have fun, but don’t be fooled by their promises of safety and experienced staff. </p>
<p>I did one summer as a trip leader and decided not to apply again. I’m sure I could have gone back or went to a different country, but I didn’t like the stress of dealing with guides who seemingly care, but just want to party</p>