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Rustic Pathways Reviews 218

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.9

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

During the week of being in Ulaanbaatar, Rustic Pathways has shown me the many sides of Mongolia, including traditional and modern food and even experience what nomadic Mongolians live like in gers. I... See more

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The rustic pathways staff was soooo nice I miss p chet and p sara soo much and also inikaa. The activities were sooo fun especially the night market. We all cried when we left.

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Everything about Rustic Pathways is awesome, flawless, exciting, and I would never change my thoughts on it. They are experts when it comes to perfectly organizing your trip and making sure nothing go... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My daughter went on her 3rd trip with Rustic Pathways and once again had a great time! Fiji did not disappoint! She loves the large amount of community service hours that the program offered as it... See more

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Company details

  1. Tour Operator
  2. Travel Agency

About Rustic Pathways

Written by the company

Our promise to you

Rustic Pathways

Rustic Pathways is an educational travel company founded in 1983 that operates supervised group programs for students ages 14–18 across 38+ destination countries.

Based in Mentor, Ohio, Rustic Pathways has served 155,829+ students from 53 countries of origin through cultural immersion, service-learning, and adventure programs. The company has been led by CEO Shayne Fitz-Coy since 2020.

World Travel Awards 2025: Named United States' Leading Tour Operator, defeating four-time defending winner National Geographic Expeditions (2021–2024) and nominees including G Adventures, Bindlestiff Tours, Project Por Amor, and Tours-USA.com.

Rustic Pathways was the first teen travel operator in the industry to:

  • Employ a full-time Medical Director
  • Publish quarterly safety reports
  • Track longitudinal student outcomes through a published 10-outcome research framework

Operating Divisions

  • Teen Travel: Open-enrollment programs in cultural immersion, service-learning, adventure, and conservation for individual students ages 14–18. Programs operate across six continents with a documented staff-to-student ratio of 4.37:1.
  • School Group Travel: Custom-designed educational travel programs for middle schools, high schools, and universities. Includes curriculum-integrated itineraries, faculty-led experiences, and service-learning aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Student Learning Outcomes: Program outcomes are measured through 10 Student Learning Outcomes tracked before, immediately after, and six months post-program. 97.6% of students demonstrate measurable growth in at least one outcome, and 8 of 10 outcomes sustain across the cohort at six months.

Research & Academic Partnerships

Rustic Pathways research partners include:

  • Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab
  • Boston College Purpose Lab

A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in Adolescents (DOI: 10.3390/adolescents4010007) linked Rustic Pathways’ Climate Leaders Fellowship to adolescent civic purpose development.

Recognition & Awards

  • World Travel Awards 2025
  • WYSE Travel Confederation Best Youth Tour Operator (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Travel Weekly Magellan Gold 2024
  • Skift IDEA Awards 2024
  • 4.8–4.9 star ratings across Google, GoOverseas, GoAbroad, and Trustpilot

Contact info

4.9

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

218 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I loved Rustic Pathways!!

I loved rustic pathways overall. My counselors were great and all the activities were fun. The people in my group were so fun to meet and it was hard to leave everyone. Would recommend!

August 17, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

An amazing trip with insane opportunities

I had an amazing time in Thailand with Rustic Pathways. It was incredible getting to work with elephants and explore Northern Thailand. The people I met on my trip were super nice and we became friends quickly. The temples showed us a different religion and different customs that were unique and something I had never seen before.

August 17, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing adventure

I had So much fun and met so many new people in the Dominican Republic ! I loved Every part of it - meeting the locals and working beside them , going to the beach and snorkeling, the waterfall - all of it. I got To learn about a new culture and practice my spanish, it was awesome!!

August 17, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Eye Opening

I traveled to Thailand and we got to explore areas where no tourists went which made the experience amazing. We also went to popular tourist areas and we were able to compare and contrast the different cities. I felt safe on the program and made fantastic friends.

August 17, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Rustic pathways review

Rustic pathways is a amazing program. I learned more than I ever have and met some of the most amazing people. Even though I have travelled many places with my family, Fiji is the only place I feel I’ve really gone. Rustic pathways allowed us to immerse our selves with the Fijian culture making us feel like we were at home. I took away so much from my trip and I will never forget it.

August 17, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I absolutely loved my trip with rustic…

I absolutely loved my trip with rustic pathways! Getting to travel internationally while being a teenager and getting to do community service is a dream come true. I loved the activities we got to do, the staff was always accommodating and helpful and I loved the program leaders! Every aspect about my trip was incredible and I would definitely recommend this company!

August 12, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Greatest 2 weeks of my life

The Rustic Pathways program that I went on was the greatest 2 weeks of my life. I went to Costa Rica, and I instantly feel in love with the country. I loved everything about Costa Rica. Also, I grew great bonds with the people that went on this trip. I talk to them everyday now. I definitely recommend Rustic Pathways to anyone!

August 10, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

could not have been a better experience

The whole experience was 5 stars all around i fell in love with the people the community and the animals. For first time travelers like me it was a big shock to step into a totally new culture and it was a long plane ride to get there but if you open yourself up to the experience it is truly a one in a life time experience unless you sign up to do it again.

August 8, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic soccer and service program to Costa Rica

My soccer and service program to Costa Rica was life-changing. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys playing soccer and wants to make a contribution. Highlights included my 6 days with a host family; natural hot springs and zip lining; and bonding with the counselors, Ticos (locals) and other students on the trip. Costa Rica is a beautiful place and the people are so incredibly friendly. I loved the RP staff and felt that they truly wanted us all to have an incredible experience and I most certainly did!

August 3, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best two weeks of my life

My experience with rustic was life changing. I grew so much as a person and met people that would become my friends for life. I know it sounds cheesy but I found a second family on my trip. We were able to come together from all different parts of the United States, and the world, and build two homes for struggling families. It was the perfect mix of cultural immersion and community service, and i couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and raw country to travel to other than Cambodia. My parents were worried about safety, but I have to say I never felt unsafe or in danger throughout the trip. My leaders were amazing and they were always making sure we were all ok, while giving us the freedom to experience the true Cambodian lifestyle. I can't believe I didn't do this earlier.

August 3, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Greatest experience of my life

Traveling with Rustic Pathways was the greatest experience of my life. From the people, the community service, the activities, even the food, everything was incredible and I would recommend this program to anyone.

August 3, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have now done two Rustic programs

I have now done two Rustic programs. To say the least my second one, Come with Nothing: The Mekong, was life changing and far better than my first one, Marine Life in the DR. CWN was way more engaging and the labor intensive community service felt far more meaningful even through I am way more interested in Environmental issues. I highly recommend both programs, but if you are looking for a true “Rustic” experience, I would say go for a program like CWN. I learned way more about the culture, interacted with tons of locals (we stayed in home stays for the majority of the trip), and bonded with my group SO much. Rustic has amazing staff and connections! I never felt in danger. I was pushed out of my comfort zone perfectly. I would recommend Rustic to everyone!! Even though the costs are high, it was life changing and truly shaped how I want to live my life and explore the world.

August 3, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My Rustic Experience

I have traveled with Rustic Pathways for two summers and I soon realized that when you come home from your trip, your experience doesn’t end. The connections and friendships you made on your trip carry forward into life in ways you would never expect. I found that my trip not only made me a better traveler and roommate, but a more compassionate person and without going out of my comfort zone and doing Rustic Pathways I would have never taken away such valuable lessons from a regular vacation.

August 2, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It was a great trip.

It was a great trip.
The activities were super fun and i loved taking care of kids, it was funny.
Thank you rustic for that cool experience.

August 2, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

So amazing experiencing another culture. Very safe, well organized and fun!!! I will be taking another trip next summer!

August 1, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Life on the Margin trip

I went on the Life on the Margin trip in Thailand. The second week was truly life changing. We homestayed at a Karen village and then travelled to a refugee camp and stayed there. Booking with rustic was extremely easy, but as someone who doesn’t come from a lot of money, I wish there was an option not to do the flight lead flight and to book our airfare by ourselves to save money, but get to Bangkok at the same time as everyone else. I am 18 and have travelled alone multiple times so having someone babysitting me through a flight was super unnecessary and I felt a waste of money to me personally. The whole idea around flight leaders is amazing for those parents scared to send their 14-16 year olds off into the world, but I think it should be a choice not a requirement to pay the extra money for that. Regarding my trip, I wish it wasn’t so joined in with the Children’s home group the first week, it limited my ability to get to know my group and program leaders until the second week and I wish I had more time to do that. Other than that rustic pathways has been a truly amazing experience for me and I would recommend them to everyone

August 1, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10 would recommend

I did the come with nothing program, three weeks with total strangers in rural villages. Best 3 weeks of my life! Rustic Pathways made me feel comfortable and safe throughout the whole trip, and I'Ve only been home for a week but I'm already searching for programs for next summer. I would recommend doing a trip through Rustic to anyone interested in having an new adventure.

August 1, 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Rustic Pathways change my life

Rustic Pathways change my life! Every person I met, both in the Rustic group and in the villages we visited, made me reflect on my life and how I can be a happier person. My trip balanced the perfect amount of fun and service and I regret nothing. I connected immediately with everyone in the group and I am so happy I went!

August 1, 2018
Unprompted review

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