Program Description

Rustic Pathways

International Community Service, Adventure Travel, and Foreign Language Training
Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Thailand, Costa Rica, Africa, India, China, Vietnam, and the U. S.


		Program Description Program Overview Visit Web Site Get Free Info See Photos

For More Information, Contact
Rustic Pathways
P.O. Box 1150
Willoughby, Ohio 44096
440-975-9691
800-321-4353 (toll-free)
Fax: 440-975-9694
http://www.rusticpathways.com
E-mail: rustic@rusticpathways.com

Type of Program: International community service, adventure travel, and foreign language training
Participants: Middle and high school students, 10–18 years old
Enrollment: Differs from program to program, but generally 14–16 students per program departure date
Heads of Program: David Venning, Chairman; Evan Wells, President

Location

Rustic Pathways serves Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Thailand, Costa Rica, Africa, India, China, Vietnam, and the United States. Programs operate in a variety of locations within each country. Whatever types of programs students are looking to participate in, whether it be community service in the rainforests of Costa Rica, Thailand, or the Fiji Islands; working with wildlife in Australia, Thailand, and Costa Rica; summiting Mount Kilimanjaro or crossing the Himalayas in India; immersing themselves in the Spanish or Chinese language; or skiing the slopes of New Zealand, Rustic Pathways has a program to take them there.

Background and Philosophy

Rustic Pathways is an international travel organization with year-round operations in many of the countries it serves. Focused in safe, clean, friendly, and culturally diverse destinations, its programs offer students an array of overseas travel opportunities. Rustic Pathways’ combination of international program options allows students to easily custom design a summer adventure that suits their needs.
    Rustic Pathways also offers interesting and economical customized excursions for families, teacher-led groups, and special interest groups throughout the year.
    Rustic Pathways began operations more than twenty-five years ago. The Chairman, David Venning, initially set the tone for the company by taking small groups of high school students into the Australian outback via four-wheel-drive vehicles. Over the years, the list of destinations and programs has expanded, and the personal attention and emphasis on safety, learning, and growing has continued.
    As the company has grown throughout the years, so have its myriad of exotic destinations. David still leads trips himself, but he now has a fantastic team of well-traveled, highly respected, intelligent individuals who continue to promote the ideals of Rustic Pathways through their own program leadership. Adventure travel is still an integral part of the company’s offerings, but community service and foreign language instruction have taken on a vital role within the company’s global operations.
    Rustic Pathways offers exciting and worthwhile community service projects that help students explore and understand the local flavor and unique lifestyles of remote village communities in several of the countries it serves. Rustic Pathways also proudly offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in foreign language programs in both Costa Rica and China. Among other objectives, these community service, language, and adventure programs seek to bridge cultural gaps by allowing students to donate time, energy, and resources to helping others while experiencing life in a different cultural environment.

Program Offerings

More than forty diverse, unique programs make up the list of choices for students and parents interested in traveling with Rustic Pathways. Each program generally has several departure dates throughout the summer, and programs are designed to easily interconnect, allowing a student to customize the summer of their dreams.
Australia Students escape to the Land Down Under to participate in Rustic Pathway’s Community Service School. This program is designed for students that really want to make a difference through learning how various service initiatives can positively impact the areas in which they are implemented. In addition to the Community Service School, students can dive into community service head first with the Sydney Reef and Rainforest Program, which takes them from the opera house of Sydney to the tip of the Daintree Rainforest, with a stop on the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel and study dwarf minke whales with professional marine biologists.
New Zealand Rustic Pathways offers remarkable ski and snowboard programs as well as their North Island Adventure, a high-adrenaline, action-packed adventure program that takes students from one extreme to the next as they raft, rappel, snorkel, skydive, and zorb their way through wild New Zealand.
The Fiji Islands The Fiji Islands are the home of some of the most hospitable and friendly people on the planet, and they welcome Rustic Pathways with open arms into their villages and their hearts. In this breathtaking island nation, students can take part in specialized service programs from marine conservation to medical assistance while living at Rustic Pathways’ Eco-Lodge Base House. They can also be adopted by a Fijian mother and father, teach in the local schools, and get involved in ongoing construction and maintenance projects while being rewarded with well-earned community service hours. Participants in the Big Fiji Explorer Program can also sail through the Yasawa Islands, swim beside thundering waterfalls, and snorkel over colorful coral reefs. Students go for the service, the culture, and the friendships, and stay for the sunshine, clear skies, pristine waters, and smiling faces.
Thailand Sawat-de Krup, and welcome to the land of smiles. Rustic Pathways has an enormous operation in Thailand, with their Ricefields’ Base House at its heart. The Ricefields’ Base House is the hub for unbelievable community service opportunities, like Meals on Flip Flops, preparing and delivering nutritional Thai meals to the elderly and disadvantaged, and Coloring Books and Kiddies, working alongside teachers and village parents in the local co-op kindergarten. There is also the Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich Program, a dramatic, advanced-service project in three remote villages, where students give from their hearts and get an extraordinary experience in return. For more adventure, these wonderful service projects can be combined with any Rustic Pathways Chairman’s Programs, such as Photography or the Wonders and Riches of Asia, as well as the two newest adventure programs: Island Hopping and Diving (exploring the southern jewels of Thailand through SCUBA diving, rock climbing, and sea kayaking) and Hill Tribe Trekking Adventure (a rare opportunity to trek deep into the heart of Thailand’s northern jungles and remote villages).
Costa Rica For those who like the sounds of monkeys chattering in the rainforest, white water rushing down a river, and scarlet macaws singing overhead, Costa Rica is the place to visit. Students can choose from language immersion, community service, and all-out-adventure programs. Students can start the summer by taking Spanish classes in the Spanish Language Immersion Program and then test their new language skills at a gratifying service project, like the Maleku Tribe Immersion and Service Program, or they can help on one of the many projects around Rustic Pathways’ Volcanoes and Rainforests Community Service Base located near the incredible Arenal Volcano. After their work is done, they can reward themselves with an extraordinary adventure program, like the Costa Rica Adventurer or Natural Wonders Extreme. Or they can chill out and catch some waves at Rustic Pathways’ world-famous surf house. They should bring their flip-flops and a positive attitude to Costa Rica, where the motto is Pura Vida.
Africa Can Kili be conquered? Participants find out on this amazing journey to the “rooftop of Africa.” Grabbing backpacks and hiking boots, they join Rustic Pathways in Tanzania to ascend the highest peak on the continent and one of the most famous mountains on the planet. They use the longest, least-technical route, the Marangu, to increase their chances of reaching the summit of the tallest freestanding volcano in the world. Rustic Pathways’ Service and Safari Program offers the opportunity to work on local environmental and community-based projects with villages nestled between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater National Parks and to see the majestic African wildlife on a three-day safari. Students get in-depth exposure to Tanzanian culture and way of life while providing meaningful community service.
India Students step out of reality and into the clouds at McLeod Gange. Nestled at the base of the Himalaya Mountains, McLeod Gange is a peaceful and happy place, where prayer flags wave and cows walk down the street as though they have somewhere to be. Participants take some time to teach in the elementary school, learn Tibetan cooking techniques, and live with a Tibetan family to discover their way of life. To see another side of this massive subcontinent, they travel through mountains and valleys and rivers and streams on the Himalayan Traveler or the Buddhist Caravan Programs. On these explorations of magical lands, students follow their guide through monasteries, temples, and mountain passages as they experience this one-of-a-kind land.
Vietnam From the Northern Highlands to the Southern Delta, Rustic Pathways takes participants on a breathtaking, nonstop journey highlighting the very best this stunning country has to offer. Students check out some of the country’s rich history by exploring places like Ha Long Bay, the northern city of Hanoi, the ancient capitol of Hue, the buzzing metropolis of Saigon, and the Mekong Delta. Whether one’s interests are in learning the past, discovering the present, or seeing the future of Vietnam, this program offers the chance to do it all.
China The newest additions to Rustic Pathways’ global operations explore the highlights and wonders of vast and magnificent China or immerse students in the language of Mandarin in the mountains of Yunnan Province. Participants explore the hidden secrets of the cities and villages of China on the Wonders of China Program as they crisscross the country on an unforgettable journey that open their eyes to the beauty and mystery of this great country. The language immersion program, set in the breathtaking village of Dali, is the top choice for students looking to develop their Mandarin through hands-on cultural immersion and intensive language instruction through the highly respected Dali University—one of the most prestigious Chinese language training centers in the whole country
U.S.A. Rustic Pathways’ Spring Break Service Project in New Orleans and its New Orleans Summer Rebuilding Program enable students to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, students help to build a musicians’ village in a neighborhood that was destroyed by the storm. Eighty brand new homes and a musical center are being built, and students assist in every phase of the construction process. They can also take in the sights and sounds of New Orleans on a tour of the French Quarter or cruise though a swamp on an airboat and feast on Creole cuisine.

Enrollment

Rustic Pathways draws students from nearly all fifty states as well as from many countries around the world, creating groups that learn from each other while growing together during their international experiences. Rustic Pathways summer programs are designed for positive, level-headed students with a keen interest in experiential learning and international travel.

Facilities

Because of the diverse nature of Rustic Pathways’ programs, facilities differ considerably from program to program and country to country. Students find themselves sleeping in a thatched hut in a remote village in Asia, aboard a large sailing boat in the south Pacific, camping beneath the Southern Cross in the middle of the Australian Outback, or tucked in the warm bed of a luxurious five-star hotel. To provide culturally unique and diverse travel experiences, Rustic Pathways utilizes local facilities and resources. Program participants regularly have the opportunity to avail themselves of local customs, foods, and facilities as they travel.

Staff

Rustic Pathways is a rich and diverse company full of sincere, committed professionals with wide-ranging experience in their various fields. Taken together, team members speak more than twenty languages, have traveled across more than 130 countries, and have led countless groups of students and adult clients across some of the world’s most interesting, exotic places. In terms of diversity, the full-time staff includes international sportsmen and sportswomen, champion snowboarders, accomplished musicians, teachers, authors, published songwriters, competitive surfers, and former Buddhist monks.

Medical Care

Student safety is a top priority for Rustic Pathways. Its staff commonly includes Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, Wilderness EMTs, Surf Life Guards, staff with St. John’s Certificates, and staff with Red Cross First Aid and CPR training. Rustic Pathways periodically runs staff CPR courses, First Aid training, First Aid refresher courses, and Wilderness First Responder courses.

Application Timetable

Admission to Rustic Pathways programs is by application only. Students and their parents must file an application through Rustic Pathways’ Web site or by mail. Applications are accepted as early as September and are accepted up to two weeks prior to a scheduled trip departure if there is space available on the requested program. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $100 application fee for each participant ($200 after April 15), which is returned to students who are not accepted into the program. There is no application fee for returning students. Programs are popular, and participants are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure a departure date that suits their summer schedule.
Between January and April, Rustic Pathways staffing teams tour the United States, visiting schools, summer camp fairs, and interested parents and students. Staff members enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to meet with parents and prospective students during this time. Students should contact the Rustic Pathways Home Office to schedule a home visit while staff members are in their area.