Your Flight Arrangements
For those students traveling to Costa Rica, Peru or India, Rustic Pathways will arrange all flights (domestic and international), in most cases, from the airport of your choice to your overseas programs and then back home.

For those students traveling to any of our other amazing destinations, Rustic Pathways will arrange only the international portion of your travel. You must arrange your own domestic travel to your gateway city. It is also the responsibility of the parents and the student to ensure students arrive with sufficient time to recover and recheck their baggage and connect with the Rustic Pathways escorted group flights.

Due to frequent domestic airline delays pertaining to weather or mechanical problems, we recommend you MUST arrive in your gateway city a MINIMUM OF 4 HOURS PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE TIME OF THE GROUP FLIGHT.

About Our Airlines
Rustic Pathways works with some of the very best airlines in the world including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air Pacific, Continental, Air China, China Eastern, Dragon Air, Thai Airways, South African Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, and Virgin Blue. We have contracts with these airlines, as well as long-standing relationships with many of their overseas offices.

About Our Gateway Cities
Rustic Pathways’ students join our programs from almost every state in the USA and from many countries around the world. Every student originating in the USA MUST BE TICKETED BY RUSTIC PATHWAYS on our overseas escorted group flights which depart from their program’s appropriate gateway city. The gateway city is the meeting point for all of our US originating students – a gathering point before heading overseas together with a group and a flight leader. See the Estimate Your Airfare Page for information about gateway cities.

About Flight Leaders and Escorted Flights
Rustic Pathways flight leaders escort our group flights from each gateway city. Students meet their groups and their flight leader at their gateway city, then travel overseas with their group and their flight leader. This ensures that all students are accounted for and escorted out of and into the US on a Rustic Pathways group flight and by a Rustic Pathways flight leader.

Flights Always Escorted by Flight Leaders
• All flights from the USA to Costa Rica, India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Africa, and Fiji
• All flights from Costa Rica, India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Africa, and Fiji to the USA
• All flights within & between Thailand, China, India & Vietnam
On some specific routes, students may not be escorted on their flight. This most often occurs on short, nonstop services which connect the South Pacific countries of Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Students travelling on unescorted flights are always checked-in for their international flight by a Rustic Pathways staff member and met by a staff member upon arrival at their destination after clearing customs.

Flights Usually Not Escorted by Flight Leaders
• From Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji to Asia or India
• From India or Asia to Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji
• From Fiji to New Zealand or Australia
• From New Zealand to Fiji or Australia
• From Australia to Fiji or New Zealand

Safe Arrival Emails
Within 12 hours of a student reaching their program destination, a safe arrival email is sent to their parents confirming that student’s safe arrival overseas.

Extending Your Trip While Overseas
Every year, many of our students realize, once their trip has begun, that they want to stay overseas longer. While we try to accommodate these extensions whenever possible, our summer programs are almost always full and only limited trips have room for these extensions. The limited availability of airline seats is also a factor in determining if a trip can be extended. Students that want to extend their stay must first get permission from their parents. This parental permission must be communicated to Rustic Pathways either by email to rustic@rusticpathways.com putting the student’s name and the word “extension” in the subject line, or through the change/revision link located at www.rusticpathways.com/revision.html. Rustic Pathways will then check availability on the trip itself as well as seat availability with the airlines and inform both the country director and/or staff and the parent of the status of the change. If the trip is full or the new flights are not available, the student must return on his/her originally scheduled flights. All costs for the trip extension (see below) must then be paid in full prior to any changes being made.

Extension Fees
If a student is able to extend his/her trip, the following fees will apply and must be paid before changes to the student’s trip can be made:
• the full cost of the program being added (see catalog for pricing)
• $100 administrative fee if the student extends once they are overseas, OR $200 administrative fee if the request reaches our USA office less than 4 days (96 hours) prior to the student’s scheduled return flight.
• any change fees or fare increase imposed by the airline prior to Rustic Pathways extending the trip and reissuing the student’s airline tickets.
• if you choose to wire payment for the extension, there is an incoming wire fee charged to Rustic Pathways by our bank that will also be assessed. Please contact us for details.
Payment of these fees either by personal check, bank check, or wire to Rustic Pathways, must be made prior to any changes being completed.

Changes To Airline Bookings & Tickets
If a student’s ticket has been booked but NOT ticketed and you request a change in his/her airfare arrangements, there will be a $50 administration fee for processing this request. If a student’s ticket has been booked AND ticketed and you request a change in his/her airfare arrangements, there will be a $100 administration fee imposed by Rustic Pathways. In addition to the administration fee, all other fees associated with the changes will be assessed to the student’s account. This may include, but is not limited to, airline fees, courier fees, etc. These fees apply regardless of whether the ticket is in your possession or in the possession of Rustic Pathways.
Late Season Bookings

Rustic Pathways works hard to accommodate late season applicants whenever possible. Quite often, low cost group seats on our flights are no longer available when bookings are made late in the season. In this case, Rustic Pathways offers parents the option of accepting higher air fares or making their own flight arrangements and paying the standard $ 100 deviation fee. Please apply for your summer program as early as possible to avoid higher airfare costs. Late sign-ups may also incur additional fees for the overnight shipping of your child’s airline tickets, t-shirts, etc.

About Connections Between Countries
One of the coolest things Rustic Pathways offers is the ability to visit multiple countries in the same summer. Many countries have been specifically designed to interconnect, while others take a bit of work. Almost all of our trips do connect together, and if it’s possible, we’ll make it happen. Please contact us if you have any questions about combining programs.

About Unaccompanied Minors
If your child is classified as an unaccompanied minor (depending on his/her age) parents may be charged a fee by the airline. The age, conditions, and amount of the fee vary with each airline. These fees will be charged at check-in time in the airport. Rustic Pathways is not responsible for assessing these fees. Parents will be responsible for making all unaccompanied minor arrangements for the student’s round trip domestic travel and for paying any applicable airline fees. Parents should make sure that the airline will pick their student up at his/her arrival gate and deliver him/her to the departure gate for the international portion of the flight. Rustic Pathways staff will not be able to provide this service.

International Taxes & Surcharges
The Estimate Your Airfare Page shows estimated airfares, and are subject to change without notice. All of the prices shown exclude international taxes, airport taxes, and airline fuel surcharges as these can change quite often. Your acceptance letter will show the international tax component of your trip. In the event airlines raise taxes for fuel, security, or any other reason – you will be responsible for these increases.

About Immigration Costs
Most countries charge a departure tax or an immigration fee. This is shown as part of the international taxes on your acceptance letter and will be paid by Rustic Pathways on behalf of your child.

Beginning Travel From Outside The US
If you begin your travel from outside North America, please contact us for information on arrival times into your destination and departure times from your program. If special pick up and drop off arrangements outside these time frames are required, a minimum fee of $ 100 will be assessed each way.