mygapyear

Gapping Alone?

A mygapyear alumni shares her story & review of Rustic Pathways

One of our gappers shared some insights with us about her experience with Rustic Pathways. More relevant to this post is her decision to join a tour group alone.  How you want to spend your gap year, either locally or globally, is a tough and personal decision.  Many individuals that we work with are travelling alone for the first time with out family or other friends; therefore, it is a can be smart plan to go with a trusted tour organization.  There are thousands out there - this is why it is so important to read reviews, speak to others who have gone on trips with them and work with  people you can learn to trust - like mygapyear! There are lots of perks going with a group; for example, you will meet people from all over the world.  It is a great way to plan future trips and experiences.  There is often a balance of group and personal time.  Our gapper shares more reasons below for taking a gap experience with a group. Please enjoy the wonderful write up from our gapper and her trip to Peru! 

I have been back from Peru for nearly a month now but with the trip and the country still fresh in my mind I wanted to take the time to put down in words how pleased I was with the month Rustic Pathways organized for me. Going into the trip, I was definitely a little apprehensive---I was the first mygapyear client to travel with Rustic, and wasn't quite sure what to expect. And to be fair, the first few days were tough: it wasn't clearly stated on the Rustic Pathways website, but I soon found out that because I was doing the April trip (the third month in which they offer gap trips) I was actually joining a group that had already been together for the past two months. As opposed to being in the same boat as everyone else, I was one of only a few "newbies" to the group, and that was definitely a challenge---not only was I in a new country, but I also had to deal with the fact that everyone already knew each other!

In a way, though, I'm glad I went into the trip not knowing that everyone would already be friends, because if I had known that beforehand I might not have gone and I would have missed out on one of the most exciting months of my life! The trip was an adventure/volunteer excursion throughout the Andes inPeru, and I found it to be the perfect mix of exploring, volunteering, free-time, and relaxing. We started the trip around Cusco and Ollantaytambo, a place known as the "living city of the Incas", and it was the perfect introduction to the country's background and culture. We got the chance to live with and learn from local families, but also didn't miss out on the main tourist attrations the country has to offer---Machu Picchu, the Andes, Lake Titicaca, and more. I wouldn't have changed a thing about the itinerary.

I also really liked the fact that our group was smaller than most gap trips are---there were only eight of us (plus the most fabulous guide!) in total, and we really got to know each other really well. At times it was hard to deal with everyone---sometimes people didn't feel like working, or other times half the group wasn't feeling well---but that is only to be expected, and our guide couldn't have dealt with things any better. I also found it hard at times being the only Canadian in the group---Rustic is an American organization and everyone was from the States---but it proved to be a good conversation starter on more than one occasion! And for the most part the group did get along really well, and I have made friends that I hope to keep in touch with in the future.

The trip was definitely worth the cost and if I had the chance, I wouldn't hesitate to travel with Rustic again. I feel as if I really got to know Peru as a country and had the chance to help out a lot, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.