Rebuilding New Orleans Summer
2012 Itinerary

Day 1 (Tuesday)
You will land at Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) in New Orleans, where your Rustic Pathways staff members will be eagerly awaiting your arrival. From the airport, you will head to our Base in the heart of the city. Here you will enjoy a hot meal and meet the rest of your group. Welcome to the Big Easy!
 
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Don’t waste any time – the community service work will begin right away!  Grab a hammer and start working! After work, you will tour New Orleans with the group to see first hand the damage that was done when the city flooded.  See where the levees breached, learn how it happened, and get a sense of the level of destruction that currently remains in New Orleans.  After a long day, some jambalaya and a good night’s sleep will do you good.

Day 3 (Thursday)
This morning you will pick up right where you left off, building homes for people who need them.  Get to know the residents of St. Bernard Parish, a county that was 99 percent destroyed by the floods.  In the evening you will cool down by Lake Pontchartrain with dinner and a game of soccer.  Then watch the sun set over the lake and head home for some rest.

Day 4 (Friday)
You will continue working on the service project from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.  In the evening, watch a documentary about Hurricane Katrina, its impact, and the recovery process.  For dinner, try some crawfish before heading off to hear some local sounds – maybe a brass band, or a local funk or swing show.

Day 5 (Saturday)    
After a long week of service, you will take it easy this morning.  Stroll through one of the city’s major shopping areas in the Garden District or check out a festival.  After dinner, head to historic Preservation Hall in the French Quarter for a live show.

Day 6 (Sunday)
Go for a walking tour of the French Quarter with your Rustic Pathways staff members and do some souvenir hunting in the French Market.  Eat beignets, sample some pralines, and check out Mardi Gras World, where the parade floats are created and stored for the city’s most important festival.  In the afternoon, learn some local dance steps accompanied by a live Zydeco band in one of the city’s most famous venues.

Day 7 (Monday)
Help out in a local school today, giving students a more beautiful learning environment.  Many schools have just recently moved out of trailers, and the students are still getting accustomed to the new buildings that are being finished across the city.  Paint, plant, and construct new walls, gardens, and murals for the students to enjoy on their way to class.  In the afternoon, check out Tulane University, right up the street from the Rustic Pathways Base House!  On Mondays, New Orleanians always eat red beans and rice, a local specialty served with a fresh baguette and extra Cajun spice.   

Day 8 (Tuesday)
After eating breakfast and packing lunch, head down to the bayou to learn about how the wetlands are both an important ecosystem and vital for the Gulf Coast’s hurricane protection.  Pull your waders on, get into the swamp, and help save this delicate ecosystem.  After lunch, explore the estuary and see some of Louisiana’s wildlife before heading home to a hot meal. You will want to relax this evening – work will start early tomorrow morning!

Day 9 (Wednesday)
It’s time to head back to the worksite!  For lunch, enjoy one of New Orleans’ famous po-boy sandwiches with fresh Gulf seafood or alligator sausage.  After work, stop by the zoo or the city’s aquarium, which holds a giant white alligator, and watch the steamboats glide down the Mississippi.

Day 10 (Thursday)
Continue your service project and talk to the locals about what life is like in the Crescent City.  Listen to their stories about the storm and be amazed at the resiliency of New Orleanians.  You will also meet volunteers from across the globe who are coming down to help out and learn what brought them here.  Tonight, gumbo is on the menu…

Day 11 (Friday)
Continue your volunteer work and see the tremendous progress that you have made during your stay in the Big Easy.  After working hard all day, stop by the snowball stand and try yet another flavor of this local sweet.  A barbecue in the evening will be a relaxing end to a week of hard work. 

Day 12 (Saturday)
Spend the morning exploring a new neighborhood and learning about the rich European history that makes New Orleans unique.  Catch a tour of the Quarter, spend the morning in one of the city’s great museums, or hang out on the Bayou.  Check out the city’s local swing scene in the evening. 

Day 13 (Sunday)
Attend a concert in the park held in remembrance of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and support the recovery process.  You may be lucky enough to be down here during one of the city’s great festivals celebrating Louis Armstrong, Gulf Coast fishing traditions, or Cajun culinary favorites.  Take pictures with your new friends and savor your last few days in the city.

Day 14 (Monday)
Take one final day to volunteer your energy towards the rebirth of this great American city.  Finish a project you began last week and take a moment to connect further with the other volunteers and the locals who are so appreciative of all of your support.  Go out for one last night in the city, taking in the sounds of a local legend and her funky traditional jazz style.   

Day 15 (Tuesday)
Spend the morning with the friends that you’ve made in the neighborhood where you’re staying and enjoy one last hearty New Orleans meal before you return home and share your experiences and photos with your friends and family. 

An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

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 (or twin-size bed linens and a light blanket)
• 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 last night (dressy-casual, for live music)
• Swimsuit (just in case!)
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Shorts (Four 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 – Will the students travel outside the city?
The students will be within the city limits of New Orleans for most projects and cultural activities, although some activities (local festivals, occasional projects) may be in neighboring towns or parishes (counties).  The group will stay at the base in the city every night, and no day trip will be outside Southern Louisiana.

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 eating most meals at home base.  Breakfast is usually cereal or bagels, and students will pack their own sandwiches for lunch in the mornings.  Dinner will consist of local specialties (jambalaya, gumbo, red beans & rice, etc.) 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 the Rustic Pathways home base each night, in bunk beds with separate quarters for boys and girls.  They will have access to hot showers and

6 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
Spring Break students will not be able to do laundry while on the trip, and should bring enough clothing for the week.  Summer Program students will be able to send their laundry out to wash-and-fold service once, halfway through the trip.  Laundry usually costs about $10/load (about 13 pounds of laundry).

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 – New Orleans has been known to inspire musicians to play.  We usually have a guitar on hand.  Rustic Pathways is not responsible for lost or stolen instruments.

8 – Is New Orleans safe? 
Yes. Rustic Pathways takes many precautions to ensure our students’ safety. Students are never in the city unescorted by Rustic Pathways staff.  Rustic Pathways provides our own transportation and therefore, with the exception of the occasional trolley ride, never utilizes public transportation. We avoid potentially dangerous areas, and students are closely supervised during evening concert events; we do not allow students to leave Rustic Pathways property unescorted.