For students with specific interests or those who want to visit destinations not offered in our Scheduled Gap Year, Rustic Pathways also designs Custom Gap Year programs. Custom Gap programs can be as long or as short as you wish – from a few weeks to a full year. This option is entirely custom-designed, and you work closely with Rustic staff to create an ideal program that matches your needs and lifestyle. Custom Gap Year programs tend to be the most costly option, as they include private, expert staff and completely specialized itineraries. These can be combined with our scheduled programs
or done as stand-alone Gap Year adventures. Rustic Pathways has decades of experience creating and running customized Gap Year programs, so no matter which option you choose, you’re sure to have amazing experiences.

To see a fantastic example of a Rustic Pathways student who created a great Custom Gap Year experience, check out Charlie Melvoin’s travel log at whereischarlie.com.

“When I contacted Rustic Pathways my senior year of high school, I never imagined they would be so excited about planning a trip that had never been done before. They listened to all of my hopes for the trip (and my parents’ concerns, of course), and at the same time they offered invaluable advice based on the years of experience the company has acquired. Every single staff member I was with in all of the 22 countries I visited was practically a local, having spent extensive time in the region and often times having studied the language. Looking back, it seems surreal that I ever had such an opportunity.”

- Charlie Melvoin
Harvard University, Class of 2010

To start planning the Custom Gap Year of your dreams, please contact us at gap@rusticpathways.com.

Rustic Pathways’ Gap For Good programs allow you to travel to remote corners of the world where Rustic Pathways has established year- round operations and settle in for long-term community service work. These programs tend to be lower in cost and involve a higher level of cultural immersion than our Scheduled Gap Year programs because they allow you to live in one place for an extended period of time. The length of an individual Gap For Good session generally ranges from four weeks up to a full semester. Students often incorporate a Gap For Good module into their Scheduled Gap Year when they would like to slow down and really get involved in a particular area or initiative. Many of the students on our Scheduled Gap Year programs do at least one Gap For Good module during the course of their Gap Year. If you are seeking a service-intensive Gap Year, Gap For Good is an ideal choice. With our many Gap For Good options throughout the globe, this program allows you to see the world, truly connect with unique communities, and share time and energy with people who really appreciate it. You can choose to combine programs in different regions or stay in the same region to specialize your Gap Year and minimize travel expenses. Wherever you choose to go, you’ll find yourself fully immersed in parts of the world very few outsiders see, and you’ll make a difference through community service work.  Because Gap for Good programs offer you the chance to stay as long as you would like, they are the perfect way to bridge Scheduled Gap Year modules and delve deep into a particular region. If you find yourself drawn to only a handful of our Scheduled Gap Year programs, you can combine these modules with extended Gap For Good sessions for a more focused, service-intensive Gap Year experience. For complete information on all of the Gap For Good projects we offer around the world, please email us at gap@rusticpathways.com.