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International Airfare Price

The flight prices shown in our catalog and web site are estimates only and do not include taxes, airline fees, and fuel surcharges, which will be billed separately. Flight prices can change, and Rustic Pathways reserves the right to bill any flight cost increases, extra taxes, fuel surcharges, or airline fees back if we incur these costs. We’ve tried our best but please remember all prices are subject to change.

No, Rustic Pathways only tickets students originating from the USA on our escorted group flight from Los Angeles to Fiji. Students are responsible for making their own flight arrangements from their home city to one of the aforementioned gateway cities.

Fiji does not require visas for US citizens. Students who are not traveling on a US passport should check online for their visa requirements.

Almost all Rustic Pathways programs interconnect! Many of our students take advantage of this by combining several programs – and often several countries – to build their perfect summer. Most programs have numerous departure dates which allow students the flexibility to travel at their convenience. We strongly encourage students to take advantage of their time in this fascinating part of the world:

Safety and Efficiency are our Priorities

To ensure that our programs operate in a safe and orderly manner, Rustic Pathways makes all arrangements for students’ international air travel from the time they leave North America until the time they return at the end of a successful adventure. Our programs span the globe, and the logistics of moving groups of young people safely and efficiently around the world requires that we control their flight arrangements in all but exceptional cases. The safety of our students is always our primary consideration. We do not allow parents to make their own air travel arrangements as this causes very real logistical problems for us, and puts their children unnecessarily at risk.

Rustic Pathways tickets all students traveling to Australia on Air Pacific from Los Angeles.

All of our Escorted Group Flights are on Air Pacific, the finest airline servicing the South Pacific. We are proud to offer our students flights on this legendary carrier, making the voyage as smooth as possible.

Rustic Pathways Flight Leaders and Airport Coordinators

Rustic Pathways has responsible flight leaders who serve as escorts and chaperones on almost all of our international group flights. Flight leaders receive heavily discounted international air travel in exchange for supervising and escorting our students. We have very high standards and requirements for our flight leaders. A typical international travel day is as follows: the Rustic Pathways' student meets their groups and flight leader at the Air Pacific flight counter (your adventure has officially begun!), then travel overseas with the group and 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.

Rustic Pathways also employs an Airport Coordinator in each of our regional hubs, whose main job is to reinforce the Flight Leaders with support and assistance for our students should any unforeseen issues arises.

Flights Always Escorted by Flight Leaders:

- Any flights originating in USA and headed to Costa Rica, India, Thailand, China, Africa, Peru, and Fiji

Why can’t we always escort flights?

We have tried our hardest to have a staff member on every flight, thus it speaks volumes that there are only two exceptions when there will not be a flight leader from and to one of our gateway cities:

Students who live outside North America (OR students who are arriving from destinations outside of North America) may be asked to arrange their own international air travel. Our Travel Desk will work with you on these details and advise you on all of your travel details. Once you have finalized your travel details, it is imperative that you send us all of your flight details.

Students who apply very late in the season may be required to make their own airfare arrangements when group seats on escorted flights are no longer available. We often try to accommodate late applications but please beware that spaces on programs fill up very quickly and the price of flights often increase the longer you wait to book your ticket. If you are a late applicant and we do not have group seats, our Ohio office will contact you and inform you of this prior to processing your application.

Short, Unescorted In-Country Flights

Some countries and programs require multiple flights to get to. In such a case each student is first personally escorted to a global gateway city and then helped by an Airport Coordinator to board their planes to one of the aforementioned countries. These are often short, nonstop services. Students traveling 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. Once their programs concludes and the student is ready to return home, an Airport Coordinator will help them board the plane, in these more remote program areas, and back to a global gateway city, where a Flight Leader will receive them and escort them back home.

Safe Arrival Emails

Within 12 hours of students reaching their program destinations, a safe arrival email is sent to their parents confirming the students' safe arrival overseas. Just one more way that we try to increase transparency and help you understand that your son or daughter is just as important to us as he/she is to you.

When Life Changes…
About International Travel Costs

The airfares listed on the country pages are estimates only, and all airfares are subject to change without notice. Late applicants are sometimes unable to secure seats on our group flights or obtain the airfares indicated here. All airfares are subject to taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges which vary according to airline and destination, and which are beyond our control. Rustic Pathways reserves the right to pass along any increases in these costs should this become necessary.

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 through the change/revision link located at www.rusticpathways.com/revision. Rustic Pathways will then check availability on the trip itself as well as seat availability with the airlines and inform the appropriate country director, staff and 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:

o The full cost of the program being added
o $150 administrative fee if the student extends once they are overseas, OR $200 administrative fee if the request reaches our USA office less than 3 days (72 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 ($15) charged to Rustic Pathways by our bank that will also be assessed.

Payment of these fees either by personal check, bank check, or wire to Rustic Pathways, must be made prior to any changes being completed.

Please contact us for additional details at 1-800-321-4353.

Changes to a Trip

If you request a change after the issuance of your acceptance letter, but more than 30 days prior to your departure date you will be assessed a $100 administrative fee. If you request a change 30 days or less prior to your departure date, you will be assessed a $200 administrative fee.

In addition to the administrative fee, all other fees associated with the changes will be assessed to the student's account. This may include, but is not limited to: gas prices, airline fees, courier fees and other general price sensitivities. 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 such as for the overnight shipping of your child's t-shirts.

Connecting You to 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 (New York-JFK, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Houston.)

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.

Getting to Your Gateway City

Students traveling to Fiji are responsible for getting to Los Angeles on their own. Due to frequent domestic airline delays pertaining to weather or mechanical problems, we recommend you MUST arrive in Los Angeles a MINIMUM OF 4 HOURS PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE TIME OF THE GROUP FLIGHT.