Day 1 – Saturday - Travel Day!

Welcome to Arizona! Students arrive between noon and 4pm to Phoenix Airport and meet the group! Head to the hostel and have a hot meal with your new team and staff members, have a quick discussion and orientation, see a little bit of the town, and get some sleep for a big day tomorrow!

Day 2 – Sunday           

Spend the morning in Phoenix and explore the Botanical Gardens, learning about the people, plants, and animals that inhabited this area for thousands of years. In the afternoon, start the drive up to Flagstaff, stopping along the way to take in the beautiful Arizona landscape. Arrive in “Flag” and have dinner, settle in to the hostel, and get some sleep for a big day in the morning.

Day 3 –Monday

Wake up early to start your service! Spend the morning in the kitchen, preparing food for those in need. Spend the afternoon exploring the town and getting to know this fun, little city known to tourists as their first stop before the Canyon. Flagstaff is not far from Historic Route 66, and there are lots of reminders and relics from the country’s first cross-country highway. Settle in and have some dinner (Flagstaff is a great international restaurant town!) – Thai, American, Itialian, whatever sounds good! Take in the cool desert air and slip into bed for a good night’s sleep.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Now that you’re a pro in the kitchen, help out one more day to get ready for another meal at a local soup kitchen. Get to know what kind of healthy food can be made for the least money and with some donations from local sources. Learn why so many people left without healthy food options in a land of excess are, and what can be done to change that. When dinner is ready to be served, head out to the streets of downtown Flagstaff and catch a live show, a movie, or just hang out and take in the town. It is a fun, young Western city – take advantage! Go the store and grab some food for dinner, and put your new skills to the test, cooking a healthy, delicious meal for yourselves and your group.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Get up early to catch the train to the beautiful South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Watch the cactus and endless desert zoom past you as you head towards one of America’s most breathtaking landmarks. Walk around the rim, take some photos, and then explore! Bike around the Grand Canyon’s edge and look down at the tiny Colorado River, the water that carved this gorge millions of years ago. The bike ride is about five miles, just long enough to get your blood pumping and to get away from the bustling tourist center. Catch some last shots before you jump back on the train and head to the base hostel, and relax during the ride back to town.

Day 5 - Thursday

Up early again to spend some time in Flagstaff, do some last-minute souvenir shopping before driving south to Arcosanti, a desert city designed to sustain populations in the desert. Have lunch, take a tour of the center and learn about the agriculture of the city. Get your hands dirty in service pitching in and growing the local foods that thrive in arid desert climates. After a hard day, eat a home-cooked dinner with the locals and settle in with your group around a fire in this ancient-looking modern city.

Day 6 - Friday

Through the desert, past the cactus and scrub brush, head to a town that is known for cooking and serving local foods! The Tohono O’odham thrived on what the desert produces, and a local restaurant has a mission of providing indigenous food to neighbors who need it. After a service project in town, spend evening on horseback on a hack through the wilderness to well-earned dinner by the campfire, watching the sunset over the endless landscape. Take some pictures and sing some cowboy songs on your last night in beautiful Arizona.

 

Pack the following items in your carry-on luggage:

• Airline Tickets
• Identification (license, passport)
• Health Insurance Card
• Wallet with about $100 (Emergency Cash)
• Sunglasses, Hat
• Toothpaste, Toothbrush
• Journal and Pen
• Snacks
• Camera (and extra memory cards if needed)
• Carry-on bag should serve also as a daypack – small backpack or purse works best

 

Pack the following items in your checked luggage:

• Refillable, durable water bottle (VERY IMPORTANT!)
• Pillow
• Light sleeping bag
• Lightweight long pants or jeans that can get dirty (2 pairs)
• Underwear and Socks (8 pairs each)
• T-shirts or tank tops (5 per week)
• Two long-sleeve shirts or sweatshirts
• One nice outfit for city excursions
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Shorts (2 pairs)
• Tennis shoes (one pair)
• Shoes for service projects (any hard-soled shoes, work boots, old sneakers that can get dirty)
• Sandals or flip-flops (one pair)
• Toiletries (soap/bodywash, shampoo, contact lenses, deodorant, razors, etc)
• Personal first-aid items (students may want to bring ibuprofen, Band-Aids, ets)
• Sunscreen, insect repellant, lip balm with SPF, aloe vera gel (in a zip-lock  bag)
• Towel
• Laundry bag or pillowcase
• Medications (all meds must be checked in with staff upon arrival and recorded in Medical Hot Sheet)

Musical instruments are always appreciated if they can be easily carried. They can be left at the Base House during the day while students are on projects. (Rustic Pathways is not responsible for instruments lost or damaged while on program.)

 

1 – How well will the students be supervised?
Students will be in a mix of locations with the group, and will stay with the group the entire time. There are times they will be in urban areas for shopping or educational excursions or rural areas during service and activities, when they will be allowed into stores or markets by themselves, or will be part of a smaller group for service reasons. The students will be completely supervised during the program by our Rustic Pathways staff.

2 - What costs are not included on this trip? 
Snacks, souvenirs, and other shopping excursions are not included, but all meals will be offered.

3 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
They will be taking meals at a variety of places.  Breakfast is usually cereal or bagels, and students will pack their own sandwiches for lunch in the mornings.  Dinner will consist of local specialties and American favorites.  Groups occasionally go out to restaurants to experience local cuisine, which is covered in the trip cost.  Meals overall are high-energy and nutritious, many times made with locally grown vegetables and regional ingredients.

4 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water? 
The Rustic Pathways students will be able to drink water from the tap during this program, but they will have the option to buy bottle water if they prefer. As New Orleans is in a hot climate, we require that every student has a refillable water bottle on hand at all times to stay hydrated.

5 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like? 
Students will be staying at a mix of hotels and hostels throughout the duration of the trip. They will be divided into

6 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost? 
Students will not be able to do laundry during the programs.

7 – Should I bring my musical instrument? 
Although we keep pretty busy during the trip, we do have down time.  Feel free to bring your instrument if it is small and easy to carry.  Rustic Pathways is not responsible for lost or stolen instruments.