International Airfare Information

You will be responsible for making all of your flight arrangements.

Students should arrive into Budapest (BUD) / Hungary between 10am – 2pm on Wednesday, and should depart to the USA between 8am and 12pm on Thursday. If they arrive or depart outside of this window, a transportation fee will be assessed to their account (each way).

We suggest the following airlines and flights for the travel arrangements:

1. Continental
Outbound
CO 28 – Departs EWR (Newark) on Tue. at 6.25PM, arrives in LHR (London) on Wed. at 6.45AM
BA 866 – Departs LHR (London) on Wed. at 8.45AM, arrives in BUD (Budapest) on Wed. at 12.15PM
*note that the 2nd leg of the outbound flight is operated by British Airways

Inbound
BA 865 – Departs BUD (Budapest) on Thu. at 8.25 AM, arrives in LHR (London) on Thu at 10.05AM
CO 111 – Departs LHR (London) on Thu. at 12.05PM, arrives in EWR (Newark) on Thu. at 3.30PM
*note that the 1st leg of the inbound flights is operated by British Airways

2. Delta Airlines
Outbound
Delta 98 – Departs JFK (New York) on Tue. at 8.05PM, arrives in BUD (Budapest) on Wed.  at 11.30AM
                        
Inbound
Delta 8503 – Departs BUD (Budapest) on Thu. at 7.10AM, arrives in CDG (Paris) on Thu. at 9.30 AM
Delta 8550 – Departs CDG (Paris) on Thu. at 1.35AM, arrives in JFK (New York) on Thu. at 3.35PM
*note that the 1st leg of the inbound flight is operated by Air France
 
3. United Airlines
Outbound
United 8826 – Departs IAD (Washington) on Tue. at 5.45PM, arrives in FRA (Frankfurt) on Wed. at 7.35AM
United 9072 – Departs FRA (Frankfurt) on Wed. at 9.00AM, arrives in BUD (Budapest) on Wed. at 10.30AM
*note that both legs of the outbound flights are operated by Lufthansa Airlines

Inbound
United 9221 – Departs BUD (Budapest) on Thu. at 9.55AM, arrives in FRA (Frankfurt) on Thu. at 11.35AM
United 8827 – Departs FRA (Frankfurt) on Thu. at 1.15PM, arrives in IAD (Washington) on Thu. at 3.45PM
*note that both legs of the inbound flights are operated by Lufthansa Airlines

4. American Airline
Outbound
AA 86 – Departs ORD (Chicago) on Tue. at 5.05PM, arrives in LHR (London) on Wed. at 6.50AM
AA 6731 – Departs LHR (London) on Wed. at 8.45AM, arrives in BUD (Budapest) on Wed. at 12.15PM
*note that the second leg of the outbound flight is operated by British Airways

Inbound
AA6600 – Departs BUD (Budapest) on Thu. at 8.25AM, arrives in LHR (London) on Thu. at 10.05AM
AA 47 – Departs LHR (London) on Thu. at 12.50PM, arrives in ORD (Chicago) on Thu. at 3.25PM
*note that the first leg of the inbound flight is operated by British Airways

Note that all layovers are at least 1.30 hours long, it is very IMPORTANT to give yourself enough time to catch your connecting flight.

Please email us a copy of your flight itinerary as soon as it is available. This will ensure that we have the appropriate staff at the airport when you arrive in Budapest."

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. Please contact Sammy at sammy@rusticpathways.com for more information on how best to connect your flights to another one of our great programs.

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.

Checking Your Luggage

All students not beginning their journey in Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York must pick up their bags from their domestic flights and recheck them for our international group flights. Please allow yourself enough time to pick up and check in your bags to our international group flights.

About Flights within or between Foreign 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. If you are connecting programs in different regions you will probably miss a minimum of one (1) full program day due to travel times. Please contact us if you have any questions about combining programs.

Please note that if you are looking to travel to Mongolia or the South Pacific region (Australia, Fiji, New Zealand) and then further onto a Mainland Asian Destination (Laos, Cambodia, Burma, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam) then you should book your Mongolian or Fiji Island trip first.

Also, if you are looking to connect to countries in other continents: Asia (including India, Australia, Fiji Islands and New Zealand), Latin and South America, and Africa) you will first be routed back through the United States. We do this so you can repack your bags and join your group and flight leader with greater ease, efficiency and ensuring safety.